Reviews tagging 'Death'

Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson

13 reviews

eve81's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Deportation

peggy_racham's review against another edition

4.5

"We’re all haunted in some way. All my dance moves are my father’s."

As Connan Grey said "I truely am my parents child."

Some things can not be helped. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

liamliayaum's review against another edition

emotional inspiring mysterious 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

4.5

This book is a melody. An ode to space and rhythm, of finding those spaces to live and grow in. An anthem of Black life, joy, and sorrow.

It was repetitive, often the same sentences repeated, which is why this was a 4.5 and not a 5 star for me.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Racism

sakisreads's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective slow-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? No

4.5

✨ Gifted ✨

Caleb Azumah Nelson does it again 👏🏼 Small Worlds encapsulates so much love and especially during the second half, I found it hard to put down 🥹 

Of course Joy’s death hit me hard and made me weep, but we still manage to grieve and love her ❤️ Everything in this book is so human which I think is one of its biggest attractions!

I ‘only’ give it 4.5 stars out of 5, because although it was phenomenal, nothing has done it for me quite in the same way that Open Water has since I finished that 😂 Still brilliant though and highly recommend reading Small Worlds, thanks ✨

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Racism, Police brutality, Grief, and Death of parent

elizaob's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, and Death of parent

sandwiiche's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

4.25

wow. nelson is a masterful writer. his prose is absolutely gorgeous and reads like poetry.
this story is about the struggles of immigrant families, and how they strive to build a new place they can call home. it's a story about loss, the grievance of loved ones, but also the loss of purpose and connection. the story truly heroes the idea that when all else fails, when words cannot express one's thoughts and feelings, it is through the language of song and dance that allows one to voice their heart's truest emotions. it is the space created by music, by letting yourself get lost in the rhythm that gives an individual the opportunity to feel, to open their heart up to the wounds of the past, the joys of the present, and the hopes for the future. ultimately, it is a narrative about the journey to discovering one's identity whilst navigating the rollercoaster of life. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Racism, Police brutality, and Alcohol

zara89's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Hate crime, Racism, and Alcohol

Moderate: Death and Death of parent

clairew97's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Deportation

whoisthisjan's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

Exquisit writing which makes you want to dive into every sentence this man puts on a piece of paper. I had to inhibit the initial impulse to devour Small Worlds immediately. So I stretched the reading experience like a good meal. 
This book is masterfully crafted, with lots of love and feeling. In my opinion it shouldn't be compared to Open Water, but if you still want to - it is by no means less important. The main topics considered in this book are love concerning romantic partners, friends and family, identity, music and immigration. It's unbelievable how much one can say in a few pages. 
Hands down: Caleb Azumah Nelson is my favourite modern day author. 
Highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Racism, and Death of parent

laurataylor's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail