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starrysteph 's review for:
Parable of the Sower
by Octavia E. Butler
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It's bleak, but believable. An exploration of the world "ending" bit by bit, with humanity faltering alongside it. Nothing that went wrong in California felt too far out of reach. It's happening now and it could happen tomorrow – this makes the book a bit of a devastating read.
I wish we had learned more about the rest of the world. We get a bit of info on the presidency, but what about other leaders (religious or otherwise)? Other states? They had access to a television (at first) and usually a radio, so I was curious as to why we weren't offered more tidbits.
I found Lauren to be a sharp & sensible protagonist. While some of her behavior was inconsistent (more on that below), she was easy to root for and I enjoyed witnessing her coming of age journey. Other reviewers write that they find her unlikeable, but I didn't feel that way. :)
Some thoughts:
• The Bankole romance stuff was just ... deeply uncomfortable. It was too bad, because if they had remained platonic (just as equals forging a new community), they had an interesting balance, similar to Lauren's initial conversations with her father.
• Lauren's hyperempathy felt inconsistent. She describes it as disabling, but is always able to overcome it (besides fainting once or twice). She treats it as an incredibly dangerous weakness, but often acts without clear empathy towards others outside of feeling physical pain. AND we're reading her private journal entries, so why do they often feel cold and guarded?
• The emergence of Lauren's religion is compelling, but doesn't quite feel like its own entity. It's a little too simplistic, and Lauren's interactions with Earthseed shift from a desire to survive to some big community ideology. It's a little difficult to root for Earthseed (if we are even meant to) because it is not well-developed enough to feel aligned with. Or at least not inspiring enough? Nuanced enough? Bankole says, "that doesn't mean anything," and he's right!
CW: murder, violence, death (including child death), gun violence, rape, slavery, cannibalism, animal death, animal cruelty, drug abuse, pregnancy, trafficking, pedophilia
I wish we had learned more about the rest of the world. We get a bit of info on the presidency, but what about other leaders (religious or otherwise)? Other states? They had access to a television (at first) and usually a radio, so I was curious as to why we weren't offered more tidbits.
I found Lauren to be a sharp & sensible protagonist. While some of her behavior was inconsistent (more on that below), she was easy to root for and I enjoyed witnessing her coming of age journey. Other reviewers write that they find her unlikeable, but I didn't feel that way. :)
Some thoughts:
• The Bankole romance stuff was just ... deeply uncomfortable. It was too bad, because if they had remained platonic (just as equals forging a new community), they had an interesting balance, similar to Lauren's initial conversations with her father.
• Lauren's hyperempathy felt inconsistent. She describes it as disabling, but is always able to overcome it (besides fainting once or twice). She treats it as an incredibly dangerous weakness, but often acts without clear empathy towards others outside of feeling physical pain. AND we're reading her private journal entries, so why do they often feel cold and guarded?
• The emergence of Lauren's religion is compelling, but doesn't quite feel like its own entity. It's a little too simplistic, and Lauren's interactions with Earthseed shift from a desire to survive to some big community ideology. It's a little difficult to root for Earthseed (if we are even meant to) because it is not well-developed enough to feel aligned with. Or at least not inspiring enough? Nuanced enough? Bankole says, "that doesn't mean anything," and he's right!
CW: murder, violence, death (including child death), gun violence, rape, slavery, cannibalism, animal death, animal cruelty, drug abuse, pregnancy, trafficking, pedophilia