Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks

21 reviews

sakisreads's review

adventurous challenging hopeful slow-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? No

4.0

Anything that has testimonials from Bernadine Evaristo AND Caleb Azumah Nelson has to be read 👏🏼

So glad I picked this one up at the library 📚 It took me a while to get through

and Moose’s death had me GRIEVING 😫

but every time I picked it up I kept going and loving it 🥹

I am SO glad we escaped Monassa AND THEN fucked him up too 🫠 I was initially excited because he seemed charming, but as Yamaye got bamboozled by him I realised that was my anxious attachment style saying ‘But he’s a nice man’ 🙊 Never again. Fuck him!

Yamaye was such a fantastic narrator and I felt like I could visualise everything that was going on throughout the years. I felt many of the excitements and nerves she felt!

4 out of 5 stars, thank you so much ✨ 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Stalking, and Death of parent

amberinpieces's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Self harm, Slavery, Vomit, and Gaslighting

teekay_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Rhythmic, poetic and reflective. A beautiful  and visceral telling about love, loss and shame. I was deep in  Yamyae’s shoes a big thank you to Jacqueline’s vulnerability and research.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting

flashandoutbreak's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

filuipa's review against another edition

tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

i feel like it was privilege to read this book and get a glimpse of the black community and dub world of London in late 70s, which has led to some youtube trips to listen to the music genres mentioned to understand the picture better, especially how heavily the plot involves music. The last 20 pages were not my favourite ending at all, I could think of so many satisfying, some less pleasant, endings but considering how close this is to the author's experience it's not my story to change.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

hadsbaker's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Police brutality, and Grief

nicolaparty's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship

brmills's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Police brutality, Grief, and Murder

deedireads's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-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? No

4.0

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.

TL;DR REVIEW:

Fire Rush is an impressive debut, with an undeniably electric voice and propulsive energy that really makes it stand out. I thought the pacing was a bit uneven, but I still liked it and I’m glad I read it.

For you if: You like books that highlight underrepresented perspectives from recent history.

FULL REVIEW:

I may never have read Fire Rush if not for the fact that it was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize. And though it wasn’t my favorite from the list, it’s impossible to deny the electric voice and propulsive energy Crooks has created.

The main character is a young woman named Yamaye, a second-generation member of the Jamaican diaspora living in West London in the late 1970s (the early days of Margaret Thatcher). She’s a regular of the local underground dub scene (literally, they go to a place called The Crypt and it’s in a crypt) alongside others for whom music is survival, and losing yourself is the only way to feel alive. But soon tragedy, injustice, and an increasingly hostile carceral state uproot her life, taking her to Bristol and eventually Jamaica.

I can absolutely see why this book is being praised; it has a strong, strong voice, and it crackles with rage and grief and life. This was particularly true in the audiobook experience; Yamaye’s narrator was the perfect fit and the producers included just the right (light) touch of effect to bring her music/club scene to life. Crooks makes it possible for us to take a hard look at the Black British experience of those years; them vs “Babylon.”

I think, for me, what kept this book from going on the “love” pile was some uneven pacing. It felt like it took the actual story a really long time to start, even though the narration had plenty of energy. Then as the plot picked up and I became invested in the story, some of that initial crackling energy waned.

But still, an extremely impressive debut. Glad I read it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Death of parent

qqjj's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism