Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson

11 reviews

melissa_h's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

A realistic historical story about slavery. Dark,  difficult. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexism, Slavery, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Murder, Trafficking, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Body horror, Blood, Classism, Medical trauma, Alcoholism, and Child death

butle2em's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? Yes

4.0

This book is a graphic depiction for what life was like for enslaved people. It took me a long time to read through it because I needed time to process the torture depicted between the pages. While this book is uncomfortable and horrifying, I think it is important that white people read responsibly written slave narratives (eg researched, historically factual, written by Black authors) in order to consider the world we inherited and our responsibility in changing that world for the better. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Physical abuse, Gore, Violence, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Death, Murder, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Blood, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, and Vomit

haley49's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This was such a poignant account of slavery in the 1850’s South and the horrible complexities of the trauma of slavery, no matter your position in the house. The comparison between enslaved people based on their duties and the interpersonal relationships that suffered. I had such visceral reactions to everything that happened and I felt for every single character (besides the enslavers) that it couldn’t be less than 5 stars. The only disappointment was the realization that this wasn’t a inspirational book where things instantly improved after slavery. I so wanted them too but that isn’t how it happened I guess. 

I would recommend this story to anyone looking for a first hand fictional account of a complex part of history. However, check trigger warnings and make sure you are mentally well enough for the heavy themes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Slavery, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Body horror, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Vomit, Pregnancy, Child death, Rape, Child abuse, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Infidelity, Vomit, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Violence, and Alcoholism

Minor: Abortion, Religious bigotry, Ableism, and War

bookxcupid6's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective fast-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

4.5

Wow! I enjoyed This book thought it  is very triggering because of how slavery is portrayed, how the white banked in joy at the misery of the black people become tell me why they were stacking chairs, setting up tables, lugging liquor, prepping food, blowing up” balloons, organizing games for the kids and instruments for the bandstand to celebrate like it’s a concert, not a flogging? It’s a show to them, an exposition of the power they want to hold on to badly.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Sexism, Torture, Slavery, Death, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Violence, Racism, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Classism

peachani's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Slavery, Vomit, Child death, Rape, Violence, Body horror, Blood, Physical abuse, Gore, Grief, Racism, and Torture

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Car accident, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Excrement, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, Classism, Death, Infidelity, Medical content, Sexual content, War, and Mental illness

loripopp's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Racism, Slavery, Excrement, Death of parent, Classism, Vomit, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Grief, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Death, Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Confinement, Child abuse, Colonisation, and Child death

maddiet425's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Death, Torture, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child death, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Confinement, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Violence, Sexual content, Child abuse, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Alcoholism and Abortion

tayloremmap's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

2.5

I really enjoyed Pheby’s story, but I felt like this book was just a check-list of plot points that could have been fleshed out more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Racism, Rape, Torture, Murder, Racial slurs, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Child death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Death of parent, Excrement, and Sexual violence

aguattery's review

challenging emotional sad 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? No

5.0

Love, love, loved reading this. It was touching, sad, and emotional in all the right ways. I was so invested in the characters and was constantly holding my breath to see what would happen at every turn. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Body horror, Slavery, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Blood and Alcoholism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

inhale_exhale_read's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-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

 Wow, this was brutal at times to read (trigger warnings for just about everything), but it was such an incredible story. I kind of wish that I had read the Author's Note first, instead of at the end, because she talks about the true stories that inspired her writing and how she started researching. This book was fast-paced with incredibly well-developed characters and a world that is described with such meticulous detail that you will be surprised when you look up from your book and realize you are actually just sitting in your living room. Even though it is painful at times to read, the stories of these characters are so, so important. I would love it if the author would turn this into a multi-generational series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Grief, Infidelity, and Misogyny