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rwoodrum29's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism
hedgehogreads01's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
Well written, some quotes worth writing down, the character of Frannie Langton captured my attention every time I picked up the book, her voice loud and clear (even in laudanum stupor, it seemed), demanding the freedoms, the treatment each human being should have.
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Violence, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Pregnancy
2treads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Collins really put in the work to research and present a story that explored more than just plantation life and what it meant for slaves. That Frannie was chosen as a test subject by two white planters to see how far they could stretch and assess her intelligence. Using her as their instrument of torture against her own in a macabre dance of discovery to prove unfounded and incorrect perceptions about Black bodies.
We move from the plantation in Jamaica where Frannie is nothing more than a way for both Langton and his wife to exercise their spite and hateful beliefs to the manor of Benham and his madame where she is yet again positioned as a piece for either to use. Here, Frannie falls for the beautiful mistress of the house, ignoring all the signs that here lies her destruction and end.
These phases of her life are told to the reader by Frannie as she awaits trial for murder. Slowly, we uncover just what took place in the coachouse and how Frannie felt as she committed these unspeakable acts to how she maneuvered between a spoilt and depressed white woman and the man who wants to control both their lives.
A really well-written debut.
Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Drug use, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Vomit and Abortion
booksjessreads'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
eli_jw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Sexual violence, Abortion, and Colonisation
cantfindmybookmark's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Incest, Torture, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Murder
mariathelibrarian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Racism, Slavery, Torture, and Colonisation
Moderate: Incest
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
📚 This book does feature a forbidden sapphic romance, but I appreciated that neither party had an existential crisis over it.
📚 This book is full of complex, complicated characters and it doesn't let anyone off the hook for the choices they made.
📚 It's a gothic novel not in the sense of the supernatural, but in that the truth of our racist history is grim and unspeakable.
•
Content warnings: addiction, alcoholism, child abuse, child death, death, domestic abuse, drug abuse, emotional abuse, incest, homophobia,medical content, medical trauma, miscarriage, misogyny, physical abuse, racial slurs, racism, rape, sexism, slavery, sexual violence, suicide, torture, trafficking, and violence.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Trafficking, and Medical trauma
dewitnadine's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence