Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan

7 reviews

ginbat's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense

2.75

Very good writing but absolutely horrific. Reading the book summary you would never guess how dark it was. I feel like I have second hand trauma. The writer is talented in that she paints very vivid and emotional pictures with her words, but I did not like this book, was not for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, War, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abortion, Colonisation, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Confinement, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Grief, and Mass/school shootings

Lots of rape

shawaazu's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and War

Moderate: Abandonment, Infidelity, and Suicide

Minor: Abortion, Child death, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Death, Gun violence, and Cursing

yujahey's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Child abuse, Grief, Bullying, Confinement, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, War, Cursing, Misogyny, Rape, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Forced institutionalization

sillyduckie's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, War, Grief, Misogyny, Child death, Infidelity, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Abortion, Violence, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual assault

careinthelibrary's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.5

Amy Tan is a writer who never disappoints. Every time I pick up a book from her backlog, I know I'm in for an engrossing and enlightening reading experience. 

The way Amy Tan writes women's relationships with one another and their memory of their mothers and grandmothers has me coming back. These are complex depictions that lean into the light and dark sides of personality and history. And despite the darkness inherent in all her books I've read, there is a lightness to them. Humour, friendship, reunions, all packed into a cute mass market paperback that I picked up from the used bookshop for a dollar.

The ones I've read have all followed a similar pattern: mother(s) and daughter(s) keeping secrets from one another, not understanding one another's lives. There's a communication breakdown and they reach a tipping point of resentment and disconnect. And then the reveal happens (moms share their past trauma in China including horrific upbringings and experiences during war) and it shakes everyone to their core. Cue the waterworks and the familial bonds strengthened. She's so consistent and it works every time -- it's kind of incredible. Yet each one deals with different angles to this formula and doesn't repeat too much. What an illustrious career! I keep coming back for more because I know I'll be satisfied. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Death, Child death, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual violence, and War

Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, and Physical abuse

Minor: Homophobia

cc0906's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Murder, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death, Death of parent, Classism, Car accident, Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Rape, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Gun violence, and Gore

Moderate: Rape, War, and Gore

sofipitch's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-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

This book was hard to get into at first. It begins with the daughter character who isn't close to her mom and she resents her and her chinese culture. And at first when the mom starts telling her story it seems overly negative too, that she's just going to tell you what a bad life she had. But really it's about hope, how despite everything that happened to her she kept going and took every opportunity and found some very kind people who helped her reclaim her life. I was very emotional about all the misunderstandings being mixed at the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, War, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Child death, Grief, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Abortion, Excrement, Gaslighting, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Misogyny, and Rape

Minor: Dementia, Infidelity, and Terminal illness