Reviews with content warning for Terminal illness - The Vanishing Half

Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

39 reviews

mezzoanddolce's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

4.5

At first I honestly did not think I'd enjoy this. I got the characters mixed up a lot and didn't know what was going on, but then I got to the last 20% of the book.

Wow. This book is SO. GOOD.

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shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

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amorales107's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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midnightmarauder's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

Even though The Vanishing Half is a work of fiction, a lot of the subject matter can overlap into issues many of us still face today: racism/colorism/featurism, identity issues, the overwhelming desire to become someone other than yourself, etc. This book covers in all in just under 400 pages.

Some of the things I loved include the insertion of a trans man in a time period where they didn't really exist, nor are they mentioned often in historical fiction (Reese quickly became one of my favorite characters in the story; he and Jude's love story was a beautiful thing to watch unfold), how colorism and racism can lead to such big consequences amongst the black community, and the nonlinear writing structure; a style that left me staying up, just to see what would happen next.

Some things I would've liked to know more about include Stella, Kennedy, and Blake's fates. Did Stella and Kennedy

go to Adele's funeral? I know that Jude was the one to call Kennedy and tell her that she died, but she wasn't mentioned ever again.

As for Stella,

she is last seen leaving Mallard after placing her wedding ring into Early's palm and telling him to "take care of her Mama." There is a part afterwards that shows Blake brushing off Stella's missing ring and telling her that he's going to replace it, but, that's all. Did they choose not to call Stella, or did Stella simply go back to make herself feel a little better for leaving her family, relished in their grief, only to disappear again and cut off all contact like before?

Lastly, Blake:

Did Stella ever come clean about her past, or did she come home and act as though nothing had happened? She couldn't leave behind the life that she had built for herself—the money, the marriage, the privilege—for a family she had known much longer than Blake. No, ma'am.

All in all, this book was one that was very hard to put down. All I can really say is wow. Brit Bennet is a marvelous writer, and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work.

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islesbiyana's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

You can escape a town, but you cannot escape blood. Somehow, the Vignes twins believed themselves capable of both. / As they grew, they no longer seemed like one body split in two, but two bodies poured into one, each pulling it her own way.

➺ rating: 4 stars ★★★★☆
➺ trigger/content warnings: lynching, colorism, racism, domestic & child abuse, sexual assault, transphobia, racial slurs
➺ short RTC

She hadn’t realized how long it takes to become somebody else, or how lonely it can be living in a world not meant for yo

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zara89's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

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sarahreadsbooks_'s review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

This was a truly fantastic book. I didn’t expect to fly through it as fast as I did but I couldn’t put it down! I loved the writing, the storylines as they both intersected and diverged, and the themes and messages that were still relevant to today, despite the book’s historical setting. I think the only reason why it’s not a full 5 stars is because I did occasionally get confused with the frequent back and forth between time periods, especially towards the end of the book. However, it didn’t really affect my overall comprehension of the story so it wasn’t a big deal. I’m happy I finally got around to reading this book!

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