Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel

9 reviews

robinlovesrain's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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What a beautiful book! I have always loved retellings (even when I don't know the original story very well) and this one was gripping and immersive and impossible to put down. I loved every character (even the hateable ones – give me all the complex, three-dimensional antagonists!) but I especially loved our titular character Kaiykeyi (and I love that she is queer!! Aroace rep!! It will never stop feeling magical to see my experiences as an ace person reflected in media. I feel buoyant every single time.) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infertility, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Moderate: Blood, Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Alcohol

purely_romantic's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious 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: No

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My first by Patel and one I really enjoyed! While the story felt like it dragged a little bit at the beginning, some of that detail was necessary to fully portray Kaikeyi as a three-dimensional character, which was the primary aim of the novel. I also appreciated how much it resisted and actively worked agains some of the ways in which the Ramayana is conceptualised today in Indian culture and politics. Even though the feminist angle felt a little heavy-handed in some places, I am deeply impressed with the work that Kaikeyi is doing and its ability to portray her as messy, real and determined and not defined by one seemingly bad decision as history has portrayed her.

CWs: Sexism/misogyny; war; injury; death; abandonment; brief mentions of child death 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: War

Minor: Child death, Infertility

coolfoolmoon's review against another edition

4.75

emotional hopeful inspiring slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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WHICH WAY DO I TURN WHEN THE ROAD'S BECOME SO TWISTED?

I read the Mahabharata for a college class and I'm amazed how much I remembered. Even though I read a translation, and I didn't read the Ramayana (yet?), Patel perfectly captures that voice of an epic in her storytelling. It's an equally exciting read and an epic in its own right. It's such an interesting concept / premise: religion + history + men (ancient and modern) and their belief that war and power and conquest is their divine right / destiny, but what about the women in their lives? What about the every day issues that need to be solved? And the idea that a woman's destiny is to suffer to make any significant change... The woman has no free will yet tries to carve her own destiny yet the gods are against her yet it's all apart of their plan yet yet yet! There's just so many layers! I gasped so many times! What a tale!

Rama fell down the cosmic Pewdiepipeline.

Tell me I'm wrong. I dare you. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, Blood, Death of parent, Abandonment, Classism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness

sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Infertility, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting

Minor: Child death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Classism

lucystolethesky's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, War

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail

julierambaeck's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I LOVE WOMEN!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Sexism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War

Minor: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

4.5

emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-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: Yes

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i really loved this. the characters were so well rounded and i loved the development they had. the plot was so interesting and i really enjoyed reading it!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Infertility, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, War

thelifeofareader's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-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: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Pregnancy

bookishplantmom's review against another edition

4.0

dark reflective tense fast-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

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I really enjoyed this book. I liked the writing style and found the plot engaging. I don’t know the original story this is based on and so can’t speak the the quality of the retelling. What I can say is that I found this a interesting way to bring up women's rights within traditional and religious practices. It seemed like the author was reflecting on the ways that “tradition” is sometimes used as a foil behind which to hide and justify misogynistic behaviour. I see this book as a question too asking the reader to think about where in various cultures is it time to move forward and how can traditions be held on to while also respecting the full humanity of all of its members.  

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death, Miscarriage