Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

22 reviews

deevs's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

I had never heard of this book before and picked it up from a second-hand store because I liked the cover art. But as soon as I finished reading, all I could think was how lucky I was to have discovered this. It's such a beautiful exploration of the way class impacts our interactions with others, as well as just how important one's personal history can be. I loved its prose-like writing style so much, and I think such a style did a great job portraying the points of view of various characters in the book. Can't wait to read more of Woodson's writing! I think she might be a new favorite author of mine!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Terminal illness, and Racism

Moderate: Bullying and Cancer

Minor: Mental illness and Grief

amschelly153's review

emotional inspiring 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

5.0

Beautiful. Raw. A candid story from the perspectives of generations of family. Absolutely incredible.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Death, Grief, and Pregnancy

frankieclc's review

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Death, Pregnancy, and Grief

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Murder

bookswithlauren's review

challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Gun violence, Dementia, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Sexual content, Gore, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Cursing, Death, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Toxic friendship

heatherinthenether's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? No

4.0

This book is a beautifully written telling of complicated lives. It feels so real and immediate, and read  like a poem. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Death of parent, Cursing, Pregnancy, Grief, Cancer, Sexual content, and Death

Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Abortion, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Addiction, Alcohol, Cancer, Colonisation, Drug use, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Racism, and Sexual content

savvylit's review

emotional 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

In Red At the Bone, Jacqueline Woodson has deftly woven an unforgettable & well-crafted multiple-perspective story. Woodson's lyrical yet sparse writing style perfectly paints a vivid portrait of familial devotion and pain. The perspectives of each individual are staggered on a chapter-by-chapter basis. Ultimately, this allows for a more complete picture of every single family member. Aubrey, Melody, Sabe, Iris, and Po'Boy are characters that will stick with me for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Pregnancy, Death, and Grief

dlrosebyh's review

emotional reflective 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? Yes

2.75

 The novel begins in 2001, on the evening of Melody's sixteenth birthday celebration at her grandparents' Brooklyn brownstone. She makes her entry to the music of Prince, watched affectionately by her relatives and friends, wearing a stunning custom-made gown. However, the event is not without significance. Sixteen years ago, that very dress was measured and sewn for a different wearer: Melody's mother, for her own ceremony—a celebration that never happened. 

 

Woodson considers not only Melody's parents and grandparents' ambitions and successes, but also the costs, the tolls they've paid for striving to overcome expectations and escape the pull of history. As it delves into sexual desire and identity, ambition, gentrification, education, class and status, and the life-changing realities of parenthood, Red at the Bone most strikingly examines the ways in which young people are frequently forced to make life-altering decisions—even before they have begun to figure out who they are and what they want to be. 

 

The trouble about short novels is that you never know whether you'll like them or not. Most of the time, it leaves you with unanswered questions, leaving you unsatisfied—which is exactly what happened in this novel. It had a lot of potential. It's a powerful read with beautiful prose, yet something was lacking, and I'm not sure what it was. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Racism

Moderate: Cancer and Grief

Minor: Hate crime

books4bee's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Infertility, Death of parent, Abandonment, Chronic illness, Cancer, Drug use, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Cursing

kimveach's review

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

What a beautiful story and it's told in such an interesting way. It's multiple narrators and part of the fun for me was figuring out who was speaking at the start of each chapter. It's also not linear. I enjoyed that but realize it's not for everyone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Sexual content, Cancer, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Drug use, Medical content, Racism, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy

ryanichole's review against another edition

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Genocide, Hate crime, and Murder