Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn

10 reviews

yuyuv's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Abortion, and Alcohol

radfordmanor's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

zombiezami's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-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

Evocative, but haunting

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Outing, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug use, Gun violence, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Abortion, Alcohol, and Colonisation

Colorism, Gentrification

onemorepagecrew's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

In Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn, we meet the protagonist of the same name and witness two of her journeys; one is her physical journey from a fictional city in Jamaica to New York City, and the second is her emotional journey between mother and individual person in this world.  Initially Patsy immigrates to the U.S. to be with her dear friend and once romantic partner, Cicely, and she leaves behind a young daughter, Tru.  The story splits from here and we follow Patsy’s life in NYC and Tru’s life in Jamaica, living with her father.  Both are struggling to understand their feelings for each other and their own identities, with very little communication between them.  

 

This novel was a very slow read for me, intentionally, so I could sit with the characters and try to understand them and not judge their choices (always my goal with books really, some just need more intention).  The writing is beautiful and evokes feelings – not always positive – for the characters.  It shines a light on a tough fact that many don’t want to hear – that motherhood and womanhood are not always working in partnership.  In this book, you witness them in conflict.  Patsy can’t seem to make them line up and she chooses her needs above all, with rippling effects for those around her.  It’s an emotional and deep read and if you like sinking into a book that’s very character-driven, this is an excellent choice.  

 

Content warnings: Abandonment, Self-harm, Homophobia, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Alcoholism 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, and Abandonment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Miscarriage, and Sexual assault

moll_g's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

This is a challenging book that tackles a lot of heavy issues and made me feel a lot of things. I really enjoyed it overall but it can be very intense in parts. The characterisation and character development was very well done and I think that it being from two different perspectives worked really well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

Moderate: Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcoholism, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, and Murder

emmalange102's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Abandonment

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Blood, Abortion, and Alcohol

annaledbetter's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Religious bigotry, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Drug use

balladofreadingqueer's review against another edition

adventurous reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would as I had heard mixed reviews.

It follows Patsy who leaves her daughter Tru in Jamaica and travels to the US to be with a women she loved as a teenager. Although the relationship with Cicely does not pan out as Patsy planned and life in the US is hard and gruelling, Patsy stays. Tru, left behind in Jamaica, grows up under the shadow of her mother’s absence.

Centring on family, this book examines the generational pain of motherly abandonment as Mama G abandoned Patsy to God and Patsy leaves Tru for America. The lack of acceptance or difficulties of  living as queer black women in Jamaica and the US are explored throughout. Both Patsy and Tru explore and struggle to come to terms with their queerness. This is set to a backdrop of poverty, immigration and football.

Although the eponymous character makes choices that are judged by family and society, the character is written in a way that encourages understanding and empathy with Patsy as she struggles to find her place.

It didn’t end with the happy reunion that I wanted and I wish that I knew more about Tru and Patsy reconnecting but it was a more realistic ending for their relationship.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

sophieh's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

kaleidoscope_heart's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Suicide

Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Physical abuse, and Transphobia