Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Certaines n'avaient jamais vu la mer by Julie Otsuka

30 reviews

skyturtles's review against another edition

challenging informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Trafficking

Moderate: Rape

Minor: War

missmoth's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Minor: Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, and War

siriface's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Xenophobia, Abortion, Pregnancy, and War

elysenicole213's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Rape

sarah2's review against another edition

emotional 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? It's complicated

3.0

Otsuka's stylistic choices (use of first-person plural pronouns, page-long paragraphs, use of repetition for emphasis) can be challenging, but drive home the point that this is supposed to be a recollection of memory from a chorus of voices.  Her language, while understated and economical, creates vivid imagery.  A poignant read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia

rainbowarpaint's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Grief, Pregnancy, and Classism

dehood's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and War

goldenflame852's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Suicide

balfies's review against another edition

challenging informative sad fast-paced

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

4.5

Beautiful little book about Japanese immigrants to America in the first half of the twentieth century, told from the collective perspective of the women. Otsuka is quickly becoming one of my favourite writers, she has such a unique voice and her storytelling collages are so deftly constructed.

One of the chapters appeared as a short story in a 2011 edition of Granta magazine, and I had used it as one of my HSC Belonging texts, so it's good to have finally read the full thing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and War

bookish_wanderer's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Racism, and Xenophobia

Minor: Child death and Rape