Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey

13 reviews

sillyduckie's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Blood, Classism, Gun violence, Racism, Body horror, Colonisation, Violence, Xenophobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Ableism, Suicide attempt, Police brutality, and Racial slurs

haddy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

2.75

I thought this book was okay, although I listened to it and I think sometimes the multiple POVs were a bit confusing. 
I felt really sorry for the mermaid but I didn’t really connect with many of the characters at all.
I thought it was a cool time to set it in (kind of) modern day as well.

thought the end fell a bit flat, don’t think there was enough closure with the curse.. or how the curse fit into modern day?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

meghar's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

Beautiful and evocative language with the theme of the different types of isolation (literal and emotional) - I think this book would have benefitted from being twice the length, allowing the characters to flourish further and the themes to mature; the ending felt a little rushed and abrupt, but all in all a sweet, bittersweet story that doesn’t shy from the realities of colonialism’s lingering effects on community. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Blood, Colonisation, and Racism

Moderate: Vomit, Gun violence, and Racial slurs

Minor: Drug use

erebus53's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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

4.0

 When American tourists haul in a mermaid off the shore of a small Caribbean Island, a local fisherman does his best to save her, only to find that she reverts to being a woman. She is deeply ancient and cursed, and her presence on the island shakes up tensions between the locals. Thematically this explores gender roles, the Deaf community, and the history of colonisation and slavery in the Caribbean. The author is born in Trinidad.

There are some ominous and creepy bits in this book, which meant it fit in well sandwiched between some of my other October reads. It definitely has some supernatural themes.. (duh, mermaid..?!) I think it's well worth checking out the Audiobook version, if only because it catches the accent of the place. Content is a bit violent and bloody, and occasionally sexual in nature, so probably for older readers. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Racism, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Body horror, Grief, Bullying, Colonisation, Gore, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Ableism and Sexism

cm93's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Suicide, Colonisation, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Cursing, Sexism, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail

pkc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Grief, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Rape, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Vomit, Death, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

laurahartfield's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt

emry23's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

Moderate: Abandonment, Racism, Suicide attempt, Misogyny, and Trafficking

Minor: Genocide

julesandjude's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

3.0

Kurzweiliger Roman über eine Meerjungfrau und das Erbe des Kolonialismus in der Karibik

"Die Meerjungfrau von Black Conch" erzählt die Geschichte von Aycayia, einer jungen Frau, die wegen ihrer Schönheit dazu verflucht wurde, eine Meerjungfrau zu sein. Eines Tages wird sie von amerikanischen Fischern vor der fiktiven Karibikinsel Black Conch gefangen genommen. Wie Trophäenjäger machen die Männer Fotos mit ihr; sie empfinden eine Mischung aus Abscheu und sexueller Anziehung. Ist sie ein Fisch oder ein Objekt der Begierde? In der jüngeren Vergangenheit erinnert sich David Baptiste in seinen Tagebuchaufzeichnungen an die folgenden Ereignisse. Er hielt Aycayia zunächst in seiner Badewanne, wo sie nach und nach ihren Meerjungfrauschwanz verliert und sich wieder in eine Frau zurückverwandelt.

Das Setting des Romans in der Karibik und die Geschichte rund um eine Meerjungfrau haben mein Interesse geweckt, jedoch die Umsetzung konnte mich nicht wirklich überzeugen. Einerseits erzählt der Roman eine relativ einfache Geschichte, die sowohl spezifisch für die Geschichte der Karibik steht als auch eine universelle Wahrheit über die Fähigkeit der Menschen zu tiefer Liebe und die Fähigkeit, einander tiefe Narben zuzufügen, enthält. Andererseits fiel die Geschichte rund um die Hauptfigur und ihre Liebesbeziehung ziemlich flach. Auch fehlten den handelnden Personen in ihrer Charakterisierung an Tiefe und ihre Darstellung war teilweise ziemlich stereotyphaft. Zudem musste ich mich zunächst an den Schreibstil des Buches gewöhnen, da Teile des Textes im lokalen Dialekt und in Gedichtform geschrieben sind.

Eine kurzweilig erzählte Geschichte über eine Meerjungfrau, die das Thema Kolonialismus und Rassismus behandelt, aber auch nicht viel mehr.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Racism

anastasiadreaming's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-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

1.0

Good stuff:
Interesting description of the land and how it changed because of colonialism.

Bad stuff:
Extremely hypersexual (the word ‘sexing’ was used so many times I wanted to pull my eyes out), needless and frequent girl-on-girl hate, lack of nuance, gross lack of hygiene, and the ‘born sexy yesterday’ trope that I vehemently dislike. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Racism, Suicide attempt, and Sexual assault