Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

37 reviews

lauratoline's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Toxic relationship, and Religious bigotry

alomie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

This took me a hellishly long time to finish, and it was good, but I really could have done with, it being about 150 pages less. I also found it hard to have sympathy for anyone, by the end I felt a little like choices had been made, and yet... They still moaned/suffered their way through it. 

Worth picking up but also good for it to be done. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Murder, and War

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

shannonsnell's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Child death, Death, and Racism

booksoversecondbreakfast's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I feel so conflicted about this book. It was very thematically profound and it's one I anticipate thinking about often in the future, but it was also so boring and so slow at times. It felt simultaneously like a 2 star book, in that it was so uncomfortable to read at times and I really had to drag myself to finish it. But it was also felt like a 4 star book, because it really is a beautiful book, with elegant prose and powerful themes.

I liked the imagery of the eyes in the trees, and I like the parallel way in which Leah's four kids all had personalities that aligned with the four personalities of the original four sisters. I really loved Leah and Adah's characters and their character development, but I really disliked Rachel and the Father's. I think that's part of the point, but it just made it a not-so-satisfying book for me.

I think the book was good in that it got me looking into Central Africa. This was the first book I've read that takes place in that region. The theme of colonialism was just really rough to read about, and I found it frustrating reading a book featuring a family taking part in contributing so strongly to the forces of colonialism. I loved that the book still featured the resiliency of the Congolese people and of Africa as a whole though. I think if it weren't for that, I would have rated this book even lower.

I don't know that I will read this book again, but it has definitely impacted me, and has some quotes I anticipate looking back to. I don't regret the time spent reading it, but I've read much more engaging books before, so I feel like 3 stars reasonably fits this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, War, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Cancer and Alcohol

pianoman543's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Misogyny, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Racism, and War

Minor: Police brutality

jackbifrost's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation

wordsmithreads's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Racism, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, and War

Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Cannibalism, and Death of parent

fpcat99's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

savage_book_review's review against another edition

This was a recommendation from a work colleague back in 2022, but it's only just reached the top of my TBR pile. We follow the four daughters of Baptist minister Nathan Price as they are uprooted from their every day existence in 1960s America and deposited in the Belgian Congo on the eve of its independence to support their father in his mission to preach the word of God. 

While I think the writing is very good, the style severely lets the story down. Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the daughters; one of whom is very young, another of whom is unable to speak and whose brain likes to process and interpret things backwards. It therefore feels like you're reading extracts from four diaries and trying to piece together the wider story from snippets of information the girls include. So as you can imagine, you don't actually get a lot of detail about the wider goings on; everything each girl says has themself at the centre of things. In some places, it almost reads like gibberish. It's clear a lot of thought has gone into the structure and the characters, but I just couldn't figure out what the story was meant to be about or why I was meant to care.

It also didn't help that none of the characters appealed to me. I got frustrated with the typical selfish teen behaviour of the eldest, the submissive mother and the idiocy and obstinacy of the father. Honestly, I think the only character that had even a modicum of appeal was Leah. 

The attitudes of the characters reflect the period setting, so there is a lot of dismissal of Congolese culture as 'pagan' or 'idolatrous' compared to the zenith that is Christianity, a strong thread of xenophobia and a fair smattering of sexism and misogyny. And yet the author has managed to illustrate how moronic these attitudes are through the complete lack of understanding Nathan has for his surroundings. This was very cleverly done, but nevertheless does make for quite uncomfortable reading in many places. 

It was certainly worth a try, but this was just too far outside my comfort zone to appeal.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Sexism, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation

Minor: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy

amsswim's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative 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

5.0

I think this is going in not only 5 star category, but favorites and best books I've read categories. Not only was the story good, but the writing kept me engaged and seeking more the whole time. This author had such beautiful and realistic ways of making these characters come to life, as well as tie in real world implications and reflections. 

You follow 4 daughters, their Mother, and Baptist Pastor Father deep into the Congo on their Fathers' mission to convert the people living there to Western Christianity. While the family goes through culture shock regarding that and their new realities, the country is self is trying to shed itself of Belgian colonialism. Despite it taking place in the 1960s, the story and the real world events occuring now still echo the exact same. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a more modern classic. 

My favorite quote: "I found ... I had now wings ... I had lost my wings. Don't ask me how I gained them back, the story is too unbearable. I believed too long in false reassurances; believing as we all want to, when men speak of the national interests that it is also ours. In the end, my lot was cast with The Congo. Poor Congo; barefoot bride of men who took her jewels and promised the kingdom"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Medical content, Trafficking, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury