Reviews with content warning for Racism - The Ballad of Black Tom

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

114 reviews

laurareads87's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Well written, atmospheric, disturbing, and gripping. The Ballad of Black Tom features strong character development in not a lot of pages and articulates social commentary without the story feeling weighted down by it. This was my first Victor LaValle and I definitely look forward to reading more.

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dosxhime's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

Amazing, amazing. The writing and the plot was so perfect and atmospheric for this month of October. I will definitely reading more books by this author. I literally goobled the Ballad of Black Tom and I didn't regret a single minute. Highly recommended for a quick, thrilling read!

4.5 / 5 A

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louisallama's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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thebearnest's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

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loyddl's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

4.5

A nice book with mostly short chapters, you’ll be able to get through this one pretty quick. It did take me a minute to get into but I did enjoy it, especially as the book picked up in the second half. My one gripe is that the book changes perspective’s half way through. It would have been so interesting to read from the main character’s point of view (Tommy) instead of a side character in the more tense moments. Or at least see Tommy’s thought process leading up to the climax. If the book was a little longer it could have delved further into Tommy’s character arch while splitting the perspectives. But as it is, the book is still an enjoyable read.

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wyabook234's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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? No

4.5

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qarina's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-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

3.5

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aplpaca's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

4.0

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caidyn's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.0

Eh. It was alright. A lot going on, but it felt almost too much for the shortness of the story. Just didn't get into it.

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gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition

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tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

It was interesting, but I don’t know much about Lovecraft’s stories that this is based on, so I don’t think I got as much out of it as I could have. I think having the switching POVs hurt the narrative a bit. I’d have like to stick only with Tom, versus also the cop, Malone.

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