Reviews tagging 'Grief'

A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

85 reviews

salemander's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, and Classism

sakisreads's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-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

4.5

This was harrowing but I could not put it down; I read it in 2 sittings 😳

It came up on my BookTok whilst I was searching for Palestinian authors. I’m so glad to have read it. The narratives of Fareeda, Isra and Deya were incredibly engaging. I’m also very grateful to have learned some Arabic terms (e.g. naseeb = destiny/fate).

I was shaken up when Sarah shared the newspaper clipping of Isra’s murder with Deya. But I am grateful that the actual murdering by Adam was never shared in the story. Isra had that last shred of hope 🥲

4.5 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨ Content warnings included below!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail

camdelo96's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Grief and Murder

jkreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This was breathtaking. So thought-provoking, challenging, dark, hopeful, and gut-churning. The prose was lush and emotive without being overly flowery - to me this was a great example of “showing not telling”. This book didn’t need to tell me how to feel because the plot did that all on its own. The climax of this book felt inevitable, it was very obvious where it was going almost from the start, and yet somehow when it was revealed it still managed to feel like a gut punch. Incredible, incredible writing. Etaf Rum has cemented herself as a must-read author for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Genocide, and War

nat_montego's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

pipettesandpages's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I read this as apart of the Asian Readathon and this book was beautiful and raw. I felt the pain as our main ladies, Deya and Isra, tell their stories. One that has grown up in America and one who left Palestine to move to America after marriage.

I am not even sure how to put my thoughts into words. I’ve been spending the last couple of days trying to share my thoughts. The only thing I can express is that I think everyone should read this. While I know this book does not represent every Palestinian, based on other reviews, I have also seen that it also resonates with so many others who come from more conservative families. Now more than ever, we need to raise the voice of the Palestinian people as what is happening is not a new occurrence. But one of many many years.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, and Murder

Minor: Addiction, Blood, and Grief

liv_txt's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Car accident, and Pregnancy

jocelynzoe's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting

cartermon4's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Miscarriage, Blood, and Pregnancy

Minor: Child death and Car accident

the_readingraven's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-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? N/A

5.0

I finished this book within 24 hours. It was incredibly heartbreaking, I cried throughout it and sobbed at the end. Please check the triggers for this book, but if you can handle it, please read this one. This is the kind of book that stays with you.

We follow 3 generational POV's of Palestinian women, ranging from the 1970's to 2009. They are from the same family who immigrated from Palestine to the US. As the reader, we learn of the cultural and religious circumstances each of these women are born into and must navigate. They each face different experiences and series of oppressions, some given onto one another. Honestly, a lot of it feels so unfair, I wanted to pull my hair out at how this family operates with their expectations of women. I have to say hats off to Etaf Rum. I am nervous when reading literary fiction since I have had some negative experiences with the genre before. Etaf writes in such a clear raw way that she wants you to feel the situation our characters are in. You feel the anger, confusion, the strangulation, of their situations, you just can't help but empathize with these women. 

I have such big feelings for the women in this book. I feel I can write a whole essay on them. Isra is the character we spend the most time with. It's so difficult to not empathize with her. She wants love, to be in love, to feel loved, but love is hard to reach for her. We watch her navigate marriage, motherhood, postpartum depression, and abuse. She's the character I cried the most for. Deya is another pov. She searches for the truth of what happened to her parent's past while trying to stand for what she believes in. Fareeda is the matriarch of the family and is the cause of a lot of pain the women in this book have to deal with. I honestly can not stand this character, and even though a lot about her past is revealed, I still despise her. 

In all, A Woman is No Man has got to be one of the most heart-wrenching books I have read. I am so glad that I read it and it is now one of my favorite books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Sexism, Violence, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Bullying, Child death, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Abortion