Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

23 reviews

alice666's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

A mostly incisive commentary on the trauma enacted on black families due to prejudice and discrimination within the criminal justice system. 

There were a lot of things I felt, especially from Roy, like this quote: ‘we aren’t all PC in prison, we say what’s on our mind,’ which absolutely nails the incremental effects of that experience and how you can never get who you were before back.

It should be heartbreaking, however the novel quickly just devolves into a soap opera about a fraught relationship that never should have lasted in the first place because he never respected her.

It made it hard to care and invest in the narrative and future of their marriage or relationship, which should’ve been the main purpose of this novel. But this is how he thinks about her, ‘I wanted her to wait for me, like women have been waiting before Jesus.’

It’s only slightly recovered at the end, but I was left to struggle with my frustrating lack of care throughout reading it. And since I couldn’t properly reckon with the inclusion of his casual misogyny, it almost ruined the book for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Misogyny, and Sexual assault

Minor: Infidelity and Rape

elliotabegunde's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

4.5

I kept reading the epilogue over and over. It's not a lighthearted read, but wouldn't have you crying. I'd describe it as a story that showcases the whole truth of each of its characters. It reflects on survival and whether any one person can ever truly be blamed.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexual content, Violence, and Pregnancy

katreena's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

moriahleigh's review

dark emotional reflective sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, and Abortion

Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Racism, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

ashareads's review

adventurous reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

Moderate: Confinement, Hate crime, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

marena02's review

challenging dark emotional 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

ramreadsagain's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

5.0

This gripped me right from the beginning and I haven’t had a book cause such strong emotions in me for a while. 

The writing is phenomenal, the characters have depth, and the plot just never lets up. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Abortion

Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, and Terminal illness

crazytourists_books's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

This is a perfect example of an over-hyped book that didn't deserve have of the enthusiasm around it. The idea was interesting; if the author had focused on that and not the "romantic" side, it would have been great. A black man, wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for rape, spends five years in prison. Do we read about that? A few pages. Five years covered in a few pages. But HIS dream of having kids? Of having HIS wife? GIS home? Of controlling everything because HE is the man? Of how everyone owes HIM because they haven't been through what HE has been through? Of having sex without protection because HE doesn't want a piece of rubber between him and HIS "cure"? Of unbelievable sexism (by every single character in this book)? Pages upon pages upon pages. 
I liked the narration trick, the three different points of view, but nothing was deep. It could and should have been over after a hundred pages, there was just nothing there. Flat characters, no story. And I am so disappointed and frustrated because the story could have been so much more. 
Ii makes me wonder... did Obama really read this and thought that this book portrayes the effects of a wrongful conviction on a young African-American couple? Seriously? 
I have no idea why I read all of it, when I knew from the first few pages that it would frustrate, disappoint, and bore me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Police brutality

Minor: Confinement, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Abortion

bestienicoley's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Suicide and Death of parent

pkprouvs's review

• Loveable characters? No

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Police brutality