katiewhocanread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Genocide, and Rape
amaezinggeorge's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: War, Religious bigotry, Genocide, Colonisation, Racism, Sexual content, Bullying, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Rape
andrea_gagne'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
3.75
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, and Genocide
my_plant_library'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, and Genocide
Moderate: Sexism, Miscarriage, Rape, and Death
liesbethvv's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.75
I enjoyed the narrative trick of each of the girls and their teachers representing a different fraction of the historically built conflict and learning about Rwandan history without it taking the center stage. The characters could have some more depth though, I would have loved a longer book or less characters.
Graphic: Genocide, Rape, Racism, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Violence and Sexism
Minor: Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Miscarriage, and Xenophobia
curatoriallyyours's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Rape, Toxic friendship, Genocide, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Bullying, Drug use, Fatphobia, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, and Mental illness
serendipitysbooks'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The boarding school setting provides a degree of insularity, while the remote mountain location provides isolation which is compounded in the rainy season. These both contribute to the ominous tone which pervades the novel and is appropriate for its dark subject matter.
I thought the characterisation, especially of the girls, was well done. The girls were all very distinct vibrant characters, not flat stereotypes. And I couldn’t help but be frustrated and infuriated by all the adults who let them down. They had parents who are obviously spouted discriminatory and hateful rhetoric, which the girls internalised and repeated. The schools’s priest was a sexual pervert, a nun attempted to shame them about their bodies. This is only the tip of the iceberg and much of it links back to colonialism. Race, class and gender all intersect and even if the civil war and genocide has been avoided most young women, like those portrayed here, would be presented from fulfilling their potential. Yet they did occur and this book gives insight into how and why.
All in all a thought-provoking story which demonstrates on a small-scale how large scale atrocities can occur.
Graphic: Genocide and Sexual assault
sherbertwells's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.0
‘The chiefs’ photos have suffered the social revolution,’ said Gloriosa, laughing. ‘A dash of ink, a slash of machete, that’s all it takes’” (14)
Graphic: Hate crime, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Antisemitism, Genocide, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, and Suicide
Minor: Drug use and Sexual content
There are no actual Jewish characters in the story, just a lot of Anti-Semitic rhetoric from various bigots.