Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

A outra metade by Brit Bennett

256 reviews

imaginefishes's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

The book delves into topics of racism and racial segregation, but my main takeaway from the story was about one's desire and attractedness to the possibility of change and metamorphosis. I deeply enjoyed the writing style and characterisation used in the story, and as the separate stories of each individual began to intertwine with each other, culminating in a grand intersection in the final few chapters, I teared up a little. Strangely enough, what stuck out to me most were the parents of the twins, and the two very different

deaths

they experienced,

one more violent and the other more melancholic

. I find this book, although fictive and possibly a little unrealistic, reflects well our human desires to be something more, or even to be someone else. I'm glad the book ended the way it did.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, and Death of parent

Moderate: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, and Gaslighting

Minor: Dysphoria and Bullying

sighclopss's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

A very thought provoking book, I'd rate it closer to 4.75⭐ 

This was such an interesting read with compelling characters, my main let down was the ending wasn't enough for me. I could have easily read another 200+ pages! I still have so many unanswered questions! But I understand with this type of philosophical story there can't ever really be a satisfying ending. 

I found the topic of colorism/racism and being biracial intriguing. Cultural identity vs ethnic. The theme of 'passing.' It had many confronting themes, some I related too, others that helped further expand my world view. 

This was overall a complicated story, I felt like the author did the complexity justice. The writing style flowed easily, and I loved every second of reading it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Classism, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Colonisation, Slavery, Medical content, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Deadnaming

rachelagurley's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Death of parent and Racial slurs

Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Dementia, and Alcoholism

justcallmeemily's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Dementia, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

Minor: Transphobia

ienbdri's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Sexual assault, Death, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Racial slurs

liiiizzzk's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

There were parts that were slow and a little boring but the story was rich with characters and I really loved it

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Racism

Minor: Racial slurs, Dementia, and Sexual assault

bmpicc's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

One decision and... everything changes. This book is marketed to us as a novel about "passing". I read a novel about "identity".  Identity of self. Identity of family. My 3.5 star rating is because too many stories were happening and they each felt a bit incomplete.

Is it about Desiree & Stella? Stella & Kennedy? Kennedy & Jude? Jude & Reese? And what about Desiree & Early? Let us not forget the family matriarch and her battle with Alzheimer's. The twins were lost in the background.

I appreciate the important issues the author presented to the reader and you know I love a generational family saga, but I wish it had been shared through the twins perspectives and not their children. I wanted to know more about the twins and how they felt. About each other, their relationship, their daughters and their daughters choices. 

“The only difference between lying and acting was whether your audience was in on it, but it was all a performance just the same.”

"At least Peg stood for something, fought for something. She went to war with the university over everything: paid maternity leave, sexist faculty hiring, and exploitation of adjunct labor. She argued about these things even though she had no children and had already secured tenure - she argued even though her advocating wouldn't benefit her at all. It baffled Stella, protesting out of a sense of duty, or maybe even amusement."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Racism, and Transphobia

Moderate: Death of parent and Dementia

oliviapincin's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Racism, Racial slurs, Hate crime, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Dysphoria, Death, Grief, and Bullying

Minor: Sexual assault

bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

I was pulled in right away! Its been a long time that a foreword has made me say “oh this is going to be a great book” 💜

A beautiful story that I didn’t want to put down but also wanted to take my time with it! I marked a lot of passages with quotes that struck me or made me think.

Chapters could be a little long for my taste but I didn’t always mind it. I was intrigued and captivated by the well-developed, complex characters! I especially enjoyed the switching POVs and spanning across years/decades to follow the twins and the family. There were times I hated characters and other times I sympathized with them.

I’ve never read a book quite like this and I’ll definitely be reading more from Brit Bennett!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, and Death of parent

Moderate: Dysphoria, Bullying, Grief, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Dementia

jenmtnbike's review against another edition

hopeful reflective 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Dementia, Violence, Death of parent, Hate crime, and Racism