Scan barcode
biobeetle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Child death and Murder
Minor: War
cindypepper's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
The premise of the book made it seem like it would be a mystery, but to call it that reduces the worldbuilding of the Black and Jewish neighborhood of Chicken Hill. <i>Heaven & Earth Grocery Store</i> is part slice-of-life but altogether a story about the ways that we, as a community, help each other out. It does take a while to juggle all the different characters and names of Chicken Hill (and the larger Pottstown area), to the point where I wasn't sure if this was going to be a whodunnit (it isn't). It was a lot to get my bearings as a reader and suss out the constellation of connections, but James McBride is actually very airtight with the details and the character studies and he makes sure that no detail is made unnecessary! Even the tangents are important! I found myself referencing seemingly minute details from previous chapters. This novel rewards the most astute of readers.
And paying attention isn't a chore here; the characters are vibrant and deftly drawn. (Shout out to the socialist girlie Chona!!!) Once the characters settle in, the book really picks up momentum and hits the ground running. It's a fascinating story of community crossing lines of race and class to protect a child who is failed by the so-called safeguards of society.
It's a triumphant story of solidarity, but McBride's humor and snappiness keep the storyline clear-eyed. By the latter chapters of the book, I had kinda forgotten about the skeleton, not because it was unimportant, but because I was so invested in the fates of the characters that the skeleton was more of a secondary thought. That said, the end is absolutely satisfying up to the very last page. If you want warm storytelling, rich worldbuilding, and something that's uplifting but not naively feel-good-y, I'd highly recommend!
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
There arejuperson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.5
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
amybartoli29's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Ableism, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Violence and Alcohol
Minor: Pedophilia, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
beamae's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
With that said, this book is a beautiful story that has a wonderful way of showing how minorities support each other and how they are pitted against one another as well.
Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, and Sexual harassment
burnourhistory's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
natesalsbury's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
At points, there was too much detail. Introducing a new character required multiple paragraphs (or even pages) of backstory- and there were A LOT of characters. I could not keep track of all of the characters, several with primarily used nicknames; however, on occasion a real name was used and I forgot who that character was and had to go back for context clues. There were also so many points-of-view which made it hard to keep up with. I wasn't sure who the main character was supposed to be, if any.
The plot seemed very convoluted. I wasn't sure why any of these characters specific stories were told until the very end when it was explicitly laid out "This character did this, which meant this character could do this and, as a result, this happened." So it did tie together in the end, but took so long to get there.
This story primarily took place in the late 1920s with the first and last chapters taking place in 1972. At least twice - in random spots - modern day 2000s events were mentioned, specifically referring to school shootings despite almost no gun violence in the book, so I wasn't entirely sure why it was mentioned at all.
Content Warning: Explicit SA.
Overall, I am glad I read this, but would not jump at the opportunity to read it again. Maybe somewhere down the road I will read it with a different perspective (and knowing what's going to happen) and find a way to appreciate it more, but that day will not come anytime soon.
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, and Injury/Injury detail
aggie2010's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Antisemitism, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
cassidy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Ultimately there were parts of the book that were quite despicable and challenging to read. The parts of the book that took the perspective of doc or plitzka were just gross. Big tw for white supremacy and then also for sexual violence.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Forced institutionalization
clarkg's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Slavery, and Alcohol