Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - De droom die we delen

Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

De droom die we delen by Sadeqa Johnson

73 reviews

carriepond's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad 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? No

4.75

The House of Eve is engrossing historical fiction set in the late 1940s and early 1950s that explores Black womanhood and ambition, motherhood and racism, class, colorism, and so much more. It is told from the perspectives of two Black women. Ruby Pearsall, is a teenager who lives in Philadelphia and is competing in a prestigious academic program for a scholarship that will be her ticket to achieving her dream of being the first in her family to attend college and of becoming an ophthalmologist. Eleanor Quarles, from a working-class family in rural Ohio, is a sophomore at D.C.'s Howard University, studying to become an archivist of Black history. As they pursue their ambitions, they both find themselves in forbidden romances-- Ruby falls for Shimmy, a white Jewish boy and her landlord's son, and Eleanor falls for William Pride, a med student at Howard who comes from one of D.C.'s most elite and wealthiest Black families. When both women become pregnant, they have to decide whether and how they can reconcile their dreams with motherhood.

This book was so captivating. The characters, the setting, and the events of the novel were so layered and authentic, and it was very clear from the beginning how well-researched it is. (Like, even to the smallest details--one example: I had no idea that a common pregnancy test during this time was the "frog test," where a woman's urine was injected into a frog, and if the frog spawned, it confirmed pregnancy). I was immediately invested in both Ruby and Eleanor's stories (especially Ruby, she has my heart), and the way Johnson alternates every other chapter from each of their perspectives kept me turning page after page. This book explores race, gender, and social inequities in compelling and nuanced ways, and you really feel for the women in the novel.

I loved this impeccably researched historical fiction with complex and well-written female leads. Highly recommend to those who enjoy woman's fiction or historical fiction.

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odifranco23's review against another edition

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dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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shawnna_reads2's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative sad tense 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

5.0

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maddiet425's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Loved this one! I was nervous to buy it since I didn’t love Yellow Wife, but this one kept me interested throughout the entire read. I did find Ruby’s story more interesting than Eleanor’s, and the characters didn’t really develop, but overall a good read.

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kemareadsalot's review against another edition

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5.0

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mariacassar's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

4.0

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siobhanward's review against another edition

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emotional 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? It's complicated

3.0

Reese's Book Club Pick 62/68

I loved the premise of this book and I loved that it was based in some Johnson's real family history, but it felt like the pacing was off. The first two parts of the book moved slowly and then everything wrapped up in the blink of an eye. I wish there had been more time spent with the stories winding together, and less time spent leading up to the two plots coming together. I think that more time spent in Ruby and Eleanor's lives before they got to this point, or more time spent after their plots intersected would have been great, but as it was written, the pacing just felt kind of off.

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