Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

50 reviews

nichelmi3's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

3.5

I'd heard lots of good things about this book from other friends who've read this. I've been on a multi-narrative reading kick as well. It was a well-written book but I wasn't super impressed. I assumed there would be more of a wrap up with the characters, and instead it just left me feeling more-ish. It was, at least to me, an unsatisfying ending. I do think that if the book had focused more on the two European characters rather than adding the American one and keeping here a separate book would have made the book more impactful and interesting. Her narrative just took you out of focus. It wasn't a bad book, nor was it badly written, and I'd still recommend it, but it just wasn't fully my taste/style. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Physical abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Cancer and Infertility

uselesspirateraven's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Confinement, Genocide, Hate crime, Infidelity, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Mental illness, Vomit, Trafficking, and Pregnancy

pawtuckawaykrm's review against another edition

violence, sexual assault

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide and Sexual assault

kelly_jeanne's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail

hunterkat's review

emotional sad 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

4.0

Lilac Girls: 4/5
I think I would’ve appreciated it more as a nonfiction. Something where the stories of the Rabbits of Ravensbrück could be heard all together, and not the fictionalized version one that was told here. I also wish less time had been focused on Caroline’s fictional story. I do appreciate this book for introducing me to this horrific situation, as women during the Holocaust are not well represented. I had no idea that there was an all female concentration camp, and this book did a good job getting across the horror of what happened. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide

billcbentley's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Torture, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and War

kiwi2745's review against another edition

challenging dark sad

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Torture, and Murder

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Rape, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal death, Self harm, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

khaben31's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Deportation

Minor: Grief, Murder, and War

emeister3's review against another edition

dark informative inspiring sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

If you watched “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” and you still want to cry over true-story-inspired WWII trauma, then this book is for you. I can’t say that it’s for me, per se - it was my book club’s pick this month. I can say the following:

The second half of the book is much better than the first. The first 50% of the book alternates between 3 different female POVs and, as a result, I kept pinging between 3 different feelings - boredom, sadness, and shock. It had me feeling so downtrodden that I didn’t want to finish it. However…these atrocities are a part of history. They happened to real humans and, tragically, were committed by real humans. And their stories deserve to be heard, then to never happen again. As Norman Cousins wrote, “…what is told here is not a glimpse into the bowels of an imaginary hell but part of our world.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

nlyssy99's review against another edition

emotional 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and War