Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini

7 reviews

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

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

my_plant_library's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Incest, Domestic abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Gun violence, Blood, and Death

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

waybeyondblue's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Incest

Moderate: Sexual content, Infidelity, Gun violence, Death, Rape, and Violence

Minor: Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Blood

rebekah_florence's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.0

“And I not dead. I still here. And people love me.”  The Bread the Devil Knead’s Aletheia is a character that, throughout reading the novel, reminded me of The Color Purple’s Celie.  I like that the Allen-Agostini splits of especially heavy chapters of text by interspersing chapters of flashbacks from Alethea’s childhood.  I could see that she’s truly been fighting and burdened her whole life.  When Aletheia has moments of happiness, I wished that those could continue forever.  I felt, however, that I didn’t get to know Alethea that well.  Perhaps that was intentional, as we know that it’s difficult for her to have her own life, but I longed to feel more connected to the character.  This was not only my first Carribean author, but also my first book written in Trinidadian Creole.  I’m inspired to read more books in dialect, and further, learn more about various Caribbean cultures.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Blood, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcohol and Alcoholism

sophieennis's review

dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Murder, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Infertility, Toxic relationship, and Violence