Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini

35 reviews

dallastodd's review

challenging dark funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Infertility and Miscarriage

emilyrowanstudio's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is a very unique book. A visceral, hard-hitting book about how abuse in child - to put it lightly - leads to an adulthood of domestic abuse and submittance to men's power over women. Our protagonist, Alethea, is not weak though. She is strong, independent, and the picture of resilience. How do you live a life without abuse if it's all you've ever known? Alethea is powerful in her own right, and the way she is Allen-Agostini will possibly always stay with me. 

I hadn't heard of The Bread the Devil Knead until it was recommended in an email from bookshop.org. I was drawn in by the title - what a title!! - followed by reviews on Goodreads saying what an immersively emotional read this was. It came as no surprise to me to find out this was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction. The character and world building is phenomenal.

Told mostly in first person Trinidadian creole, interspersed with flashback chapters written in the third person, Alethea's voice is brought to life and I don't think i'll ever read another voice like hers. She never breaks, despite everything that's happened (happens) to her, and only does she come close as the story develops and horrors from her past become clearer and clearer. Take heed of the trigger warnings - incest, rape, and murder to name but a few. This is not an easy read but, if you can stomach it, you will be rewarded as this is ultimately a story about hope, and what comes next. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Incest, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Murder, Rape, and Sexual assault

jadew2000's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Incest, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Death, Alcoholism, and Infertility

Minor: Miscarriage and Gun violence

avinawood's review

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

Read all content warnings before moving forward

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Racism, Infertility, and Miscarriage

Minor: Alcohol, Colonisation, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

tunatanga's review

challenging dark hopeful sad 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

5.0

A very hard book to read, but 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Rape, Incest, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Miscarriage and Abortion

mirireads's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Incest, Rape, Physical abuse, Violence, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Grief, Murder, Infidelity, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Racism, and Classism

Minor: Infertility, Excrement, Death of parent, Drug use, Miscarriage, Blood, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Stalking, and Vomit

stuffinmybrainhole's review

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Miscarriage, Infertility, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Racism, Racial slurs, Gun violence, Incest, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Murder, Grief, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Alcohol

margarethobbs's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Physical abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Child abuse

cobyisilliterate's review against another edition

emotional 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Incest

Moderate: Miscarriage

Minor: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Racial slurs

ernie_8's review

dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-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 book portrays how hard it's for a person to acknowledge that the one they love is not worthy of their love. The protagonist has gone through a rough life and seemingly has no one reliable in her life, what makes me attached to this story is that she even needs to contemplate a lot on what is her rightful surname at the end of the book and is in an existential crisis. Something that seems superficially normal and simple is not always what it's meant to be. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infertility, and Grief

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Miscarriage, Stalking, Sexual violence, and Gun violence