Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

97 reviews

qqjj's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

tessduryea's review against another edition

emotional mysterious 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

Minor: Ableism, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual violence

wfrench09's review against another edition

emotional mysterious 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

2.0

This book features a large cast of characters whose lives intertwine and portray a complex story about integration and race relations in the early 1900s. I found the many characters hard to keep track of, and the suspense of the story got weak around the middle of the book. 50 pages could've been chopped from the book, and it would've helped the pacing of the story. Also, while the story is incredibly timely and the author draws some parallels to today's world, I found it slightly pedantic at times. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Antisemitism

Minor: Sexual violence

iamlaura's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

About 100 pages of this book could have been left out. It took forever to get to the point of the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Murder

cindereads's review against another edition

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

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Content Warnings

Minor: Ableism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Religious bigotry

mnasadoo's review against another edition

challenging dark informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense 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: Child abuse, Child death, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, and Antisemitism

schausjk's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-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? Yes

3.5

There were many aspects to this book I did enjoy. Some of the characters were very interesting, particularly Chona and Nate. The way James McBride really showcases his characters serves the book well in driving home how interconnected everyone is, and how one person's decisions can impact everyone else. That being said, I would have loved to have seen more character growth from many of those involved. And while I know that the characters are the main focus here, I'd also have loved more frequent descriptions of Chicken Hill itself as a place. At times I'd just sit back and soak in the sense of place created by the characters and their histories, and I would've liked to see more on how their surroundings impact them in turn. I also found the ending somewhat anticlimactic in part because of all this time spent building up this web of characters. I've seen how they relate to each other, and I learned what became of a few of them, but there are many more who I came to know and care about over the course of the story but never really found out what happened to them. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Antisemitism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

bessadams's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Excrement, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol

campirebat's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Grief, and Murder

annaf90's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

3.0

I feel like this book was pretty slow moving. It is interesting in that it gives at least part of the story of every person and situation involved in some way, demonstrating just how complex life is, but that also makes it very, very convoluted and somewhat difficult to follow. I had to re-listen to various parts a few times to make sure I understood what was happening. 

It also felt like, for how slowly the story moved and for how immensely detailed the whole story was, the ending felt abrupt and rushed. There was very little story about what happened to everyone after the fact, aside from one person. The dichotomy of that could be artful, I suppose, but instead it felt unbalanced and lacking. 

There were a few points that were too graphic for my comfort. 

My final verdict: I’d recommend the book if someone was already interested in the story but wouldn’t likely encourage someone to read it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Antisemitism

Minor: Violence and Murder

Sexual abuse of a child