Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

138 reviews

angievansprang's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

5.0

This was such a great read, I can hardly put my review into words. Bennett has such beautiful imagery and colorful writing that paired with an enamoring plot, makes the perfect stand-alone novel. The commentary on racism, colorism, + misogynoir in this book is complex yet delivered so eloquently. Run don’t walk to pick this up if you haven’t read it yet!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Racism, Abandonment, Classism, and Misogyny

Moderate: Sexual assault, Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Toxic relationship and Death of parent

littlebells's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Dementia, Grief, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Transphobia, Racism, and Classism

Minor: Racial slurs

stephmcoakley's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Domestic abuse

hazzardfreak02's review against another edition

emotional mysterious 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

I couldn't put it down! My only complaint is that it was an ambitious book; the author tried to cover so much. I wanted there to be a sequel so she could take her time to really delve into each character's story instead of skipping years or decades. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Racism, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Grief, and Transphobia

mathildem's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

4.5 ⭐️

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story was so well thought out and executed, with a premise unlike any I've read before. I'm excited to read more from Brit Bennett!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Racial slurs, Racism, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Dementia

Minor: Alcohol, Deadnaming, Mental illness, Abandonment, and Dysphoria

midnightmarauder's review against another edition

emotional inspiring mysterious 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

Even though The Vanishing Half is a work of fiction, a lot of the subject matter can overlap into issues many of us still face today: racism/colorism/featurism, identity issues, the overwhelming desire to become someone other than yourself, etc. This book covers in all in just under 400 pages.

Some of the things I loved include the insertion of a trans man in a time period where they didn't really exist, nor are they mentioned often in historical fiction (Reese quickly became one of my favorite characters in the story; he and Jude's love story was a beautiful thing to watch unfold), how colorism and racism can lead to such big consequences amongst the black community, and the nonlinear writing structure; a style that left me staying up, just to see what would happen next.

Some things I would've liked to know more about include Stella, Kennedy, and Blake's fates. Did Stella and Kennedy

go to Adele's funeral? I know that Jude was the one to call Kennedy and tell her that she died, but she wasn't mentioned ever again.

As for Stella,

she is last seen leaving Mallard after placing her wedding ring into Early's palm and telling him to "take care of her Mama." There is a part afterwards that shows Blake brushing off Stella's missing ring and telling her that he's going to replace it, but, that's all. Did they choose not to call Stella, or did Stella simply go back to make herself feel a little better for leaving her family, relished in their grief, only to disappear again and cut off all contact like before?

Lastly, Blake:

Did Stella ever come clean about her past, or did she come home and act as though nothing had happened? She couldn't leave behind the life that she had built for herself—the money, the marriage, the privilege—for a family she had known much longer than Blake. No, ma'am.

All in all, this book was one that was very hard to put down. All I can really say is wow. Brit Bennet is a marvelous writer, and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Racism, Racial slurs, Gaslighting, and Grief

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Terminal illness, Lesbophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Dysphoria, Transphobia, Death of parent, and Sexism

mjones14's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective slow-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? Yes

1.75

This book sent me into a massive reading slump. It took me 4 months to finish and I nearly DNFed it. 

HOWEVER, I can appreciate that it is beautifully written, it was just not the book I thought was or a book that naturally appeals to me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Transphobia and Dementia

Minor: Grief, Bullying, Stalking, and Medical content

lucy12345's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs

Moderate: Transphobia, Dysphoria, Grief, Death of parent, Dementia, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Drug use

lovelybookshelf's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

4.25

I read THE VANISHING HALF with my virtual book club, and we had an especially thoughtful, moving discussion about it. This novel explores internalized racism, beauty standards, colorism, and passing. But Bennett also reaches into the complexity of autonomy and independence vs. familial ties and obligations. Sometimes, the path that feels right for one person can deeply hurt others. How do we navigate that? What is the "right" choice? And what influences the decisions we make for our own lives?

There's a trans man side character and...his first appearance included a few instances of deadnaming. Cis authors, you've got to stop doing this—if you'd been listening at all, you'd know this was established *years* ago. Other than that, the rep was quite good and felt accurate for the time period. (I'd like to see what trans men who've read and reviewed the book have to say.) Best of all, he wasn't a tragic character! So that was wonderful.

This story brought up some big feelings re: my own complicated family, about being/not being seen or understood. The ending was especially moving and tears were shed. Bennett's previous novel, THE MOTHERS, has been sitting unread on my bookshelf for a couple of years, but now that I've experienced her writing, I'm hoping to get to that book soon. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Classism, Dementia, Abandonment, Grief, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Body shaming, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Dysphoria, Medical content, Sexual assault, and Alcohol

Minor: Deadnaming

sarahreadsbooks_'s review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

This was a truly fantastic book. I didn’t expect to fly through it as fast as I did but I couldn’t put it down! I loved the writing, the storylines as they both intersected and diverged, and the themes and messages that were still relevant to today, despite the book’s historical setting. I think the only reason why it’s not a full 5 stars is because I did occasionally get confused with the frequent back and forth between time periods, especially towards the end of the book. However, it didn’t really affect my overall comprehension of the story so it wasn’t a big deal. I’m happy I finally got around to reading this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, and Medical content

Moderate: Death of parent, Hate crime, and Grief

Minor: Sexual harassment and Terminal illness