Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

8 reviews

ceceska's review against another edition

dark funny informative reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

O.M.G. Ce livre était absolument FABULEUX. Je n'en reviens juste pas à quel point ce livre était bon. C'est un 5 étoiles SOLIDE. Je vais le dire tout de suite même si d'habitude je le met à la fin de mon review : je recommence ce livre à TOUT LE MONDE. Vous devez lire ce livre!

Ce livre suit l'histoire de June, une femme blanche, qui vole le manuscrit non publié de son amie asiatique suite à son décès. Le manuscrit porte sur le rôles des travailleurs chinois lors de la Première Guerre mondiale. Elle publie le récit de son amie en le faisant passer pour le sien, mais en y faisant quelques modifications...

Les thèmes de ce livre sont : le racisme, la solitude, la jalousie et l'appropriation culturelle. Ces thèmes sont explorés dans un long monologue fiévreux et dérangé de la protagoniste.

Ce livre était unique puisque la majorité de celui-ci était le fil de pensées de la protagoniste, June. Les dialogues sont peu nombreux mais sont très efficaces. Dans ce cas-ci, moins de dialogue a rendu l'histoire très intéressée puisqu'on voit bien la psyché de la protagoniste ainsi que le raisonnement qui la pousse à prendre des décisions chaotiques.

J'ai beaucoup aimé détester June. Je ne sais pas quand est la dernière fois que j'ai autant détesté une protagoniste d'un roman. June était extrêmement raciste, méchante et qui pense que tout lui est dû. Elle est absolument horrible. Chacune de ses décisions est pire que la précédente. J'ai adoré ça. 

Ce roman m'a tenue en haleine du début jusqu'à la fin. J'ai eu des réactions de surprise à haute voix plusieurs fois pendant ma lecture. Je n'en revenais simplement pas des événements qui se produisaient. 

Ce roman était très bien écrit. J'ai beaucoup apprécié ma lecture. Le rythme était très rapide, ce que j'apprécie énormément. Je ne m'attendais pas du tout à cela considérant que la majorité du livre est ses pensées.

Bref, encore une fois, je recommande ce livre à TOUT le monde.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Genocide, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Antisemitism, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Deportation

winterwoodbooks's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism

honeysbeehive's review against another edition

dark

• Loveable characters? No

2.0

It was fine but you can definitely pick up on the author’s antisemitism. Subtle but definitely there. Won’t be reading anything else from her. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism

sarareadsgood's review against another edition

0.25

Author is antisemitic and doesn’t hide it in this novel 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism

arytia's review against another edition

dark informative tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Man I never thought I could hate a MC this much but DAMN. Every page was pure agony and cringe - and I was there for it!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Antisemitism, and Colonisation

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and War

eleanor029's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This is an amazing book. I had been looking forward to its publication and it was worth the wait. This is definitely a book club book, best read with someone near to talk about it. I annotated my copy so much, because I needed to let out all my comments. Rebecca Kuang took a bold step, basing a book on the reader's outrage, and it paid off big time. It was very elegantly done. I can't wait to see what she writes next.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Islamophobia, Stalking, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

iforgotilivedhere's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Some parts were iffy but all in all it was a fun read 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Colonisation

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism

bookishfaye's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you so much Harper Collins for providing me with an E-Arc for review!!

R. F. Kuang’s brain is really and truly everything. She really is my favourite author and weaves so much intricate commentary into everything she creates and she continues to change the way I read & consume books & media, and her books continue to absolutely rattle and shake up the genres with which they are published. 

The fact that Kuang considers Yellowface a silly little gremlin pandemic book is SO WILD to me because in my opinion it packs a punch to the same degree as The Poppy War and Babel do, just in this case it’s more modern. The way this book breaks down ignorance, racism, white womanhood, false allyship, tokenization, fetishization, corrupt publishing, cancel culture, and more was so incredibly profound and it also reads as such a biting and witty satire and it’s absolutely brilliant! 

Being inside the head of the protagonist June was one of the most viscerally aggravating reading experiences I’ve maybe ever had, but it also was so unbelievably entertaining and actually physically jaw dropping and gag worthy following along June and her absolute delusions and Caucasity & I was so enthralled by every aspect of this book. The way it also has some genre-bending psychological thriller and near paranormal horror elements thrown in there as well was such an unexpected surprise and I really and truly would read R. F. Kuang’s grocery list. 

TW: Racism, tokenization, fetishization, SA/Rape (not a graphic depiction of the act, but the after effects and thoughts and trauma), death, violence, blood

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Grief, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail