Reviews

[b:Transcendent Kingdom|48570454|Transcendent Kingdom|Yaa Gyasi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571925550l/48570454._SY75_.jpg|73528567] was a difficult read for me to enjoy. On paper, the protagonist (Gifty) & I (with the exception of our nationalities - protagonist: born in Africa, myself: born in America) are very much alike:

* raised in a Holiness church in the South (but hers was what I would actually call White Evangelical)
* loved, related to, and went to college for science (she all the way through her PhD, me to doctoral study, but not completing the degree)
* raised in a family that prioritized family connection

Although I understood so much behind Gifty's thoughts and feelings, at times, because they were so different from what I would have thought/felt, it created a dissonance in me as I read that kept me from really enjoying the book. I'm not saying that the character's thoughts and motivations aren't written consistently, but because of my feeling of "this could have been me" and my own thoughts/feelings were so different, I really couldn't enjoy the read.

sejalsriv's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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

4.5

sewfrench's review against another edition

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4.0

So authentically written I had to stop and confirm that it was not a memoir.

sujanyar's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

3.75

This book is well-written. I blame myself for not researching the topics this book deals with better before reading. The super religious background being at loggerheads with her scientific field of research was probably the theme I didn’t expect. The complicated relationship between mother and daughter and as an onlooker of opioid addiction was fleshed out so well.

Overall I expected more plot, and this book is also really sad and made me feel murky and desolate after reading. The ending of the book doesn’t provide the closure you’re looking for either.

Content Warnings

emmascho's review against another edition

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5.0

I can’t put a finger on it, but there is something really touching about the book, maybe it is the way it is so beautifully written. Really liked delving and learning about the narrator’s struggles with science and religion which turned out to be a center theme to the book rather than the tougher topics of drug abuse or depression for example.

gfowler's review against another edition

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I lost the hardback. Will pick it back up when I find it.

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