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monicaa_d's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
3.5
I liked the blend of historical events with myth and magic. The characters are experiencing the effects of secrets, both known and unknown to them, which at the same time bind them together and keep them apart from one another.
Enjoyability ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Impact ⭐⭐⭐
Enjoyability ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Impact ⭐⭐⭐
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Colonisation
p3tt1tt's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Incest
Moderate: Racism
sassysoles82's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Grief, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child death, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Death of parent, and Classism
rachele's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Incest
Moderate: Miscarriage
internationalreads's review
The incestuous sexual abuse of a child was romanticized as a “relationship.” Nope nope nope.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Blood, Abortion, Death of parent, and Colonisation
nini23's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
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
4.75
Gorgeously told tale of a few generations of a family living on the US Virgin Islands of St Thomas. Changing hands from the Danish West Indies to the US Virgin Islands in 1917, Land of Love and Drowning traces St Thomas going through tumultuous years of transformation including contributing soldiers for the war, the invasion of hotel resorts, racist treatment on the mainland, hurricane Mary, the fight for locals' access to beach lines. Intertwined in this historical fiction is island mythology and folklore some from Anegada of the Duene, of Anansi, witches, soucouyant, obeah. The matrilineal heritage of traits and outcomes was particularly fascinating. As for the incest that everyone is cringing from, I think it's logical that there would be a common practice of intermarriage and sex within families especially in the earlier years when the islands were fairly isolated. There's a sense of fable and fatalism in all this within the Bradshaw and McKenzie and Stemme families.
The author's note at the end sharing her own personal family history especially of accompanying her grandmother to Anegada to visit her great-great-grandmother's grave was v poignant. Tiphanie Yanique is a very talented storyteller and writer, I especially loved her Anette's voice in island lingo. She had me spellbound for the 350+ pages, transported to Villa By The Sea, the beach where Antoinette taught her baby Anette to swim, Flash of Beauty on Anegada, the big island lime at the Gull Reef Club, the swim-in bacchanals of BOMB. Incredibly magical. I will be searching for more of her writing in her book released this year Monster In The Middle.
The author's note at the end sharing her own personal family history especially of accompanying her grandmother to Anegada to visit her great-great-grandmother's grave was v poignant. Tiphanie Yanique is a very talented storyteller and writer, I especially loved her Anette's voice in island lingo. She had me spellbound for the 350+ pages, transported to Villa By The Sea, the beach where Antoinette taught her baby Anette to swim, Flash of Beauty on Anegada, the big island lime at the Gull Reef Club, the swim-in bacchanals of BOMB. Incredibly magical. I will be searching for more of her writing in her book released this year Monster In The Middle.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Abortion, and Colonisation
raethereviewer's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
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
3.0
Trigger warning for incest (a lot of it)
I read this for my Creative Writing course since I’m studying Tiphanie Yanique’s writing for my thesis project. I wish I'd known about the incest beforehand. It does play an important role in the novel but it was jarring to read in the first fifty pages. And there are multiple instances of incest throughout the novel.
Aside from the incest, the story is very layered and I enjoyed the imagery. Yanique's writing style is very lyrical, which is something I personally enjoy. There's also a lot of lore and mysticism in the novel.
I loved learning about the history of the Virgin Islands. It's interesting to see how these islands have such a rich history, but they're just seen as "tourist destinations" from those that don't live there.
I read this for my Creative Writing course since I’m studying Tiphanie Yanique’s writing for my thesis project. I wish I'd known about the incest beforehand. It does play an important role in the novel but it was jarring to read in the first fifty pages. And there are multiple instances of incest throughout the novel.
Aside from the incest, the story is very layered and I enjoyed the imagery. Yanique's writing style is very lyrical, which is something I personally enjoy. There's also a lot of lore and mysticism in the novel.
I loved learning about the history of the Virgin Islands. It's interesting to see how these islands have such a rich history, but they're just seen as "tourist destinations" from those that don't live there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Incest
kylieqrada's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
2.5⭐s. WHY IS THERE SO MUCH INCEST IN THIS BOOK?!?! I liked everything else about it: the story, the Caribbean setting/history/characters, the folklore, the language, the way it was told, the non-incestuous romances, and even the romances that were incestuous would have been good EXCEPT INCEST. Can you tell I just really wish there hadn't been so much incest? Huge, huge disappointment for me. I would pick up other work by Tiphanie Yanique in the future though. (Just please God no more incest).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, and Abortion