Reviews tagging 'Abortion'

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

4 reviews

clairebartholomew549's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I found this book to be a thoughtful exploration of the epidemic of white families "adopting" indigenous children and of the generational trauma inflicted by centuries of oppression and forced assimilation. I liked the shifting perspectives, although I found Joe's to be a bit overwrought and self-pitying. I adored the depiction of the weight of Ruthie/Norma's "mother's" expectations and memories on her, and I appreciated how Ruthie/Norma slowly came to understand what had happened to her. 

I saw in the reviews that this book was unsatisfying to many, and I agree that it could have benefitted from spending more time on what it was like for Ruthie to reunite with her family after so many years. I would have preferred less cataloguing of Joe's meandering life and more reckoning with the aftermath of Ruthie coming home and coming to terms with her identity.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

devynreadsnovels's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, and Classism

elderwoodreads's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

This book definitely dragged at times which is such a shame because I loved the overall concept and some of the passages had incredibly strong writing. The "twist" of the book is immediately revealed and the story takes the reader through what happened to the end that is hinted at in the beginning of the story. I loved this conceptually and I feel like it actually made dual POV work for me for once. Unfortunately several of the Joe chapters felt like they should've been cut or gone through another round of edits in my opinion. The Norma chapters were all strong and I loved her story, it hit home a lot for me as someone finding my biological family. Overall I will definitely read anything else Peters publishes but I will not be recommending this to everyone I meet. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Violence, Blood, Abortion, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

warlocksarecool21's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

4.5

This was a beautiful and heartbreaking story above loss, love and family. With its simple yet resonant prose, we follow a Mi’kmaq family over generations and how the disappearance of their youngest daughter Ruthie haunts them for decades. We also see how Ruthie grew up with a white family, never knowing who she was but always knowing something wasn’t right. This is a story about grief and how it can lead people to do terrible things, but it is also a story about how forgiveness and love can help people move on. This book was absolutely beautiful and I highly recommend. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Car accident