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le_mur's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Ableism, Sexual content, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
rly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Minor: Gun violence, Rape, Murder, and War
cyden's review
- 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
Moderate: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Rape, Violence, Kidnapping, and Colonisation
Minor: Racism, Sexism, and Slavery
mscalls's review
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Colonisation
mels_reading_log's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Minor: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
The story takes us through generations of Kosawa residents with switching POVs from Thula, different members of her family, and the children of the village. Their stories are emotional but contain glimmers of hope as they fight to get their land back from an oil corporation poisoning their families.
How Beautiful We Were has beautiful writing and well written, complex characters. I just love her storytelling style and ability to create such depth with all of her characters, giving each their own unique voice.
The chapters are a little too long for my taste making it feel slower/harder to read here and there, but as I got further into the novel, the chapters started to go by faster.
Overall a heartbreaking but enjoyable, groundbreaking novel! I can’t wait to see what Mbue writes next.
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, and Colonisation
Moderate: Rape, Slavery, and Blood
Minor: Fatphobia and Religious bigotry
readingelli's review
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape
Massacres, legal disputeskarinacheah17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Gun violence and Violence
Minor: Rape
ka_cam's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Colonisation
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Stalking
Additional content warnings for environmental racism and imperialism, death and illness due to environmental destruction, cultural loss and assimilation, government corruption and state sanctioned violence, etcmia_difelice's review
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Colonisation
Moderate: Gun violence, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Pedophilia, and Torture