Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.

35 reviews

badmom's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

Robert Jones Jr. weaves an ultimately gorgeous tapestry from an ugly point in history using  the voices of enslaved people, their African ancestors, and the enslavers. The language is poetic throughout, drawing reality truthfully yet landing on the ways people rose above, how they survived and dreamed and loved, and created the life they deserved. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Trafficking, Torture, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Classism, Racial slurs, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, Slavery, Rape, Racism, Outing, Death, and Homophobia

Moderate: Sexual content, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Infidelity, Abandonment, Bullying, Child death, Religious bigotry, Excrement, Alcohol, Ableism, Genocide, Suicide, Miscarriage, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, and Cannibalism

kirstenf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Racial slurs, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Child death, Murder, and Racism

Moderate: Confinement, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Blood, Genocide, Grief, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, and Trafficking

Minor: Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Infidelity, Colonisation, and Pregnancy

greenrequiem's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Slavery, Homophobia, Trafficking, Death, Violence, Racism, Torture, Hate crime, Colonisation, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Death of parent, Infidelity, Misogyny, Child death, Classism, Alcohol, Child abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

babeinlibrary's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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? N/A

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Slavery, Colonisation, Death, Homophobia, Rape, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Vomit

burnourhistory's review

dark emotional slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Murder, Racial slurs, Rape, Racism, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, and Body horror

kshertz's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-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? No

3.5

This was a very hard read. I think a lot of it went over my head honestly. The time of enslaved people with absolutely no holding back and no filters. I was constantly in tears or sick to my stomach. Which is definitely the seeming point. Isaiah and Samuel find love only again to be ripped apart. There was never going to be a happy ending during this time. It’s just all pain. Which makes it a hard, but necessary read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Genocide, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Classism, Colonisation, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, and Racial slurs

kaaris's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad slow-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? No

5.0

« Et rien, dans la création, n’est capable d’arrêter ce qui advient. Rien. Sauf vous. » 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Slavery, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Death

onehundredmarys's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Rape, and Torture

Moderate: Child death

razmatesz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, and Rape

Moderate: Sexual harassment

marcellaandherbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• 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

4.75

Let me start by saying this book is phenomenal, it has been quit some time since I read a debut novel this strong. 

It is the story of life on a cotton plantation in Mississippi. The book switches perspective in each chapter, from both the enslaved people and the plantation owners, aswell as some chapters told from past tribes in Africa and greek chorus style chapters from the ancestors. All these voices however, pivot around two men in love, Samuel and Isaiah. The book is about their relationship and how they find love and comfort in eachother whilest tensions on the plantation reach a crescendo. 
This isn't an easy book. One, for its subject matter. It comes with the content warnings you might expect from a book dealing with slavery. But it also isn't a straightforward story. It switches around from different perspectives, it jumps back and forth in time, and the writing, whilest beautiful and lyrical, also uses a lot of similes and metaphors. It's a book that takes a bit more effort and concentration to read in my opinion, but I promise it pays off. 
It is a weighted book, weighted with history and wisdom and trauma and sadness of generations of enslaved people. And at the same time it has notes of lightness and love and hope in the story of Samuel and Isaiah. Painful and soothing at the same time. 
There is so many layers to unpack in this story, I feel like I've only scratched the surface in my first read, so I have an inkling I will be returning to this book in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Sexual assault