Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Go as a River by Shelley Read

15 reviews

zreadz's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.5

I enjoyed this book. It was tough to get through the tragedy of Victoria’s life at first and it left me fearing for the worst at each page turn, but I think it wrapped up nicely in the end. I really enjoyed the authors descriptive language when talking about nature and the wilderness, tying these elements with love, fate and destiny. I just wish the pacing was a little better. The story went in a different direction than I thought it would based on the first half of the book but I still enjoyed it! It was a nice and heartfelt read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and War

Minor: Car accident and Alcohol

cmklaft'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

I truly enjoyed this story.  I was very invested in Tories life path, felt her pain and emotions.  The "flooding" of Iola seemed a very insignificant part of the story in my opinion. But still a good read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Animal death, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War

fkshg8465's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

4.75

A story that brings life to completion, and a story with so much more to be told. One that lets my imagination fill in the gaps most satisfactorily.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

_meganrose's review against another edition

adventurous emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

I have about 4K words of thoughts about this that are more appropriate for elsewhere, but I am absolutely baffled that other reviews didn't mention the fact that this book uses violence against a Native person to prompt personal growth from a white woman. Wil shows up, gets called slurs, has no characterization,

gets Tori pregnant, is vaguely magical, and then dies in less than 100 pages. He only exists to be pined for as like an ethereal being. He is written as essentially something other than human who also provided a baby.

It made me REALLY uncomfortable. Also, I felt like the end was a whole different story that got tacked on. I just cannot believe Read talked to Native folks before writing this book, as she states in her acknowledgements. Because I really feel like she just went and checked off all the tropes of writing about Native people in the kind of "magical Negro" trope. The character is there to further the story, but they're not really a full person. I'm just really mad about this. First time I've been burned by a blind date with a book. Sigh. The action kind of trickles out too. 
*bought at Analogue Books & Records in Pueblo, CO

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Grief, and Abandonment

Moderate: Hate crime, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Drug abuse, Sexual content, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

0.5

this was so so disappointing. the characters are incredibly one dimensional and stereotypical, the plot is incredibly unbelievable and boring, and the author used the singular Indigenous American character is barely featured and simply used to further the main characters story and then thrown away. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

allerd's review against another edition

Didn’t feel like anything was keeping me interested. I wasn’t very invested in anything that was happening 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism and Alcohol

maryfranvs's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Chronic illness, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Sexism, Car accident, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Infertility and Sexual content

proudtobeabookaholic's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced

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

4.0

40-tal i Colorado, USA. Familjen Nash äger en persikofarm och tonåriga Victoria är ensam kvinna kvar efter moderns död några år tidigare. En dag möter hon en främling på gatan, Wilson Moon, och de blir blixtförälskade. Wilson är indian och illa sedd av de flesta i samhället så de håller sitt förhållande hemligt. När Victoria upptäcker att hon är gravid måste hon fatta ett svårt beslut. 

Den här boken har jämförts med Där kräftorna sjunger och jag skulle absolut säga att den är i samma anda, men det här med jämförelser är alltid riskabelt. Det är vackra naturbeskrivningar och Victoria är en kvinna som i många fall får klara sig själv. Hon får uppleva många svårigheter och hon håller all sorg inom sig. På något sätt upplevde jag tempot i boken som både snabbt och långsamt. Tidsperioden är mellan 1948 och 1971 och så gör vi nedslag vissa år, så jag antar att det är därför. 

Slutet kändes lite abrupt och jag hade gärna sett att boken varit lite längre. Samtidigt så var det på sätt och vis naturligt att den slutade där den gjorde. Vill inte säga mer för att undvika att spoila. 

Jag lyssnade på ljudboken i uppläsning av Anna Maria Käll och hon gjorde som vanligt ett riktigt bra jobb.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racism, Grief, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

mdavis26's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug use, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail