Scan barcode
boba_n_books'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? Yes
3.5
Lauren, the main character and narrator, is an odd person. She never quite feels that she fits in her home neighborhood because she naively believes she is the only one who sees that trouble is coming. However, these beliefs are what lead her to create Earthseed—a religion whose main belief is that “God is change.” I found this to be an interesting concept as Lauren grows up and leaves her neighborhood.
The journal entries were an enjoyable way to read the story, but it makes me wonder how reliable a narrator Lauren really is.
I would have loved to see more of Lauren’s “sharing” abilities. They seemed to only come into play when it was convenient, but it was an interesting concept to bring up that is more prevalent in the latter half of the novel. I’m curious to see what the author does with that aspect of Lauren’s character in the next novel.
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Child death, Trafficking, Death of parent, Slavery, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Death
Moderate: Rape, Suicide, Police brutality, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Blood, Cannibalism, and Classism
Minor: Animal death and Sexual content
There are a lot of content warnings for this novel. Make sure to check them out before you read since there are a lot of triggering moments.evjohn13'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? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Trafficking, Child death, Addiction, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Gun violence, Sexual violence, and Slavery
gmortg3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Stalking, Incest, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Body horror, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, War, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Slavery, Colonisation, Hate crime, Suicide, Trafficking, Torture, Toxic relationship, Grief, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy
notartgarfunkel'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? Yes
4.0
I kept thinking of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road as I read this. The post-apocalyptic world is just as well-developed and you root for the main characters in the same way as they struggle to survive. I’d even say it’s a more interesting book because it considers race, gender, social inequality, etc. (not to mention the main character, Lauren’s, hyperempathy). It seems like the only reason Parable of the Sower is not as widely read as The Road is because it’s by a Black woman author with characters that are mostly people of color. I think it’s more worth reading for that reason.
Graphic: Child abuse, Trafficking, Animal death, Violence, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Gun violence, Animal cruelty, and Death of parent
Moderate: Murder, Racism, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicide
cuddlygryphon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Grief, Trafficking, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Slavery
Moderate: Death of parent, Excrement, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Vomit, Rape, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Gore, Violence, Slavery, Sexual violence, and Sexual content
Minor: Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Domestic abuse, Grief, Excrement, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death of parent, Incest, Cannibalism, Death, Medical content, Mental illness, Drug use, Murder, Pregnancy, Slavery, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Trafficking, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Xenophobia
brookwilson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Suicide, Pedophilia, Cannibalism, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
vivvs's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.25
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Death, Gore, Rape, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, Suicide, Physical abuse, Child death, Cannibalism, Incest, Drug use, Pedophilia, Abortion, and Grief
Minor: Animal death, Classism, and Racism
very heavychaoticnostalgia's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cannibalism, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Violence, Sexual assault, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Trafficking, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Moderate: Racism, Suicide, Rape, and Sexual content
Minor: Excrement, Pregnancy, Cursing, Incest, and Infertility
lulu_canread'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
4.5
The book follows Lauren's childhood and her growing understanding of the world she lives in while the adults around her grapple with what used to be. Her father, the baptist preacher/spiritual leader of her neighbourhood instills in her a religion, but Lauren struggles to reconcile it with the harsh world around her. Her first act of defiance and of independence is to stray, first just in thought, from her father's view of god to her own - god is change, unavoidable and irresistable - thus begins her religion of Earthseed. This spiritual journey follows Lauren as she grows and her world changes.
At times this story reads like a parable or biblical text, other times the accuracy of Octavia Butler writing reads like a dire warning. This book is harsh and brutal, it doesn't shy away from the horror a dysfunctional world like this one would be. Yet Parable of the Sower is ultimately a book about survival, of endurance, and of hope. I am not a sci-fi or even much of a dystopian reader but I was totally captured by this amazing novel and unable to put it down.
Two warnings before you dive in:
Firstly, take the content warnings seriously for this book. I don't want to turn people away or off this masterpiece but massive content warnings, like all the content warnings. As I stated - this book is harsh and cruel at times.
Second, Octavia Butler was unable to finish the Earthseed series before she died. While there is a second novel published, Parable of the Sower concludes (without spoiling it for you) in way that you can stop reading and be satisfied with pausing the narrative there. I haven't read the second book and cannot vouch on whether or not you would find a similarly good pause for the series at that point.
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Child abuse, Alcoholism, Rape, Child death, Sexual violence, Slavery, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gore, Racism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Abandonment, Addiction, Cannibalism, Suicide, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, and Trafficking
Please, please, please take the content warnings seriously for this book. It is a fantastic read, but it is rough going as Octavia Butler does not hold back in the trauma department of her dystopian world. Make sure you read all content warnings on multiple reviews as I am sure I have forgotten some.avalazarov'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
5.0
Minor: Rape, Grief, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Pedophilia, Police brutality, and Gun violence