Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson

42 reviews

alannashelfhelp's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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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hi97's review

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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aishallnot's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.5


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alexdayhey's review against another edition

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challenging emotional 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

3.5


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teeclecticreads's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny 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

Oh sweet, talented Caleb. You sir, are a special breed of writer. I’m in even more awe of this novel than I was of Open Water. The language was so vivid and all the descriptions tickled against my senses. I love the thoughtfulness put into the sequence of the storytelling; how the same or similar phrases were juxtaposed and sprinkled throughout the chapters. I grew a love for all the characters and felt the hurt that they felt with their respective losses. So glad I’m ending 2023 with such a great piece of work.

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alyxinthestars's review against another edition

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4.5


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sydapel's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

If there's someone else writing like Caleb Azumah Nelson, point me to them immediately. The sheer lyricism and musicality of his descriptions, how each emotion his characters experience flies off the page and directly into my chest is absolutely astounding to me. This is a gorgeous coming of age story about where we feel at home, with whom home is and how the small worlds of safety and understanding we create with loved ones are deeply personal, but also universal. I don't this this would be for everyone, especially as the pace meanders a bit in the middle, but I found the payoff in the final few chapters to be so worth it. 

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oz2021's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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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laurareads87's review

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emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

Open Waters follows Stephen, a young Ghanian-British man, in the years after high school; it is especially focused on his relationship with his father and his changing connection to his long-time friend.  Stephen is a musician, and I loved Nelson's inclusion of so many musical references; I would love a playlist of all the songs mentioned in this book.  I found it more interesting as it went along, and didn't love the repetitive writing in places.

Content warnings: racism, discrimination, police brutality, grief, death of a parent, drug & alcohol use

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zara89's review against another edition

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adventurous 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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