Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

81 reviews

celticthistle's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

hmih's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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: Child death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism

bellsdixon's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Miscarriage, Racism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Pregnancy and Lesbophobia

emelynreads's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.0

Heartbreakingly beautiful. Like the author's short story collection, this novel explores the pervasive effects of colonialism on present day, family dynamics, and grief. 

Some of the characters were so frustrating to read through (aka Norma's mother) that I didn't connect with the story as much as I wanted to. But the payoff was worth it, and I like the dual narrative, and how the twist is unveiled. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Fatphobia

mktaylor15's review

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.0

Well written but overall really sad so it got three stars. TW: child loss

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death and Grief

zenzi2read's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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

Joe and Ruthie‘s journey were separate but similar. Both characters ran from painful truths until they literally could not run in any further. Is it still a hero journey if The changes are forced? I like the  descriptions of each family member. The inner wing gets separate POV’s were well done, keeping the pace even throughout. The book left me angry and hopeful

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Kidnapping

jad_bal_ja's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-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

My heart. What an adventure. The sort of story where knowing where the story is going doesn’t diminish the journey in the slightest. Much talk of death, which I personally struggle with, but it feels okay in a book like this.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, and Death of parent

cptnstphy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense 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

4.5

This book was such an emotional journey. Norma/Ruthie’s parts held me in a chokehold. I didn’t have much interest in Joe’s parts, which decreased to almost nothing

after he beat his wife. There was the slightest redemption when he finally returned home to face what he’d done and make amends.

I loved hearing about the places they occupied in NS, knowing those familiar lands/berries and the rough but charming character of Nova Scotians. The author had quite a way to paint emotional pictures, connect them to the reader’s emotions, and invoke all five senses. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Racism, Terminal illness, Dementia, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Racial slurs, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, and Vomit

moraina's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

How much heartbreak can one family take? Beginning in the 1960s and spanning to more recent years, The Berry Pickers details tragedies such as child abduction and the death of a child. The trauma of these events deeply affects one of two main characters, Joe, and it impacts the entire trajectory of his life. In his old age, we learn about the many mistakes he made in his anger at the world. Alternately, we get the perspective of his sister growing up in an alienating home that is not truly her own.

While the events of this story are sad, the author develops the characters in a way that you feel hopeful for each of them and includes some positive turns of events. I found The Berry Pickers to be instantly engaging and well-written, it ended up being one of my favorite reads for this year so far.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Abandonment

salgalruns's review

emotional hopeful 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

A Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia arrives in Maine to pick blueberries for the summer and during that time, their youngest child Ruthie disappears.  The next child up (Joe) blames himself for it and the family searches and searches for her for years on end, not believing that she died, but that she exists somewhere in the world.  Joe struggles with this his entire life, through decades of anger and sadness.  

This story is told from two different points of view.  You hear from Joe, and Norma, a girl/woman who is growing up in a different family with a very controlling (and unstable) mother who is CONSTANTLY struggling with anxiety and headaches.  Norma has vivid dreams as a child and doesn't feel that she fits in to her family at all.  There's a mystery that her parents dismiss.  

It's a story about love and family - both the family you were born into and those that surround you in life.  Definitely an emotional read for me as a mother. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Miscarriage, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Kidnapping