Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Os profetas by Robert Jones Jr.

74 reviews

botanbibliophile's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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sidekicksam's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

The story revolves around the romantic relation between Isaiah and Samuel, told from the points of views of their fellow slaves and their owners. Even though Isaiah and Samuel barely tell their story themselves, you can't help but fall in love a bit with them through the accounts of the others. 

I can't put into words how much I loved the lyrical writing, or how compelling I found each character, because this novel left me quite speechless. I expected a very heavy piece of literature as it is set on a plantation in the height of slavery, but the only reason it took me a little longer to finish is because the writing forces you to take your time to absorb it all. 

I am looking forward to reading more of this author's work, and I recommend everyone who loves literary (romance) novels to read this beautiful book.
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kshertz's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense slow-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? No

3.5

This was a very hard read. I think a lot of it went over my head honestly. The time of enslaved people with absolutely no holding back and no filters. I was constantly in tears or sick to my stomach. Which is definitely the seeming point. Isaiah and Samuel find love only again to be ripped apart. There was never going to be a happy ending during this time. It’s just all pain. Which makes it a hard, but necessary read. 
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theskyboi's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

At its center, this novel's narrative centers on Isaiah and Samuel, an enslaved couple on the Mississippi plantation disaffectionately known as Empty. However, the narration travels between the lives of all the plantation's major figures, weaving a careful, complex tapestry of sorrows, histories, and identities. While this book did take me rather long to finish, I don't find it to be a flaw; rather, I consider it a slower story that envelops you and begs you to consider each and every character in their totality.

Part of the pacing comes from the emotional weight of assessing the relationship we have to past cultures erased and exploited in the name of greed and power. Part of the pacing comes from the lyrical prose and poetry that Robert Jones Jr. expertly crafted on the pages of his debut novel. As an author, he utilizes each character's voice for the purposes of an emotional about-face between terror and tenderness.

I absolutely consider this book an essential addition to my shelf, and I feel enriched after having delved into the world of these forbidden lovers. However, the brutality of slavery cannot be ignored, so I present a brief notice to readers who know themselves to be sensitive in regard to such acts of violence.
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razmatesz's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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marcellaandherbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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

4.75


Let me start by saying this book is phenomenal, it has been quit some time since I read a debut novel this strong. 

It is the story of life on a cotton plantation in Mississippi. The book switches perspective in each chapter, from both the enslaved people and the plantation owners, aswell as some chapters told from past tribes in Africa and greek chorus style chapters from the ancestors. All these voices however, pivot around two men in love, Samuel and Isaiah. The book is about their relationship and how they find love and comfort in eachother whilest tensions on the plantation reach a crescendo. 
This isn't an easy book. One, for its subject matter. It comes with the content warnings you might expect from a book dealing with slavery. But it also isn't a straightforward story. It switches around from different perspectives, it jumps back and forth in time, and the writing, whilest beautiful and lyrical, also uses a lot of similes and metaphors. It's a book that takes a bit more effort and concentration to read in my opinion, but I promise it pays off. 
It is a weighted book, weighted with history and wisdom and trauma and sadness of generations of enslaved people. And at the same time it has notes of lightness and love and hope in the story of Samuel and Isaiah. Painful and soothing at the same time. 
There is so many layers to unpack in this story, I feel like I've only scratched the surface in my first read, so I have an inkling I will be returning to this book in the future.
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bookedbyelizabeth's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

4.25

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taria's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-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

3.25

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amberinbookland's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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vcallahan's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

A modern classic. Lyrical prose and fantastic images, with Jones (accurately) defining his own writing as inspired by Morrison and Baldwin. Tangled, heartbreaking, with themes including injustice and generational trauma, as well as the importance of relationships. 

I am in awe of what Jones managed to achieve with this novel. 4.5 simply because I wish so much that I could have spent more time with Samuel and Isaiah and less time with certain other characters (with that said, I thoroughly enjoyed the feminism throughout). 

Everyone should read.  
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