Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Street by Ann Petry

9 reviews

amalas_bookstop's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Woah this story felt too real! I had to put it down for a while before I could finish it. Lutie’s circumstances are absolutely heartbreaking and all encompassing. I could physically feel the heartbreak and loneliness. 

Ann Petry was able to tackle racism, classism, colorism, socialism, etc. She navigated flawlessly and her writing left no crumbs. This book is a perfect example of allowing the reader to discuss and think about these topics without having the narrator spoon feed the topic to us. This book is a must read. I will definitely read more from her. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Infidelity, Grief, and Abandonment

charris0903's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

clarkg's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

5.0

If you are looking for a story about overcoming adversity a la "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn", this is not it. Told primarily from the perspective of Lutie Johnson, a single mother trying to improve her circumstances in 1940s Harlem, "The Street" explores how the ceaseless structural barriers presented to low-income Black Americans shape their decisions, relationships, and imaginations. Ann Petry is undoubtedly one of the great New England writers and her sharp, insightful, and masterfully descriptive prose are central to this book's stellar execution. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

walkie_check's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Bullying, Confinement, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

caseythereader'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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

cerilouisereads's review

challenging dark emotional 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense 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 is heckin intense. I'll have to read it again. The most unsettling part is seeing how little things have changed.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Abandonment

I extremely do not recommend this book for anyone sensitive to stalking/assault. Parts are very hard to read.

bianca_topete's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

This is such an impactful story that is emotional, reflective and sad but not dark. Its not a dark book in the sense where it makes you feel dread or horror. But as you read, your emotions are neutral through all because its the weird feeling of relatability. Ann Petry tells the story in a way that it is too realistic that you can't help but be numb about it. It would be like watching a film of your own life, you know those emotions and you can't help but have no reaction to them. It's a weird feeling that I felt whilst reading but I'm not saying it as a bad thing. I liked it, because it made the ending much painful and unexpected. The ending is what completes the story, how heartbreaking it is but also shows the reality of it all. All loose ends are not tied up but rather left there because that's how life is. You never really tie it all together. We follow other characters that are so raw that the characters don't feel like characters but rather humans. It's as if I'm a scientist studying people forced in a horrible situation, taking notes and not being able to do anything but reflect and spread the knowledge I learned. That is the whole story, a study of humans trapped in the most narrowest of trails. Great story! Changed my thinking and overall enjoyed it.  

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, and Police brutality

ohlhauc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

I really, really enjoyed reading this book and can see why it's revered as a American classic.

First off, it is gorgeously written. The melody and structure of the writing flows smooth until there are moments of tension or violence, whereby the writing shifts to reflect the terror and trauma. The dialogue also felt natural. I liked how the author did use first- and second-person when she was sharing the inner thoughts of the protagonist, showing how Lutie was thinking of herself in those moments.

And then the story itself is well-constructed and the build-up to the climax is a slow-burn. You can see characters and forces creeping closer to a collision, and that tension compels you to read forward. The specific moments and the underlying themes and ideas showing racism, sexism, and classism - their separate moments but also how they're an interconnected web that feeds each other into a never-ending cycle of oppression was haunting and head on. You could feel the weight on the protagonist's shoulders - as well as the other characters - and how their society, and the street they lived on, were moulding their destinies.

The ending was heartbreaking but also made the most sense even if it's probably not the one you would want. 

If you care about reading great classics, you have to pick this up. I also highly recommend it for anyone who's interested in the Harlem Renaissance, stories about poverty and intersectional oppression (racism, sexism, classism), or even if you're into a story with lots of tension, twists, and brutal hard facts.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Murder

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, and Grief

State taking away a child

, poverty, classism