Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

29 reviews

navayiota's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

Complex, enchanting, heartbreaking. 
I frequently felt too dumb to truly a preciate this book. A masterclass in writing strong, unique characters realistically, characters who will stick with you as you move on from this book. And in my experience, a step by step guide to comprehend your complicity in the world's tragedies, and a game plan to process, move on, and do something about it. Reading this book made me truly see the forest for the first time in my life. I have yet to understand the extent of what I've learned. I look forward to finding out. 
It also pains me to imagine the kind of grief author experienced to understand grief this well, and to be able to put it to words so efficiently. It pains me more to know that there are people in this world who have experienced suffering double, triple, quadruple the size of this and had nobody to write their story down. At the end of the day, I know how good my life is. 
If I could only keep one piece of knowledge from this book, it would be that now, I have the choice to not take my life for granted anymore. I will always be grateful for that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Torture, and Murder

Minor: Cancer

nicolaparty's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad 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: Child death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Grief, Colonisation, and War

curious_oyster's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful reflective sad slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Racism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, and Grief

nialiversuch's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Sexual content, Torture, Vomit, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury

linddykal's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Infertility

elizapease's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective 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

5.0

Really a masterpiece. This book transfixed me from beginning to end. I felt the entire time as though I was in the Congo with the Price family, enduring their fathers abuse, their mothers neglect, and sisterly in-fighting. Kingsolver’s use of prose is phenomenal. Each character is rich and dynamic. They feel SO real. Kingsolver masterfully develops the Price family throughout the novel, creating an epic that spans decades, continents, and planes of existence.

 I was especially impressed by how ahead of its time this book was - considering it was written in the 80’s, it’s commentary on capitalism, nationalism, communism, and the treatment of Africa by the United States is quite searing and insightful. Kingsolver writes with such incredible empathy about people from all walks of life. 

Be warned: this is not an easy read, in content or difficulty. But it is so so worth it.  Breathtaking. This book will stick with me forever. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Terminal illness, Grief, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and War

thebearnest's review against another edition

adventurous informative sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Infidelity, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Genocide, Infertility, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Cannibalism, and Medical trauma

silverrose187's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, and Classism

tigerlark's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

5.0

Phenomenal book! I found Reverend and Mrs. Price to be much like my own parents, and reading this was very healing in a lot of ways. Great discussions of racism, colonialism, and healing from trauma, among other important topics. Kingsolver's prose is beautiful, as usual!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Child death, Racism, Violence, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

jhbandcats's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

I first read this twenty years ago and it has stayed with me as a powerful story of hubris and attendant woe on a personal and global level. I seem to have forgotten the depth of characterization and I responded to a couple of the main characters with disgust. I think this is a book that all Americans should read so we learn about our secret history. Great book but hard to read in an emotional sense. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Classism