Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini

37 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

collie98's review

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Gore, Murder, Gun violence, Infertility, and Infidelity

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

minareadsa19e1's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse

arj's review

dark emotional 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Gun violence, Murder, and Emotional abuse

kkiernan__'s review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Incest, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Violence, and Murder

rhi_'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? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Incest, Murder, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Violence, Infidelity, Rape, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Gaslighting, Abortion, Death of parent, and Gun violence

writingcaia's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

A book about poverty, violence, sexual violence, and growing out with the stain of a dark past that carries the main character, Alethea, into a life of being abused by her partners, and hiding from herself that the current one might very well kill her one day. 
Still, from the painful pit of that life she is emerging, even when she does not see it so, even when she almost believes she can never have better, and with the rekindling of old friendships and new friendships, a new hope, new opportunities, and darker revelations come to light, and Alethea finally finds her truth and herself.
This is not an easy read, but I find that regrettably it reflects a tale of so many women raised in extreme poverty surrounded by lies and abuse, made to feel worthless, abused as if their bodies are usable, but it happily also shows how hope and love can still be born amidst it all and change those women’s lives.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Murder, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Gun violence and Racism

zinatakara's review

dark emotional 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

3.75

I loved the way it was written in Trinidadian dialect and the 4th wall breaks. The story sucked me in from the first page but the content is hard. Lots of abuse, sexual assault, poverty and more so it’s an extremely sad read. But Alethea prevails.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, and Emotional abuse