Reviews tagging 'Grief'

When We Were Sisters by Fatimah Asghar

14 reviews

yinflower's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Grief, Islamophobia, Abandonment, Child abuse, Death, Xenophobia, Sexism, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

kshertz's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

This was a heartbreaking story of three sisters told through the quietest one. The one who feels they don’t quite fit in. It was beautifully haunting and heartbreaking. The storytelling method was not one I was used to but still thought was very intentional and well done. I just wanted it to be longer and tell more of their adult lives 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Grief, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Bullying, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Islamophobia, and Sexual assault

estam1's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Classism, Grief, Bullying, Gaslighting, and Islamophobia

micklesreads's review

challenging dark emotional sad 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? No

5.0

This book was so beautifully written, with vignettes of poetry and verse, visual storytelling, and other creative writing styles interspersed throughout the tale. It was a stunning journey, and it's going to join "A Little Life" for me on the short list of books that absolutely destroyed me. 

So much grief and trauma here for three sisters to take. Their love for one another was so strong, but ugh y'all, this one will kick your ass.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Abandonment

nataliesophia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual assault, Islamophobia, and Abandonment

Minor: Dysphoria

noble_editorial's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring 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

4.0

This is a powerful book. It's highly literary, with a number of poetic tangents. I think this was beautifully done, but it can be intimidating for readers who usually stick to genre fiction. A great deal is left open to interpretation, and I initially found it a bit frustrating, as I craved more explanation regarding the motivations of each sister. With time and reflection, I've become more comfortable with the author's nuanced approach, but in some ways, I do wish they had given the reader just a bit more insight. Overall, however, this is an emotional and beautifully told story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, and Xenophobia

emzireads's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Grief

baileyk123's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief

Moderate: Blood and Sexual violence

ktkeps's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexism, Abandonment, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Child abuse, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, and Islamophobia

careinthelibrary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

I liked this for what it was, but I definitely prefer Fatimah Asghar's poetry collection to this.
I thought the relationship of the sisters with one another as well as to their uncle was well-written. Their living circumstances were tense and difficult to read about and kept me invested in their futures. I wanted to keep reading to see them out of this cramped, unhappy apartment. They look after themselves and each other and are quite disconnected from the outside world. 

There was a lot that didn't seem to fit with the sisters' story though. While it's all written poetically, some portions felt too hard to connect to the greater story and that left me jarred out of the momentum of the narrative.

I'll keep my eyes open for more from this author who is seriously such a talented poet. This one was promising and while it didn't quite live up to my hopes, there was lots to admire and love in this novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, Grief, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Islamophobia, Murder, and Racism