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nfoutty's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Police brutality, Colonisation, Grief, Murder, Child death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, War, and Violence
Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Infertility, Sexual content, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Incest, Torture, Trafficking, Death of parent, Classism, Kidnapping, and Homophobia
Minor: Alcohol and Abandonment
noahsingh's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? N/A
4.0
The reason this was only four rather than five stars for me is this (spoilers ahead and tw for rape/sexual assault):
1. What was the need to write the twins doing that to Thula? Seriously. It doesn't help the cause if any real way, she doesn't even end up realizing she's pregnant or having the child, she isn't even aware anything happened to her. Instead we just get the off-screen sexual assault of the main character with the complicity of some of the people she trusts most. Is the point just that women suffer from the short-sightedness of misogynistic men? If so, that was already made clear throughout the rest of the book. It was just upsetting for no reason in my opinion.
2. By the end of the book you're stuck with only Juba's perspective and the children who didn't rebel. I understand that the ending was realistic in terms, things like this often don't get fixed. What I didn't understand was the need to finish the book with the perspectives of those who conform to, and even benefit from, the oppression of people who they were once like. There was just, a bit too much sympathy for the oppressors in this book, I mean, what was the need for the Leader to have a tragic backstory as well? I'm sure lots of people who participate/benefit from oppression had some tragedy in their past, that doesn't make being complicit in the deaths of dozens of children okay? People do desperate things in desperate situations, sure, but why not focus more on solidarity? On potentially building resistance with the labourers at the oil pipes, rather than against them? I suppose my issue with this book is that despite the fact that I loved 90 percent of it, those last 40 or so pages of the book really lets it down. There's also quite a bit of skipping key/plot-important moments in the novel while instead lingering in the moments of depression/fear/terror. Which wouldn't be a problem if there was any payoff at the end, even if that had just been seeing the Five/Thula fight back against the soldiers, rather than hearing about it all third hand. Yes its brilliantly written, but the ultimate perspective jumps into Juba and the other Children, means that the final message of the book seems to be one of assimilation into systems of western/capitalism/neocolonial oppression. It lets down the rest of the book.
Graphic: Gun violence, Colonisation, Sexual assault, Rape, Child death, Death of parent, Violence, and Police brutality
Moderate: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Mass/school shootings, Infertility, Grief, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Classism
Minor: Animal death
dominicangirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Police brutality, Child death, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, and Torture
Moderate: Colonisation and Confinement
qqjj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Colonisation, Medical content, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Rape, Sexual assault, Genocide, Medical trauma, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Police brutality, and Terminal illness
carol_c26's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Genocide, Violence, Child death, Mass/school shootings, and War
alanaefarrell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Violence, Misogyny, War, Police brutality, Death of parent, Child death, and Miscarriage
Minor: Rape
booksonadventures's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
This stunning novel introduces a chorus of voices in the fictional town of Kosawa, where big oil company Pexton has destroyed the land and lives of the local community. Frustrated by their inability to protect their families, the people decide to take drastic action, kidnapping some of Pexton's men to demand their health and safety be taken seriously.
Starting this book felt like a punch in the gut, but the writing drew me in completely. I'm not usually one to shy away from heavy books, and I tend to feel a sense of responsibility to bear witness to the harm and exploitation "Western" countries have caused, but I knew this story wouldn't be easy. The environmental racism described here is infuriating. Mbue uses a variety of first person perspectives, but perhaps the most heart-wrenching is the collective (we) voices of the village children.
And yet... How Beautiful We Were transcends trauma. Mbue deftly explores the balance of greed, guilt, and grief that surround capitalism and colonialism. And yes, this is heavy and slow-paced but there's power in the way Mbue gives a voice to the people and plants the seeds for a better future.
How Beautiful We Were is a reminder that although the world makes me so damn angry, there’s strength in solidarity and power in resistance even when it feels futile.
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Child death, Police brutality, and Racism
seawarrior's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Grief, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Colonisation, Death of parent, Child death, Murder, Classism, Confinement, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Ableism, Rape, and Sexual content
courtneyfalling's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Death, Child death, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Rape, Child abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Miscarriage, Infertility, and Misogyny
plumquin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Racism, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Kidnapping, and Grief
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, and Genocide
Minor: Stalking, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Infertility, Infidelity, Alcohol, Body shaming, and Homophobia