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gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition
4.0
As this is a memoir there isn't much to say expect that the parents were quite selfish in their wants and needs and did not act like parents at all. By today's standards it feels like this would be pulled up for either child abuse or neglect, but it is hard to say. What I can say it is good to know that Sue is getting the help she needs to go over her childhood and has her own family to love and support and who will hopefully do the same back.
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Abandonment
howlia31's review
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment and Injury/Injury detail
mxlakritz's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse
sneeps's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence, Murder, Colonisation, and Deportation
mollykat3b621's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Alcohol
paracosim's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Medical content and Injury/Injury detail
idkimoutofideas's review
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Abortion, and Injury/Injury detail
scripturient's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Medical content, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abortion
sauvageloup's review
5.0
pros:
- the book covers a large period of time very smoothly, dealing with a lot of very difficult topics and still finding humour in places. I was rooting for Heywood all the way through.
- she charts her changing relationship with the journey, her parents, and the sea very adeptly, and it made me pretty emotional at times. she shows such incredible strength with her drive to get herself out of this situation she is essentially trapped in, dealing with emotional abuse, neglect, confinement, forced work, abandonment, poverty, near death encounters, loneliness, and depression.
- but she deals with all of these awful things so practically and straight forwardly that it almost doesnt immediately register how awful it is. the time when she was stuck alone in Auckland was the hardest part to read, with how incredibly down she gets amidst impossible circumstances (and absolutely no support from her brother either), and yet still pulls through.
- the writing was easy to read, highly evocative and very compelling. the pictures also really added to the story and imagery.
- I also liked that she tried to track down Wavewalker later in life.
cons:
- not really a con, but I just honestly couldn't believe that she had continued a decent relationship with her pretty terrible parents until she decided to write the book. I guess it was very hard to deal with what they had done.
in all, a very compelling and moving autobiography about a very unique and difficult childhood and teen years that I will definitely not forget any time soon.
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Violence, and Alcohol
isotobel's review
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Abandonment