Reviews with content warning for Rape - Homegoing

Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

407 reviews

ringofkeyz's review against another edition

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emotional 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? No

4.5

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grumpyreading's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

📚 Review: This book was devastating and beautiful. Gyasi’s writing is amazing, and the way she chose to give the characters familial ties and make this an intergenerational saga raised the stakes so much. There are long chapters and it’s slow-paced, but still hard to put down. Gyasi told these stories in a beautiful way and I’m glad I read this.

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g_tag's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

So richly woven. A deep and poignant exploration of the effects of colonialism. I found the switching from character across generations jarring at first, because I got so invested in each story and wanted to know so much more about them. But getting to see how time and generations move, how situations change but remain connected through the years really made me appreciate the style. Plus, it helped to make the scope of the book so much larger - gave the author an opportunity to talk about so many thing and issues, and demonstrate discrimination in it’s different forms. There were some stories that resonated more than the others. Undoubtedly a very heavy book, it left me emotional

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akinyiakinyi's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a beautifully crafted story that poignantly captures the adversities and trials faced by generations. It begins with the birth of Maame (the Firewoman's) firstborn daughter, Effia. Effia's father had relations with a captured slave who served as a housemaid. Before running away to freedom, Maame leaves a black stone as a keepsake for her daughter.
Effia marries a white man who, without guilt, participated in the slave trade. Her descendants remain in Africa, striving to overcome the legacy of slavery while embracing their traditions amidst the Scramble for Africa, colonization, religious change, education, and the ongoing search for a sense of belonging.
Maame's second daughter, Esi, a high-born woman, is tragically captured by slave traders. Her descendants endure a harrowing journey through the horrors of slavery, grappling with racism, segregation, forced labor, limited opportunities, poverty, drug abuse, and even prostitution to survive.
It is a profound relief to witness Marcus and Marjorie reconnect and return to Africa, leaving their fears behind and embracing a newfound sense of freedom.
This story is undoubtedly worth the read. I would love to know where Esi's black stone went, or did I miss it?

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elizabethgreads's review against another edition

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challenging reflective sad 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? No

2.5

This is a simply not a book for me, however the author shows promise and I will likely pick up another book by her in the future. What didn't work for me was just how many characters you follow throughout the book and just how little time you have with each of them. While the author brilliantly showed historical context, events, and the struggles of both the people in Ghana and those that ended up in the US, we weren't with them enough to become emotionally connected. I did enjoy how intergenerational trauma was explored and felt that it was a strength of the book. I also enjoyed seeing how the families of the two sisters lives were very different thought out the generations. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about the multigenerational trauma that colonialism and slavery caused.

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