Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

72 reviews

bites_of_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

I loved this book. I thoroughly enjoy a book when it makes me think and pushes me to put it all together. Here we follow the stories of multiple Black women living in the UK, some from birth to their later years. It is told in a very peculiar style, which for me called back the way we remember stories from long ago and/or the way we recall our own memories, with only certain parts standing out in our memory while others are very vague. 

This book is full of really difficult topics, from abuse, abandonment, racism, bigotry, etc., and it is also full of a lot of heart and love between women. I loved the inclusion of trans and lesbian characters since they were the main characters in their respective stories. 

I'd recommend this book if you like multigenerational stories, books where you have to do the work and piece the story together, and if you like diverse books full of conversations surrounding various aspects of feminism. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Bullying, Body shaming, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Racism, and Toxic relationship

isabellamarg's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative 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? Yes

5.0

Girl, Woman, Other was a beautiful and gritty tapestry of storytelling spanning generations and crossing borders. Each of the characters within this novel is well-written and we get to intimately know each character within the span of a chapter (albeit a long chapter). The connections between characters fleshed out the story and I loved that we hear about different people from others perspectives as the story moves along. This made the world of the novel very rich! We see the reality of human life in which nobody is perfect; humans lie, cheat, and have regrets, nobody is perfect. We fully see the intersection of race, class, gender, and sex as well as the variation in thinking and limitations generationally. 

I think my favorite part of this novel was seeing the characters all come together in the same place in the final chapter creating a full-circle moment for the reader where we see people forgive others and other's misgivings. The epilogue in this novel was also a really sweet treat for the reader with lost connections being found (no spoilers here).

I loved how each section of the novel was broken down into a trio of characters that were somehow related or knew each other. There were a lot of mom and daughter plot lines as well as teachers, siblings, friends, etc. The punctuation and capitalization of the writing honestly did not bother me. I thought it created a poetic flow to the writing that I almost preferred for this type of storytelling. Overall, masterfully written and wonderful book that spans generations of black women and their families. The cohesive exploration of friendship and love while also highlighting injustice in our world made me think deeply about how we carry ourselves through this world. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, Infertility, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Rape

Minor: Deadnaming, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Addiction

heather667's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Infertility, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Racism, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Islamophobia, Transphobia, Abandonment, Biphobia, Bullying, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Deadnaming and Violence

Minor: Eating disorder, Genocide, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, and Colonisation

haza's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective slow-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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Racism, and Homophobia

Moderate: Racial slurs, Abandonment, Violence, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Slavery, Rape, and Pregnancy

Minor: Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Infertility, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Transphobia, and Addiction

vaneliu26's review against another edition

funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, and Rape

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child death, Abandonment, and Miscarriage

risemini's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious relaxing 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Alcohol, Misogyny, Rape, Infidelity, Racism, Transphobia, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Abandonment, Death, and Domestic abuse

sianfh's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Racism

Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse

elizabethortiz96's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Didn't enjoy at first but got increasingly engaged after the third chapter. As the book continues, the characters' lives become more interwoven and it gets more engaging. By the end I found it to be a compelling read, incredible how the characters' lives are woven together and a powerful way to illustrate the experiences of different women in the UK. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcohol, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Grief, Sexual violence, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Child death, and Miscarriage

jayne17's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective 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

4.5

Loved this book. Gives a great look into a multitude of black British women’s lives. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Abandonment, Cursing, Mental illness, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence

charliebe's review

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad medium-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? Yes

4.0

Ich war oft überfordert, mit allen Menschen und Geschichten mitzuhalten. Trotzdem oder deswegen ein sehr beeindruckendes Werk! Auf keinen Fall leichte Kost, aber sehr wertvoll und bereichernd.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Racism, Sexism, and Sexual violence