Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

39 reviews

mattyvreads's review

dark emotional 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? No

5.0

Gorgeously written and utterly haunting. One of the best books I have ever read, period. 

It’s a not-so-far-fetched fiction which is unfortunately, equally relevant today. It is so much more than a love story, although few succeed in painting as clear and honest a picture of humanity as Baldwin.

It’s hard to write a review for this book because words fail to describe it’s poignance and import. Absolutely everyone should read this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, and Suicide

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Alcoholism, Violence, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, and Homophobia

mpaterson's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

A beautiful and poignant prose that offers a brief window into the lives of two interconnected families and explores the interconnection of racism and sexism in 60s NYC. It’s tender in moments and tense in others, sometimes both simultaneously. Both nothing and so much happens throughout the book. Love, in all its forms - unconditional and unhealthy, and emotion carries the story with ease and depth. 

If you’re looking for a beautifully melancholy, yet even hopeful of a story, this is it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Violence, Sexism, Police brutality, Racism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Physical abuse, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Classism

Minor: Drug use, Suicide, and Miscarriage

dnvrdnvr's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Homophobia and Rape

Minor: Antisemitism and Miscarriage

sophiaroesler's review

challenging emotional reflective

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Police brutality, Rape, Suicide, and Racism

greatexpectations77'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? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I'm a little embarrassed that this was my first James Baldwin book, but I'm so glad that I read it. What beautiful writing and such a tragic story. I feel like it's rare that a male writer has such incredible insight into a female character, but I thought it was such an amazing story about women. I would love to write an essay about it. And how horrifying that 50 years later, the exact same story could happen today in this racist country built on stolen land.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, and Racism

Moderate: Classism, Hate crime, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Religious bigotry, Body shaming, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Abortion, and Antisemitism

aoifetriestoread's review against another edition

emotional sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

This was a heart wrenching and painful read and I enjoyed my time with this book. Baldwin has presented us with some very complex characters whose own moral failing do not negate the injustices done to them. 

My only complaint is that I felt the book ended really abruptly and, though I don’t think stories need complete closure, I think it would have benefited from a few extra pages to round it out. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs

Moderate: Racism and Rape

tabear's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death of parent, Hate crime, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Miscarriage and Antisemitism

slintangel's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Classism, Rape, Hate crime, Police brutality, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Misogyny

Minor: Addiction

theuncannydani's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

4.0

Baldwin wrote this is such a poetic way, but I was still able to follow it. That was great.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Confinement, Rape, Police brutality, and Racism

Moderate: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Suicide, and Sexual assault

Minor: Homophobia, Torture, Racial slurs, Blood, Body shaming, Miscarriage, Drug use, and Forced institutionalization

owenwilsonbaby's review

dark emotional reflective 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

"He laughed. "Baby. Baby. Baby. I love you. And I'm going to build us a table and a whole lot of folks going to be eating off it for a long, long time to come.""

My favourite thing about the line I've quoted above is that I've often seen it shared on social media and I've always been intrigued by it, but having just read it in its original context, it suddenly seems so much richer. This sentiment is true of the novel overall. Having only encountered Baldwin's writing in circulated snippets online and Raoul Peck's absorbing documentary I Am Not Your Negro, I was interested but ultimately uncommitted, ignorant of how truly talented and totally absorbing his narrative voice is. As I read this novel, I felt like my entire understanding of his work expanded. This development felt particularly special because I love Barry Jenkins' adaptation of this book so much and yet it now seems like a small fragment of this book's breathtaking story. 

This book is so wonderful and so sad. Baldwin is fantastic with character voice. Tish is such a compelling character and her way of understanding and assessing her world was so sharp, at times both beautiful and funny. My copy was dog-eared by the end from the quotes I wanted to remember and include here. The scene near the beginning where Tish and Fonny have their first date in church and realise that "Now, we knew nobody loved us: or, now, we knew who did. Whoever loved us was not here." The way Baldwin writes about love and sex, which makes it sacred and redemptive. The insight into womanhood, gender, violation and agency was incredible. The scene where Joseph and Frank talk about raising kids despite experiencing poverty. The scene where Daniel discloses the things he endured in prison. The searing indictment of America, whiteness, capitalism and the penal system. All of it. I read this in two sittings. I want to re-read it immediately. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Antisemitism, Racism, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Cancer