Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn

50 reviews

lnidsey's review

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
bluberrybooks's profile picture

bluberrybooks's review

5.0
challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

juliastern__'s review

5.0
challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad slow-paced

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

In Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn, we meet the protagonist of the same name and witness two of her journeys; one is her physical journey from a fictional city in Jamaica to New York City, and the second is her emotional journey between mother and individual person in this world.  Initially Patsy immigrates to the U.S. to be with her dear friend and once romantic partner, Cicely, and she leaves behind a young daughter, Tru.  The story splits from here and we follow Patsy’s life in NYC and Tru’s life in Jamaica, living with her father.  Both are struggling to understand their feelings for each other and their own identities, with very little communication between them.  
 
This novel was a very slow read for me, intentionally, so I could sit with the characters and try to understand them and not judge their choices (always my goal with books really, some just need more intention).  The writing is beautiful and evokes feelings – not always positive – for the characters.  It shines a light on a tough fact that many don’t want to hear – that motherhood and womanhood are not always working in partnership.  In this book, you witness them in conflict.  Patsy can’t seem to make them line up and she chooses her needs above all, with rippling effects for those around her.  It’s an emotional and deep read and if you like sinking into a book that’s very character-driven, this is an excellent choice.  
 
Content warnings: Abandonment, Self-harm, Homophobia, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Alcoholism 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
moll_g's profile picture

moll_g's review

4.5
challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is a challenging book that tackles a lot of heavy issues and made me feel a lot of things. I really enjoyed it overall but it can be very intense in parts. The characterisation and character development was very well done and I think that it being from two different perspectives worked really well. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional hopeful sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The emotions in this book really caught me off-guard. Taking place over 10+ years, it's a complicated and nuanced story of motherhood, the immigrant experience and queerness, told from the third-person points of view of Patsy, a Jamaican woman living in New York, and Tru, her daughter who she left in Jamaica. It took me a while to get into- although I think that says more about my being used to being catered to as a white reader from the Global North than it does about Dennis-Benn's writing- but the second half was absolutely breathtaking. From the 50% mark, I finished it in four days. I nearly cried near the end, and I couldn't put it down in my final reading session. I highly recommend- and I especially recommend sticking with it if you're finding it hard to get into at the start.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
seekittyread's profile picture

seekittyread's review

4.0
challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I find it hard to write a review for this book because it truly made me think about so many things while reading it. Forced motherhood, abandonment, betrayal, sexual orientation, depression....I feel the list could go on, but I can't find the words. All in all it feels like a handbook for explaining why as a society we should be more understanding. Let people love who they love and marry who they want, don't judge people for the color of their skin or the place they were born, be kinder to people because you never know what their life has been like, and don't force women to carry and birth babies they don't want. I don't know why I didn't give this five stars, but for me there was just something missing I can't put to words. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional 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

This book really moved me - really recommend.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings