Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

Independence by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

15 reviews

cassielaj's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-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

Wow, this one was tough. Beautiful writing about some heart-wrenching subject matter. Through the death and destruction around them, the three central sisters shine, each with her own unique story, personality, and perspective. Their families and friends are wonderful characters as well, and each approaches the challenges that arise with goodness and perseverance. It was super interesting to learn about a period of Indian history I was unfamiliar with, especially as told through the lens of these stories. For a short book, it has a lot of moving parts, but the important themes and threads are carried throughout and resolved nicely.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism and Suicidal thoughts

kimveach's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective 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

4.0

Set during India's Independence (1946-1948), this tale of three sisters had me hooked from the beginning.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

bookrecsondeck's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry and Death of parent

someryarns's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Classism

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, and Colonisation

bookshelf_al's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Rape, Violence, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• 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

4.0

 Independence is historical fiction, set in rural Bengal during the time of the Partition. It starts off slowly and is mostly centred on older sister Priya’s struggle to become a doctor. As partition draws nearer, religious conflict mounts and violence erupts, forever altering the family and broadening the novel’s focus. Middle sister Deepa marries a Muslim and ends up isolated from her family and in an increasingly perilous situation. Meanwhile younger sister Jamini embarks on a course of action that could alienate her from Priya forever. Then violence hits again and the family dynamics change once more. I enjoyed the way the point of view rotated among the three sisters, enabling the reader to better understand their unique perspectives. Each sister’s story highlighted different problems women faced in India at the time of partition. Despite their disappointments, heartbreaks and disagreements all three kept going, and when the chips were down they came together to support each other. Apart from sisterhood the novel also explores themes of family and friendship.  I was struck by the sudden and seemingly inexplicable rise in religious hatred. Neighbours of different religions had lived happily side by side for years but it didn’t take much to provoke them into violence against each other. The author captured this well. The book is divided into five sections and each begins with short literary note providing historical context, and also a bit of foreshadowing which always made me want to read on. A solid read centring the experiences of women during the turbulent time of Partition. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Misogyny

inked_in_pages's review against another edition

adventurous challenging informative sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

What did you think of the novel overall?
This is a heartbreaking novel filled with historical accuracv.
Independence follows three sisters during the partition of India in the 1940s. It was written in a way that was easy to take in despite the incredibly heavy subject matter. I found myself invested in each characters story as I read. Overall, I think this a book that all historical fiction fans should read.

Was there anything challenging about the novel? Surprising?
This is a book that is not for the faint of heart and definitely not for someone looking for a lighter read. I struggled with the trauma these women faced throughout the novel and I needed time to process after reading. I was intrigued by the history of India as I read and learned so much about Demand Action Day, the partition of India and the histor of conflict between Hindu and Muslim people.

Was there anything you didn't like?
I mean, the ending was absolutely heartbreaking. So that's a hard pill to swallow. I did feel like there was A LOT leading up the final event and then it felt like it happened quickly.

Who would you recommend it to?
All historical fiction lovers. This is a new (to me) topic to read about and I learned so much while still connecting with the characters and the story!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Hate crime and Sexual assault

mroth's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really liked this one. Some Little Women-esque vibes where the sisters start out as almost caricatures but become well-rounded—I could empathize with all of them by the end. I think Divakaruni did a nice job navigating the complexity without villainizing anyone

except Mamoon

but also without resorting to platitudes. A very propulsive read, while still having a lot of substance.

I didn’t love how sad the end was but can understand it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and War

heatherjchin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Classism

Minor: Child death, Stalking, and Colonisation

julianh's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail