Reviews with content warning for Hate crime - A Spark of Light

Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

12 reviews

kleinekurzebrise's review against another edition

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3.0

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nicamas's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.5

A great book, very cleverly written going back in time chronologically from an opening chapter dealing with a current, tense, shooting/hostage situation in an abortion clinic, back through the day, discovering hour by hour each of the main characters (the negotiators, his family members who are amongst the hostages, the hostages who are staff and patients of the clinic) back story and how they arrived to their situation in the shootout.

Interestingly, the story does go into some detail of how/what happens during abortion but this is mostly in the final chapters as you go back to earlier in the day... be warned though, this may be triggering to individuals to read. I imagine there are a lot of people who would avoid this story due to that side of the nature.

But it tells a compelling story of emotional connections, choices that are made for whichever sets of reasons in the moment, and how they affect/may stay with you for life. In this case, it goes into some political depth too as it affects greatly the southern states of America where abortion/termination is greatly influenced by religion and law, making the 'choice' for woman actually very difficult to obtain. In the UK, we are more diverse and I imagine (I've never sought a terminaton) it is easier and safer to access if required, though nonetheless emotional a decision to have to make.

Of course, as well as the emotional aspect of the story, you also have the criminal violence/hostage situation going on.

Overall, a great read. Jodie's books are always a good read though, I've read a few of hers.

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lcl_reads's review against another edition

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slow-paced

3.0

Typically, I enjoy Jodi Picoult, but this one just didn't work for me. She attempts to show there are two sides to every story, but for me, reproductive justice is just not a two sides issue. It is an issue of recognizing the humanity, value, and worthiness of those who bear children and their right to control their bodies and is rooted in historical ways groups have exerted bodily control over others. I recognize this is my reader bias and cognitively I appreciate that this is part of Picoult's writing style and that this book isn't for me.

I found the backwards timeline confusing for character development and made the plot boring and anticlimactic. I kept mixing up character details because of the way the information is doled out. Additionally, I did not find the end of the book very climatic or interesting because so much information is given upfront.

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chireadsandchill's review

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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espressoreader's review against another edition

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This author obviously dislikes white people, Christian’s, and anyone conservatives. 9% in and she’s trashed all of the above so many times it is more a rant than a story.

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