Reviews tagging 'Slavery'
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray
11 reviews
passionatereader78's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism and Infidelity
Moderate: Abortion, Slavery, and Pregnancy
Minor: Child death and Abandonment
kaycie51782's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book covers a lot of deep topics, and it doesn't hold much back. Be warned: there blatant racism, misogyny, heavy alcohol consumption, abortion, abandonment...
My main criticism of the book is that it's told in first person, but it very deliberately and overtly points things out. I think telling it in omniscient third person would have felt less like I was hearing a summary than a story. It's like in video games where the next person you need to talk to is highlighted, the author basically points and says "Look at this" instead of molding it into the story.
The book is less about what is in the library (though it is discussed) and more about how she loves through the world carefully, deliberately, and choosing to hide in plain sight. It was a fascinating look at life in 1900s New York as a woman, moving in orbit around the ultra rich (Morgan, Carnegie, Vanderbilt, etc.) but being constantly terrified of having it all taken away.
Graphic: Abortion, Antisemitism, Miscarriage, Slavery, Racism, Sexism, Alcohol, Classism, Grief, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Racial slurs
bel017's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Writing from a first person perspective when the character was a real person is tricky, and I have no idea why I found it more difficult in this book compared to *Half Life* (Marie Curie, where the author imagines both her actual life and an entirely fictional life) or *Z: A novel of Zelda Fitzgerald*. Still, an interesting subject and a fascinating life.
Graphic: Antisemitism and Racism
Moderate: Slavery and Abortion
Minor: War, Vomit, and Violence
readsbyrach's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Antisemitism, Racism, and Slavery
Minor: Abortion, War, and Alcohol
readbycarina'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
4.0
Graphic: Abortion, Racism, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Alcohol, Antisemitism, Grief, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Slavery
Minor: Death of parent and War
bookcasey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Grief, Abandonment, Lesbophobia, Colonisation, Antisemitism, and Abortion
Minor: Death of parent, War, Xenophobia, Bullying, Classism, Slavery, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Outing
ashleyreads88's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Sexism, Abortion, and Racism
Moderate: Alcohol, Antisemitism, and Infidelity
Minor: Slavery, Abandonment, and Death of parent
remie'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? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Alcohol, Medical trauma, Racism, Sexism, and Abortion
Minor: Antisemitism, Abandonment, Colonisation, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Outing, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and War
erica_palmisano'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? No
3.5
Minor: Abortion, Antisemitism, Colonisation, Grief, Infidelity, Outing, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, and Toxic relationship
kclikesthings's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Abortion, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Grief, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, and War