Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

80 reviews

danielles_reads's review against another edition

reflective 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

3.75

I had high expectations for this one, because even though I don't read much litfic, I'd heard so many people rave about this. And while I can understand why people love this, it wasn't a new favorite for me. I did really enjoy following along with some of the characters (mostly the older ones—Bummi and Hattie were my favorites), but some of them were either extremely unlikeable or just felt like they were there to check a box. A lot of these stories felt like the author making a list of the most traumatic thing that could happen to a person, and then creating an entire character around that. And some of the stories felt like they didn't really delve into the long-lasting effects of these traumatic events as much as they should have. Most of the stories ended so abruptly too, and I was sad to get to the end of Bummi and Hattie's stories.

I'm always a sucker for interconnected short stories, so I really enjoyed seeing the different connections here. I also enjoyed getting to see the same situation from different characters' POVs, as I love seeing how people interpret things differently. Some stories had me wanting to go back and reread to directly compare. The ending definitely elevated the book entirely for me, as I teared up a bit.

Even though it is unrealistic for Penelope to change her racist mind so quickly, I could really feel both her and Hattie's emotions at finally being reunited in their old ages. Very heartwarming.

The afterparty at the end bringing a lot of the characters together was fun, though Amma and her crew were the least interesting in the story to me, so it was disappointing to me that the book focused on her and her friends and family in the last bit. I really did not care about Rowland at all, and it felt extremely out of place to focus on a man in the epilogue?? Weird.

Yazz was my least favorite character of everyone. I actually had to take a break from the book for a bit during her chapter because she was so goddamn annoying. At first I thought man, Evaristo really nailed the self-importance of teenagers, but then it just started feeling very fake and moralizing. Like when her white girl friend was lecturing Yazz on intersectional feminism 101... like come on. Amma and Dominique acted in similar ways too, constantly going on about feminism that was just tiring (especially since they were revealed to be TERFs at the end...). Like I know this already, these characters are not coming off as intellectual activists like I think was intended. Dominique's story was really heartwrenching though, and it was great to see her

regain her independence after an abusive relationship (and not just men can be abusers)

.

Carole's story was really sad, especially

the gang rape when she was 13, like holy shit, that was a lot.

And the whole discussion around her losing her Nigerian culture to assimilate into full English mode just to be successful was sad too. I loved getting Bummi's side of things, even though she was incredibly immature. I mean, she didn't talk to her daughter for two whole months, what the fuck. I was so invested in all her relationships though, and cried at her losses. It was great to go back to LaTisha's story after Carole's, though right when I was starting to get invested, her story ended.

Shirley's story was alright, I guess. It was sad to see her lose her love for teaching as the system wore her down. Winsome's story was... kinda awful honestly.

Sleeping with her son-in-law?? That was so random and weird.

Penelope's story was alright (I did cheer for her being able to

divorce her husband in order to work as a teacher

) but the ending did redeem her.

Morgan's story was interesting because the gender politics of that section felt soooo outdated, even though this book is only 5 years old. It's interesting how much the queer community has changed in the last few years. Like I did not expect to hear "transsexual" be referred to as the correct term. I can't speak to the accuracy of the representation but I did like the character and how they grew into their relationship with Bibi. Hattie was definitely my favorite though. I love her dedication to her farm and her family. Grace's story was really sad, especially after Hattie's.

Overall I did like this, and I would recommend to people who like interconnected short stories.

Characters: 4

Plot / Pacing: 3.5

Setting / World Building: 4

Writing Style: 3.5

Themes: 3.5

Rating: 3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Rape, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Transphobia, and Death of parent

arlaubscher's review against another edition

challenging 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Grief, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Biphobia and Slavery

bry_on_rye's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective 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

5.0

The rich character descriptions and intersecting timelines make Girl, Woman, Other a  sensational read. Emotionally challenging themes are present throughout each character’s journey towards self-actualization in their respective environments. I found the casual, conversationalist style of writing to be thought provoking yet digestible, and interesting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Islamophobia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Classism

gretareadsbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Colonisation

Minor: Child death and Transphobia

brain_z's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective 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

4.75

Eye opening 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Rape, and Sexual content

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, and Death of parent

spencerslibrary's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Transphobia, Lesbophobia, and Dysphoria

Minor: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Rape, Xenophobia, and Death of parent

matmatmatty's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective 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? N/A

5.0

For anyone reading this review to find out if they should read it, please PLEASE check out the CW/TW beforehand! Those scenes are written so beautifully and they aren't graphic but were still very emotional.

I am honestly a little speechless after reading this.

I've had this book on my shelf for a while, and had a lot of people suggest it to me, but only recently got around to reading it.

This is such an important story that I really cannot recommend more. I wish I had read it earlier and had the opportunity to take in what I took from it then.

This story follows 12 separate characters and their story of self discovery and finding themselves. Some of these stories are within a couple of years, some over entire lifetimes. They are all unique and feel so real.

All of these stories are connected, in different ways, and you get to hear about characters from multiple perspectives (including their own) which gives them a greater depth (I also got to think about how we can be our own unreliable narrator for ourselves and those around us)

Evaristo's writing style might not be for everyone - it's very poetic and not structured like a "typical" writer but if that's a barrier for you, I would really try to overcome it because this book is so worth it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, and Transphobia

Minor: Drug use and Miscarriage

ellxnmcgrxth's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Read in one night, it's very moreish

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism

brittcoxon's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Wow. A book that gives you a glimpse into so many lives. A unique look at the intersection of being LGBTQ and black. A complex set of stories, all interconnected, visiting friends and family, current times and historical. Some characters stories are harder to read than others, this book deals with some very difficult topics, ones that are sadly very familiar.
By the end of the book I felt I knew all our characters so well, their lives, influences and ambitions.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment

isabellamarg's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

Girl, Woman, Other was a beautiful and gritty tapestry of storytelling spanning generations and crossing borders. Each of the characters within this novel is well-written and we get to intimately know each character within the span of a chapter (albeit a long chapter). The connections between characters fleshed out the story and I loved that we hear about different people from others perspectives as the story moves along. This made the world of the novel very rich! We see the reality of human life in which nobody is perfect; humans lie, cheat, and have regrets, nobody is perfect. We fully see the intersection of race, class, gender, and sex as well as the variation in thinking and limitations generationally. 

I think my favorite part of this novel was seeing the characters all come together in the same place in the final chapter creating a full-circle moment for the reader where we see people forgive others and other's misgivings. The epilogue in this novel was also a really sweet treat for the reader with lost connections being found (no spoilers here).

I loved how each section of the novel was broken down into a trio of characters that were somehow related or knew each other. There were a lot of mom and daughter plot lines as well as teachers, siblings, friends, etc. The punctuation and capitalization of the writing honestly did not bother me. I thought it created a poetic flow to the writing that I almost preferred for this type of storytelling. Overall, masterfully written and wonderful book that spans generations of black women and their families. The cohesive exploration of friendship and love while also highlighting injustice in our world made me think deeply about how we carry ourselves through this world. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Addiction, Deadnaming, Death of parent, and Abandonment