Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul

16 reviews

brynpemery's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

3.25

I think the convention of writing historical fiction in dual timelines, past and present, is getting a little tired. Kitty’s story was compelling and interesting, although i think could have been fleshed out a little further. Elise’s story seemed like an afterthought and I didn’t find myself caring much at all about that side of the book. Probably would have given a 4 if it had just focused on Kitty. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Abortion, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Rape, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Abandonment and Sexual assault

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

mollyb13's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

4.0

A really great story that deals with the Civil Rights movement as well as current day race issues. I loved the dual timelines and the old Hollywood setting. Definitely read if you loved Evelyn Hugo or The Vanishing Half.

I wish we would have gotten more of Elise's/current day storyline - she felt very underdeveloped compared to both Kitty and Hazel. I also felt that the ending was very rushed and a bit clunky with random anecdotes thrown in. Definitely had 5 star potential and I hope Crystal Smith Paul comes out with another novel!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, and Sexism

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

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

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

lipliplip's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

3.0

I liked reading this overall and there are important topics discussed throughout and through an interesting now and then lens. I echo other reviewers thoughts that it is reminiscent of Evelyn Hugo but that the book could have been a bit more concise, especially when it came to characters included and their ultimate importance to the story - I often found myself having to go back and reread earlier parts in order to understand what was going on due to that and some confusing writing. This has not turned me off from this author though as liked the plot as a whole and could see what she had envisioned for the book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Rape, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Grief, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Toxic friendship

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