Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Certaines n'avaient jamais vu la mer by Julie Otsuka

19 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

k_pelowk's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

Goodness gracious, this book is so beautiful. I just finished it and think I may pick it up and read it again right away.  Like a poem, rhythm, word choice and simplicity build effortless images and character sketches. It broadened my understanding of my American History and heritage. I loved every moment, even the frequent painful ones. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Child death, Death, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Most are very brief as the book is a series of vignettes.

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

kelliebell's review against another edition

emotional informative sad fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Suicide, and Xenophobia

katjalainen's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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? N/A

5.0

A beyond beautiful story of a collective experience of immigration told from the perspective of young japanese women traveling to San Francisco to meet their japanese husbands, and the lives they led. The writing is poetic and the stories told are heartbreaking, dealing with issues such as lying husbands, hard labour, racism, poverty, raising second generation immigrants, the wish to honour traditions, the white people around them, and the anti-japanese sentiments that arose during the second World War. This book will stay with me for ever.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Racial slurs, Rape, and Xenophobia

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

astridmalmhester's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, and Trafficking

Moderate: Suicide