Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul

18 reviews

haley49's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Such a great story but the ending felt unfinished. There were so many questions for both timelines, I wondered why the author didn’t stick to one. The psychology of the main leads were understandable but their development progression and/or the supporting cast needed more space for that extra umph. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Death, and Rape

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Classism, Murder, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Abortion, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Sexism, Cancer, Misogyny, Police brutality, and Infertility

Minor: Slavery, Xenophobia, Violence, Addiction, and Stalking

everamplify's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Police brutality, Rape, Sexism, Abortion, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Cultural appropriation, Eating disorder, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Racism, Misogyny, Death of parent, Child death, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Racial slurs

iamloreal's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative mysterious slow-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? No

2.75

This book was a slow start for me. It took a while for me to get a true feel for what the book was about because for almost a quarter of the book it had nothing to  do with Elise St. John or her family, their backstory, etc. I wish the author would have just focused on Kitty’s life because her character saved this story.

I appreciate the lengths the author went through to depict life for black people post slavery, and the struggle for those that could pass. How their treatment from those in community with them shaped their views of themselves and how painful decisions were often made to secure chances at a better life. 

I was let down, though, by the author’s attempt to bridge these timelines together. Elise’s storyline felt like more of an afterthought. Kind of how you’re eating a meal and you get to a small bit on the plate that needs a little seasoning. There were so many questions I had that won’t be answered. Why was the St. John family dynamic strained? Who else knew the secrets? What happened with the investigation? And what happened to the other characters from Kitty’s side of the story? 

All in all, this book was ok. I’m glad I opted for the audiobook over a physical copy because it would’ve been a DNF. 🥴

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Abortion, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Bullying, Racial slurs, Rape, Classism, Grief, Death, and Racism

mal_reads_books's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad 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? No

2.25

This story had great potential, but it needed a better editor.

The writing was messy, disjointed, and oddly paced. The two storylines didn't mesh well, and the transitions between Kitty's and Elise's chapters were jarring. There was a lot more telling and info-dumping than showing. There were too many characters and subplots that didn't add value to the plot, especially in the present day. The first two chapters were the worst. I had to reread parts and was ready to quit the book early, but I stuck with it because this was the book club's pick of the month. Kitty's parts were more readable and interesting than Elise's, but still had the aforementioned issues.

I would have enjoyed this more had Elise's parts been eliminated. I understand why the author included the modern timeline, but Kitty's story would've been fine alone, with maybe an epilogue with the St. Johns. I also would have liked to see more of Kitty's acting career and later life and was disappointed her chapters ended in the 1960s. The ending felt rushed and anticlimactic, leaving a lot of loose ends.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Rape, Sexism, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Body shaming, and Classism

Minor: Vomit and Blood

mdal26's review against another edition

emotional 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? Yes

3.5

I loved the concept, the story and the characters. Kitty and her friends were interesting and kept me engaged. 

That being said, I wish that the storyline in the present had gone deeper - I forgot at times that the story had two timelines because there was a strong focus on the past, and the present felt disconnected at times. In particular, at the end, I wanted to understand the impact and implications of what had happened in the past on the present day characters.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Death of parent, Police brutality, Slavery, Colonisation, Rape, Alcoholism, Cancer, Classism, Bullying, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Racism, Grief, Racial slurs, Death, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, and Abortion

abicaro17's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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? Yes

3.5

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Its just kinda meh. The story itself is cool! Kitty is a black woman passing as white and paving her way in Hollywood as a white woman. Shes inspiring and clearly talented but unfortunately her character development later in the book falls flat. The whole end of the book feels rushed compared to the intricate stories about how Kitty made it in Hollywood. I think it would benefit from like 100 more pages of either present day Elise content or Kitty with Elise from her pov. They just seem very disconnected for a close relationship.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Police brutality, Abandonment, Alcohol, Cancer, Death, Hate crime, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Medical content, Violence, Body shaming, Classism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, and Vomit

kkulhannie's review against another edition

emotional 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Racism, Slavery, Abortion, Abandonment, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Vomit, Rape, Sexism, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Child death, Infidelity, Stalking, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Addiction, Hate crime, and Pregnancy

nehaanna's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative medium-paced

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

4.5

I loved the pace of this book and its themes, but characters like the St. John family fell so flat. They were one dimensional at best. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Racism, and Police brutality

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Rape, Slavery, and Sexual assault

Minor: Alcohol, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Eating disorder, Addiction, Abortion, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Child death, Grief, Infidelity, and Infertility

cassielaj's review against another edition

challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I don’t know how to feel about this. I was intrigued by Kitty’s story, and I saw what the author was trying to do, but I think this book was lacking in a lot of areas. The first 100-150 pages were pretty slow and built Elise’s story only to disregard it completely for a significant portion of the book. I was way more invested in the story of Kitty and her friends, to the point that the 2017 story felt unnecessary and disappointing most of the time. I also found the characters in the 2017 storyline a bit under-realized. 
Kitty was a complex character and not always “likable,” which I think was a strong point of this book. The challenging decisions she faced were evident and her handling of certain situations showed her humanness.
Overall, I found major plot points of this book predictable and minor ones a bit confusing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Sexism, Terminal illness, Grief, Misogyny, Eating disorder, Pregnancy, Racism, Alcohol, Classism, and Police brutality

Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Murder, Rape, Body shaming, and Sexual assault

drnaynay's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Misogyny, Sexism, Abortion, Alcoholism, Racism, Classism, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Grief, Pregnancy, and Sexual violence