Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

11 reviews

bookwormcat's review

emotional funny informative 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Infidelity, Body shaming, Cancer, Bullying, Abandonment, Grief, Terminal illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content

amberinpieces's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism

Moderate: Medical content, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, War, Cancer, Death of parent, Grief, Car accident, Body shaming, and Sexism

Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Bullying, Islamophobia, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Blood, Miscarriage, and Sexual content

aurie1000's review

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer

zara89's review

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Abandonment, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Misogyny, Infidelity, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage

Minor: Infertility and War

my_plant_library's review

adventurous challenging 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Misogyny

Moderate: Infidelity and Miscarriage

Minor: Rape

swansea_casserole's review

emotional inspiring fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Abortion, Cancer, Car accident, and Miscarriage

jackelz's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

Kirabo lives with her grandparents because her mother abandoned her as a baby and her father works in the city. As a 12-year-old girl, she begins to question who her mother is. 

 

We see Kirabo with her friend, their eventual falling out, her first love, her life in Catholic boarding school, and her discovery of what it means to be a woman in a patriarchal society. 

 

This book encompasses fundamental issues affecting women in Ugandan society, including skin bleaching, trafficking, polygamy, colonialism, and Ugandan folklore and superstitions around women. I loved learning about Ugandan culture and history, and the beautiful storytelling. 

 

“My grandmothers called it kweluma. That is when oppressed people turn on each other or on themselves and bite. It is as a form of relief. If you cannot bite your oppressor, you bite yourself.” 

 

mwenkanonkano: a Luganda word that loosely translates as feminism, but this concept is older, local, not something imported from the west 

 

“Any mwenkanonkano is radical. Talk about equality and men fall in epileptic fits.” 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Sexism, and Misogyny

Minor: Abandonment, Cancer, and Death

achingallover's review

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Cancer, Car accident, Colonisation, Death of parent, Grief, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Racism, Police brutality, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, War, and Violence

booktribe's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, and Infidelity

sarahholliday's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring 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? Yes

4.25

I really loved this book.

What started as a tightly wound story unfolded into a stunning, complex epic covering the multifaceted nature of feminism, colonialism, authoritarianism, education, love, friendships, rumors, self-preservation, family dynamics and more.

If I have any criticism it's that I think the work as a whole would've benefitted from a bit more editing. But overall, I think Makumbi has created something truly great.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Infidelity, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Slavery

Moderate: Miscarriage