Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

88 reviews

gabichatslit's review against another edition

5.0

A really amazing collection of short stories that find black women of various ages grappling with the desires of their heart and the ways they come up against their faith practice/beliefs, and the teachings of the church. I was blown away by the poetics of Philyaw’s prose. How melodic some of these stories read. Also the way I was mindblown by the connection between ‘Peach Cobbler’ and ‘Instructions for Married Christian Husbands.’ The characters in these tales felt so real. My favorites include the two aforementioned stories, as well as Not-Daniel, Dear Sister, and How to Make Love to a Physicist. I’m really excited to read what Philyaw releases next, she is a wordsmith. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

thirdeyeangel23's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

I’m not usually a big fan of short story collections, but this was incredibly well done. This includes nine short stories that all focus on black women and the effects of the black church. These stories range from understanding sexuality, self discovery and loss of community, and of course the varying hypocrisies of church folk. Both charming and reflective, it was overall a joy to read especially in audiobook format.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, and Sexual content

earthtokb's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Racism

Moderate: Sexual assault

hullomoon's review against another edition

hopeful reflective fast-paced

4.75

I love how some of these are interconnected and I appreciate the intergenerational aspect in many of the stories. I couldn't put this book down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity and Dementia

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Death of parent

Minor: Cancer and Child abuse

clairew97's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

quirkko24's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Homophobia, Dementia, Grief, and Religious bigotry

bek_p87's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.5

I don't normally read short story collections because I often find that my favourites are too short and I want more, and vice versa. So this was a welcome surprise - I was intrigued and entranced by all of the stories, which (even though some left me wanting more) were all complete in their own right. My favourites were Dear Sister, Snowfall, How to Make Love to a Physicist, and Instructions for Married Christian Husbands.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Racial slurs, and Sexual content

Moderate: Drug abuse and Homophobia

Minor: Murder

kaimetcalfe's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Medical content, Dementia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol

whatthekatdraggedin's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcoholism and Homophobia

Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, and Abortion

jessalex610's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing sad fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

Such a beautiful collection of Black women and girls being honest and real! I enjoyed my time in this book. My favorite stories were: How to Make Love to a Physicist, Peach Cobbler, and Snowfall. When Eddie Levert Comes just made my so emotional

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Death and Abortion