Reviews with content warning for Grief - The Vanishing Half

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

145 reviews

_maria_'s review against another edition

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mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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katsbooks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious tense 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

5.0

"You could drown in two inches of water. Maybe grief was the same.”

“She hadn't realized how long it takes to become somebody else, or how lonely it can be living in a world not meant for you.”

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

“A body could be labeled but a person couldn’t, and the difference between the two depended on that muscle in your chest. That beloved organ, not sentient, not aware, not feeling, just pumping along, keeping you alive.”

I have so many feelings about this book. I don't know if I feel confident in articulating them. This book followed the lives of twins Desiree and Stella and their respective daughters, Jude and Kennedy. They are raised in the town of Mallard, a town for light-skinned "colored" people. When they get older, they make choices that will influence the rest of their lives and that of their daughters. This story obviously had a ton of commentary on colorism and what it means to "pass." I was really glad I had the chance to buddy read this because it was helpful to chat through some of the heavy themes. I think the title of this book is really spot on because it can be applied to so many different pieces of the novel. Ultimately, it's a book about identity. What does it mean to be Black? White? Man? Woman? Daughter? Mother? Family? I fully understand why this book has received all the hype it has in the last year or two. It is a powerful narrative that definitely feels like it will become a classic that is analyzed in classrooms for a long time. I would recommend going into this novel a little blind. What I've written here is basically what I knew about it when I went in and I'm glad I had the opportunity to experience the story without any preconceived notions.

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linesiunderline's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

The Vanishing Half is a story that leaves a lingering afterglow with you as a reader. I can tell it’s a narrative I’ll be thinking about for a long time, and one that has likely quietly shifted my way of seeing things. I love that in a book.

Bennett is a subtle and gifted writer. She leaves room for the reader to make connections, slowly realizing the interconnectedness between characters and themes, and appreciate the things not said, merely suggested.

I love what this book made me think about identity. How much of ourselves do we create? How much of ourselves is our history, the legacy of family through generations? And still, there will always be parts of us that remain mysterious, even unknown, to those we love and even to ourselves.

A beauty of a story.

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davidrb's review against another edition

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challenging reflective sad slow-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

Just as good as you've heard if not better. This one will be a future classic.

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jamie_reads_stuff's review against another edition

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challenging 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

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libbyb's review against another edition

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challenging reflective tense slow-paced

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

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amandalorianxo's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Thought-provoking, heartbreaking and mind-blowing. Such a difficult but much-needed way to look at colorism within the black community, transgender challenges as well as the meaning behind family, and the measures someone will take to really see the end result through. I know HBO has been hinting at turning this into a mini-series but I'm stumped as to who has both the acting skills and image to portray both twins. I was really disappointed in Stella at the endbut books don't always turn out the way you want them to be.

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