Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Mothers by Brit Bennett

14 reviews

awkwardllama's review against another edition

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emotional 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

4.0

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jayisreading's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.5

This was a well-written story that, unfortunately, wasn’t for me. I can recognize the great prose and themes in this novel, which I thought Bennett crafted with great care. I think it’s safe to say that I just wasn’t the target audience. I didn’t find the book dull—the main characters really spoke for themselves and had a lot going for them—but I wasn’t especially invested in what was happening either.

Something that I’ve also been trying to parse out but don’t have the words for was the discourse around abortion in this novel. I could have misinterpreted something, but I got the impression that Bennett was taking a rather critical approach to abortion that seemed to weigh down on one of the protagonists, Nadia, significantly. I don’t know if this is a result of the setting (a Black community with strong Christian affiliations), but I really wasn’t sure what to make of it.

All-in-all, an interesting enough book that I think will resonate with some (especially for those interested in books engaging with motherhood and relationships); I just wasn’t one of those people.
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abbruzzese's review

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emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Oh girl, we have known littlebit love. That littlebit of honey left in an empty jar that traps the sweetness in your mouth long enough to mask your hunger. We have run tongues over teeth to savor that last littlebit as long as we could, and in all our living, nothing has starved us more.

written so nicely. compelling story, and though i never felt attached to any of the characters, i appreciate the way they're written. very human, flawed enough but not so much that they're despicable. 
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stacylaughs's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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bookishbeccahale's review against another edition

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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

4.0

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jessereadsthings's review

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Really interesting story! My only complaint is I’m not sure how I feel about the ending.
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bridgetbry's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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jesshindes's review

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emotional inspiring reflective 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

I really enjoyed 'The Mothers', even more I think than 'The Vanishing Half', which I read and liked last year. As with that second book, I think Bennett does particularly well with characterisation and relationships: in this case, she sets up three central characters, (Nadia, Luke and Aubrey) all teenagers when the book begins, and traces their relationships with each other and with the church community where they meet. She deals with painful experiences sensitively and plausibly, writes a diverse cast of characters (in terms of age, sexuality, class, dis/ability as well as race) that feels real rather than forced, and her style is careful and precise as well as very readable. This is one of those books where you really care about what the characters mean to each other (I particularly valued the weight given to Nadia and Aubrey's friendship); where you see the ways they can hurt each other and wish they wouldn't but understand that it's life and of course, that's how relationships sometimes work. All in all, good read, and I'll look forward to whatever she publishes next.
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chloe_hazel's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

5.0

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zoebill96's review

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reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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