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Reviews tagging 'Cultural appropriation'
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett
6 reviews
abijoupansy's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Death, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexism, Car accident, and Cultural appropriation
basil_touche's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-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
2.25
I think this is a rare case of the adaptation being better than the original book. I had seen the TV series before reading this and I'm honestly surprised at how much the show made up considering how long this book is. My biggest issue with this book is that the entire middle part was tedious, mainly focusing on the Them, Anathema, Newt and Shadwell for 120 pages, yet for all these characters it felt like nothing of note was really happening. I was bored and just wanting the narrative to switch back to Crowley and Aziraphale (the latter stuck reading a book for those 120 pages, doing nothing else, just reading and having the narration describing it)
I could forgive it slightly if it was actually funny, but I found myself barely smiling at any jokes. Like this is well written in terms of sentence structure and I would occassionaly, absentmindly go "Oh that's kinda clever", but after a while it became tortuous to read through so much unhumorous descriptions with way, way too many characters. Many of whom are only there for a page or two and take away from the main cast. Even most of the main cast I didn't care for (I can see why the show focused more on Aziraphale and Crowley as they are the best characters who really work well off each other). The show added way more things that were actually interesting to the themes (Heaven and Hell having way more of a presence, Aziraphale and Crowley being shown through the ages - it's honestly shocking how little time they interact in the book compared to everyone else) that the book just feels so hollow in comparison.
Another thing that caught me off guard was the amount of racism, misogyny, ableism, fatphobia and homophobia (I was aware of the infamous scene where Aziraphale is called the f slur by a child but not everything else) that is scattered throughout. The parts where it pops up made an already tedious reading experience into an aggravating one. It's strange, I've read a bunch of Pratchett's work and I don't recall coming across anything this bad (I don't know about Gaiman's work and frankly with what's been happening reccently I don't want to buy his books to check).
This is the closest I've ever DNF a book and it came close several times. I've rated this slightly higher due to the ending, which stops trying to crack as many unfunny jokes to actually talk about the themes & characters in a way that makes you reflect. Where was that the rest of the book??
Again, you're better off watching the show and save yourself the trouble.
I could forgive it slightly if it was actually funny, but I found myself barely smiling at any jokes. Like this is well written in terms of sentence structure and I would occassionaly, absentmindly go "Oh that's kinda clever", but after a while it became tortuous to read through so much unhumorous descriptions with way, way too many characters. Many of whom are only there for a page or two and take away from the main cast. Even most of the main cast I didn't care for (I can see why the show focused more on Aziraphale and Crowley as they are the best characters who really work well off each other). The show added way more things that were actually interesting to the themes (Heaven and Hell having way more of a presence, Aziraphale and Crowley being shown through the ages - it's honestly shocking how little time they interact in the book compared to everyone else) that the book just feels so hollow in comparison.
Another thing that caught me off guard was the amount of racism, misogyny, ableism, fatphobia and homophobia (I was aware of the infamous scene where Aziraphale is called the f slur by a child but not everything else) that is scattered throughout. The parts where it pops up made an already tedious reading experience into an aggravating one. It's strange, I've read a bunch of Pratchett's work and I don't recall coming across anything this bad (I don't know about Gaiman's work and frankly with what's been happening reccently I don't want to buy his books to check).
This is the closest I've ever DNF a book and it came close several times. I've rated this slightly higher due to the ending, which stops trying to crack as many unfunny jokes to actually talk about the themes & characters in a way that makes you reflect. Where was that the rest of the book??
Again, you're better off watching the show and save yourself the trouble.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, and War
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Car accident, and Alcohol
hotbitch's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Antisemitism, and Cultural appropriation
melsage1823's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I never thought I would say this but this story was way better as a tv show and I'm glad Gaiman adapted this as such. A fun story but I can't ethically recommend due to the out dated languaged used because as a marginalised person it just makes me icky.
There's a saying that some books aren't for you and this was sort of the case. I really struggled to follow the plot as a dyslexic and Autistic reader. The "chapters" we're very thick and I felt like it would have been better if there were chapter titles in places and not just a capital letter.
It felt weird that even though Crowley and Aziraphale are the main characters that they barley are in the book. I think as a result of having so many characters the book became very overload especially with the sections about the four horse men. I wish the povs had been separated chapters.
Again develops from my second point but the characters didn't seem fleshed out enough. I wanted to route for Aziraphale, Crowley and Adam but I didn't feel like I got to know them that well as well as their personal stories.
However despite that it wasn't a terrible read for me. The dynamic between Aziraphale and Crowley absolutely carried the book whole heartedly, their bond creates perfect comedic moments that will have you laughing as you turn the page.
I love the fact that the story balances its comedy which allows for the complex message and moral of the story be processed. A lot of stories these days often struggle to balance comedy but is done very well in this story, the comedy in the story did not take anything away from the serious moments. The comedy is at its best when its from the dynamic of Crowley and Aziraphale as well as Anathema Device and Newt Pulsiver.
The footnotes all though sometimes exhausting to read were absolutely hilarious and added alot of fun but comedic elements to the story. All the footnotes helped wrap the story in a neat bow including the long rambly ones.
Overall a book I cannot ethically recommend but if you've seen the TV show or want to read a mind bending book about armagedon go ahead. Despite its major flaws it was still a super fun ride.
There's a saying that some books aren't for you and this was sort of the case. I really struggled to follow the plot as a dyslexic and Autistic reader. The "chapters" we're very thick and I felt like it would have been better if there were chapter titles in places and not just a capital letter.
It felt weird that even though Crowley and Aziraphale are the main characters that they barley are in the book. I think as a result of having so many characters the book became very overload especially with the sections about the four horse men. I wish the povs had been separated chapters.
Again develops from my second point but the characters didn't seem fleshed out enough. I wanted to route for Aziraphale, Crowley and Adam but I didn't feel like I got to know them that well as well as their personal stories.
However despite that it wasn't a terrible read for me. The dynamic between Aziraphale and Crowley absolutely carried the book whole heartedly, their bond creates perfect comedic moments that will have you laughing as you turn the page.
I love the fact that the story balances its comedy which allows for the complex message and moral of the story be processed. A lot of stories these days often struggle to balance comedy but is done very well in this story, the comedy in the story did not take anything away from the serious moments. The comedy is at its best when its from the dynamic of Crowley and Aziraphale as well as Anathema Device and Newt Pulsiver.
The footnotes all though sometimes exhausting to read were absolutely hilarious and added alot of fun but comedic elements to the story. All the footnotes helped wrap the story in a neat bow including the long rambly ones.
Overall a book I cannot ethically recommend but if you've seen the TV show or want to read a mind bending book about armagedon go ahead. Despite its major flaws it was still a super fun ride.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racism, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Sexual content
mobymaize's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Misogyny, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Animal death, Eating disorder, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, and Slavery
cemeterygay's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
This is one of my favorite books that I read almost every year. The humor is just amazing. I love the interactions between all the different characters and I enjoyed reading every single character. Aziraphale and Crowley are fantastic main characters who really help keep the mood of the book right on point. The one bit a beef I have with this book is (relatively unimportant to the main storyline spoiler) why was the scene between Anathema and Newton necessary. It just feels like weirdly misogynistic.
I would 1000% recommend this book to others who are looking for a fun book with fantastical elements.
I would 1000% recommend this book to others who are looking for a fun book with fantastical elements.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Eating disorder, Violence, Car accident, and War
Moderate: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Blood, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Animal cruelty and Slavery
CW: Childbirth, f slurs, famine, pregnancy, snakes, starvation
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