Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

19 reviews

stephe's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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

4.0

The Sentence is beautifully, lovingly written, capturing the power that books and stories and memories have to reveal deep and painful truths—about ourselves, those around us, and our worlds. It also faithfully captures a moment in Minneapolis (and the world) in which deep pain and patterns of systemic abuse came bubbling up and out into the streets, all in the midst of the darkest times of the Quarantine Era. Having lived in Minneapolis during most of these events, it was hard to read at times. And yet, Tookie and the whole cast of characters brought so much life and depth and joy to the story that I finished it with hope that, together, we can reckon with that which haunts us and welcome healing into our lives.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic and Colonisation

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Racism, Abandonment, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Drug abuse

Minor: Sexual violence

jesstaurant's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Animal death, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Police brutality, Abandonment, Addiction, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, and Drug abuse

sydneyjn's review

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

3.0

I struggled with this book.  Set in Minneapolis during the George Floyd riots and the pandemic, this is HEAVY.  This is also heavy because of the decisions the characters make, though I have the admit that the combination of making decisions that are good for you and ones that are self-destructive was very real.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic and Police brutality

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Racism, Abandonment, Drug use, and Forced institutionalization

rae1019's review against another edition

challenging emotional

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Slavery, Animal death, Child abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Religious bigotry, Addiction, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Trafficking

scmiller's review

challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Colonisation, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Violence, Gun violence, Hate crime, Pandemic/Epidemic, Abandonment, Addiction, Body horror, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Racism, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Kidnapping, Rape, Animal death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Confinement, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Police brutality, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Medical content, and Torture

Minor: Trafficking

jeanbpdx's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Racism, and Colonisation

Minor: Slavery and Abandonment

Shoutout to the many book lists within this book.

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny informative mysterious reflective 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

5.0

I just flew through this one because I liked it so much. I can't wait to revisit its booklist and to get out to Minnesota to visit the bookshop. What an interesting realistic fiction that Ms. Erdrich crafted. The writing is so meaningful and enthralling. What a book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic and Police brutality

Moderate: Racism, Stalking, Bullying, Death, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Alcohol, Addiction, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Colonisation, and Abandonment

Definitely not an escape-from-covid read!

madzie's review

challenging emotional 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Cultural appropriation, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Addiction, Police brutality, and Abandonment

Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, and Drug use

superstormnora's review

emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.5

The voice of Tookie is strong and blunt, and I appreciated the look through another experience of the year of the pandemic. The connection that Tookie gains to the people around her reminds me to be present. 

the ending was unexpected with Flora, but I was going to really be mad at the book if Pollux died, so I’m glad he didn’t

 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Drug abuse, Colonisation, Classism, Alcoholism, Police brutality, Violence, Racism, Hate crime, Grief, Death, Cultural appropriation, Addiction, Forced institutionalization, and Abandonment

laurasullivan's review

emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Abandonment, Mental illness, Police brutality, Medical content, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, and Death

Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Slavery, and Racism