Reviews tagging Xenophobia

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin

13 reviews

meerunilaya's review

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

as a non gamer would not have ever picked up this book. But major kudos to a book that artfully wove together shakespeare, art history, and gaming. The characters are all extremely difficult to relate to and its a relatively emotionally painful read but interestingly told. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Abortion and Rape

Minor: Xenophobia and Racism

lilybearillini3's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective relaxing 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

5.0

This is easily one of the best books this year, if not the best fiction.  There were many points when I was moved to tears.  It is absolutely beautifully written and the narrator's voice (for the audiobook) was perfect and calming.  

I honestly don't know how to write a review for this and do it justice, I am at a loss of words.  It is a story of great friendship, love, and trials.  Every character had their complexities and were not always, if at all, likeable

Spoiler

except Marx, Marx is perfect

, but that is reality.

There was never a dull point of this book, I was interested and engaged the entire time.  The choice to show their friendship over decades was refreshing and I also really liked that we didn't switch POVs every chapter, I feel like that concept has been played out.  The video game nerd in me loved that the author did their research on video game history and what it takes to make video games.  While I don't like the miscommunication trope, I didn't find myself frustrated.  I understood why they weren't communicating because the characterization was so well done.

I normally don't go into books with expectations, but John Green said it was one of his favorite books of this year, so the need to read it was urgent.  John Green didn't let me down.  It was truly an honor to read Sadie, Sam, and Marx's journey.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, Ableism, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Transphobia

Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Abortion, Drug use, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Antisemitism and Terminal illness

mkcate's review

emotional funny reflective sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence

Moderate: Medical trauma

Minor: Racism, Homophobia, and Xenophobia

penofpossibilities's review

emotional

5.0

First off let's get this out of the way: Sam is modern day au Kaz Brekker. LISTEN. LISTENNNN. I know i'm right. I could write a comperative essay on them. But for the sake of keeping this review less chaotic I will not do it rn.

I was surprised by how much this is a story about theater; I knew it was about games and love but I haven't read any shakespeare apart from a midsummer night's dream and I do know, like, alot of the plots from alot of the plays, because its, you know, shakespeare. But I didn't recognize the title as a reference so it took me by pleasant surprise as a theatre girlie <3 !! I love to see love for the theatre explored in symbiosis with video games like this it was really inchresting to me and I enjoyed it alot so YEAH

(Sorry its 10pm and im so tired it feels like 1am and I need to sleep)

I LOVE the exploration of cronic pain and (medical) trauma and dissociation and escapism and internalised ableism like those things were very connected and felt so real 
And I could relate heavily to how characters in this book would step outside of their bodies either out of a desire not to be in them or involuntarily bcs of a traumatic experience like YEAH me TOO bro ✌
And like yea the author was definitely doing some of that "look how clever I am connecting these symbols I used earlier in the plot to this plot development later on" and it was also visible in word use which made me kinda feel like ok I know u are trying to be so clever rn and its a bit MUCH (very much in typical john green fashion so I guess thats why he loves it sm ???) BUt I dont really care like honestly fair enough if u write a spectacular novel like this ur allowed to be pretentious about it ,, i'd do the same thing fully so! It doesn't take away from my rating. This is a nitpicky thing either way like ,,, the book is SO beautiful like truly amazing-

I will come back to this review with favorite quotes!! I have lots

Oh ALSO ! Couldn't stop comparing sadie and sam to the mcs from mythic quest (my brain is tired im blanking on their names rn) but yk I think mythic quest characters are even more unlikable definitely preferred sadie and sam although ofc mythic quest is meant to be lighthearted and also there were very many overlapping themes especially about misogyny and interpersonal relationships between women in gaming and I think thats interesting !!!! 


Go read this !!!! And watch mythic quest !! 

I felt v much like this book would be a good one to recommend to fans of the seven husbands of evelyn hugo bcs this book crushed me in the same way that one did it just gives me simular vibes I cannot explain but trust me !!! Im right

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Grief, Car accident, Gun violence, Medical content, Murder, Racism, Vomit, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Sexism, Suicide, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Blood, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Injury/injury detail

Moderate: Sexual harassment

Minor: Antisemitism, Dementia, and Abortion

Internalized ableism, trauma (ptsd)

chichisode's review

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

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

5.0

if a little life was less trauma porn and more of just "life happens to us and sometimes life means shit", also video games and just games in general. but we keep going. fucking cried when the reasoning behind the title was revealed on page. strong read for escapists— yes, even when you're not a gamer.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Homophobia, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Grief, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, and Hate crime

Moderate: Car accident, Genocide, Ableism, Cancer, Abortion, Alcohol, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Suicide, Pregnancy, Antisemitism, Vomit, War, and Violence

owenwilsonbaby's review

dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

"Maybe it was the willingness to play that hinted at a tender, eternally newborn part in all humans. Maybe it was the willingness to play that kept one from despair."

A book that had so many lines I wanted to include here that I actually found it pretty hard to choose. Zevin has crafted such a wonderful piece of art. There are so many layers to this that I think I need to reread it almost immediately. The entire last third made me want to ugly cry. Every scene of this book was on the surface about moving its tightly-wound plot onward, yet simultaneously managed to further an extraordinary portrait of play, art, ethics, performance, love and sex, disability and illness, relationships and family. Zevin's ideas about these varied topics are finely painted, always finding room for levity, lightness, nuance and exploration. At the same time, the scenes that lean more heavily into these themes never feel like they lack depth. If anything, the lightness of touch here in everything from narrative voice to plotting to recurrent images and motifs felt carefully considered. I learned so much about the gaming world and its history which I have never really interacted with before. And yet most of all I feel the novel's important insights boiled down to how humans relate to and care for another. That despite everything, in the end, love can be very simple. The conversation with Dong Hyun near the ending of the book where he incredulously looks at Sam and says "Are you kidding? [...] Everything is funny now." Insane. I wanted to sob.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Ableism, Racism, Terminal illness, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Drug use, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Classism, Mass/school shootings, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Injury/injury detail, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Cultural appropriation, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Blood, Car accident, Cursing, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Xenophobia

lunarsace's review

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-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

3.5

I loved the book, but I can't help but feel like a good chunk of it was the "failed to communicate" trope. Also,

Spoiler

I absolutely hated the Dov segments, how he's seemingly forgiven despite being a groomer not once, BUT TWICE! And just felt sad for Sadie and the amount of casual Sexism she had to put up with. I understand that's the point, but she deserved to look back and think, huh, man that was totally unfair. Not to mention Sams pure misogyny towards the end of the book never being addressed, and I do find him making pioneer sweet, but his view on Marx and Sadie was really messed up and never cleared up. I understand that it doesn't need to end perfectly, but sams trauma is treated way more sympathetically by the characters and writer vs Sadies, who had given up so much and suffered so much but was still perceived as selfish and childish

If you want more positive comments, people have articulated the positives of the book way better than I ever could and I do wholeheartedly agree. I just needed to add my criticisms to the pile. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Mass/school shootings, Sexism, and Xenophobia

Minor: Abortion and Panic attacks/disorders

kazfreedman's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Racism, Mass/school shootings, and Death

catbuechler's review

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Murder, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Abortion

Minor: Racism, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Vomit, and Xenophobia

marieqc's review

adventurous emotional funny reflective 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? Yes

4.75

I liked this so much more than what I thought I would. it's a gamers (non derogatory) coming of age and considering I know very little about gaming it was still very much enjoyable. lloré, me rei, sufrí por los personajes y sus fallas como personas completas. I loved the NPC part.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Car accident, and Chronic illness