Reviews

Loving Her by Ann Allen Shockley

livvlaird's review against another edition

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5.0

all i can say is i can’t believe that Renay, Terry, and Denise we’re almost a family and i was robbed of that. so upset that Denise died :(

klannie's review

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emotional inspiring reflective fast-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

4.25

teachercap_e's review against another edition

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3.0

An interesting look into the dynamics of inter-racial and homosexual relationships. Uses a lot of stereotypes but still an interesting and poetic read.

synth's review

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1.0

I appreciate what the author was trying to do. Especially at the time she wrote it. There's also a number of ideas that needed and still need telling as pertaining to race and misogyny.

But this is not a good book. On technique, the writing is tedious, the dialogue unrealistic, the characters one-dimensional. On content, all the characters are stereotypes, and there is not one relationship depicted that is not unhealthy in some way, mostly possessiveness and toxic control, all of which is completely condoned by the book. I am also more than peeved that the book depicts and condones the white main character as colorblind for the most part. Not to mention that she says and does a number of really possessive shit, that reeked of racism (as in, her, white and wealthy, owning a poor black body), and definitely not in a way that is meant to be a commentary on subtle manifestations of her racist upbringing.

In summary, this reads as a book written by an author with a few good critical thoughts on the experiences of black lesbians in the US, but zero ability to write fictional characters.
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