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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
One of my favorites. I've read it more than once (which I rarely do). I love that they think so carefully about the stuff and then realize that they brought all the wrong stuff--the stuff doesn't matter.
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Brilliant book about colonialism in the Congo though the 20th Century. It feels really heart breaking the characters on both sides don’t seem diluted or patronising. The story is told through the eyes of 3 children of different ages who all have different perspectives and opinions which means the true context moves in slowly. at its core theres real history and clearly a deep understanding of America’s part in the corruption and looting of the Congo. Would highly recommend reading.
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A Baptist pastor, his wife, and their four daughters take over a mission in the Belgian Congo in 1960. We get to see the perspectives of each of the daughters in a story about the arrogance of western ideals and the pitfalls lurking behind blind faith. Kingsolver does an excellent job of giving each character a unique voice though her messaging can come off as blunt at times. It’s difficult to fault her for that though, as it mostly centers around the injustice done to all of Africa. Her messaging is blunt because what she is writing about is blunt.
I was assigned to read this book and write an essay over the biblical allusions present to get into my 11th grade AP English class. We did not discuss how many of the villagers are described as missing limbs, how the father embodied western arrogance, believing that he could impose his religion and culture on the village, improving it in the process. We did not talk about the themes of colonialism, justice, or the history of the region we were reading about. Instead we studied the biblical allegories (which albeit there are many) in the text. An excellent, weird, and interesting novel wasted on an opportunity to sneak more religion into my public education.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Racism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Misogyny, Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, War
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
Seriously so so so good and so interesting. Would be so fun to really get into and analyze and discuss
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Racism, Grief
Minor: Ableism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic