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readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gun violence, Incest, Vomit, Antisemitism, Car accident, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Mention of r slur, dismemberment.deanchaudhri's review against another edition
- 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? N/A
3.0
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide
Minor: Miscarriage, Self harm, and Terminal illness
gummifrog's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Butler makes an effort to explore so many ideas in this - the intimacy of the relationship between these two groups, because there can be intimacy in hatred and distance. No amount of intimacy can close the gap, though, between the person who keeps you ground under your foot. Interracial relationships and the comparison and contrast between how they would have existed between both time periods was also a large theme.
I was most captured by the resilience, cunning, and analytical strength of the main character, Dana. She feels the guilt of having been born in a period where black people are no longer slaves in the US. Although she is no less consenting to the horrors she is subject to, she is entrapped in many ways and ultimately chooses to free herself physically - but always with the ramifications of what she went through mentally, leaving behind a piece of herself always in the past. There is a lot of emotional content and philosophy behind the action Dana takes at the end of the book, and I definitely need some time to sit with it and absorb it.
This is a powerful historical fiction / scifi novel, the precursor to Outlander, but so much more culturally relevant and an absolute must-read. While reading it, I was surprised about how many people hadn't even heard of it. This is absolutely a classic that cannot be missed.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence and Rape
Minor: Child death, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
theimposter's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
haylzno's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
This was a quick, but tense read.
Uncontrollable time travel, slavery, family?
Every time I thought I knew where the story was going, Butler said "ha" and flipped one on me.
I can see why Kindred is one of her most popular books
Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, and Medical trauma
areadingstan's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
It was really interesting and also heartbreaking to observe Dana's discovery of the time period she is stuck in, and the realisation that she cannot behave in ways she usually would, in ways she has taken for granted in her own time period, because of her race.
The relationships Dana has with the people she is 'visiting' in the past and her husband from her own time are what makes the book as powerful as it is, and once again Butler builds characters that are multi faceted and flawed, good and bad - quite simply, real.
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, and Murder