Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

8 reviews

faefolkreads's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A

3.5

Wow, this book kicked me in the feels and just kept kicking. 

When this was announced the my book club pick I instantly said ‘I’m not going to read that- it will be too sad’ but against my better judgment, when my library reservation came in I picked it up to read the first sentence- at least that way I could say I tried, right? Before I knew it I was 100 pages in, knowing this story was breaking my heart and still unable to not see it through to the end.

I read review that said The Berry Pickers is a quiet type of story, and I feel that encapsulates this book perfectly. It was a story about love and grief and loss and trauma, family and hopes and heartbreak, but told in such a soft and gentle way that it was letting me feel and grieve with the characters. 

This book felt beautiful and real, but unfortunately  that type of story just depresses me, and I was expecting a little more drive and gumption and character growth then what was planned. The lower rating is 100% a me problem- I just feel there could have been *more* in terms of Norma finding out her past, more for the resolution, more from Joe, more time exploring the racism and class system that was touched upon in this book and so many other things which were glanced past but not delved in to. 
This book will be loved and appreciated by many- unfortunately it’s just not my cup of tea. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Kidnapping, and Alcohol

Minor: Confinement and Infertility

panickat123's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Grief, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

evalynnfarkashasanbasri's review

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

This was my favorite book I have read all year, no contest. It was so beautiful, sad, and full. Of suspense, sibling love, honesty, rage, and a sense of searching for home. 

Spoilers Below:
There were many parts where I could tell what might be coming, but it was written so well. I braced myself and read on, and a few moments left me reeling---Ruthie's questions about her "dreams," Charlie's death, Ben almost reuniting with her in a crowd, her miscarriage... Towards the end, I broke down and cried happy tears at seeing Ruthie reunited with what remained of her family. I was so worried the entire time I read that Joe would die before seeing his youngest sibling again, that the beginning of the story was only a hope and not reality. With a book so rife with sorrow, I was grateful for such a gentle ending. And I would like more books to read and handsell please, Amanda Peters. 💙💚💙

Also, can I just take a minute to say how gorgeous this cover is? From the first moment I saw it pre-release, I have been so drawn to this book. It did not disappoint.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Kidnapping, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

schausjk's review against another edition

reflective sad 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

3.0

Emotional at times with some well-written moments, but also deeply predictable. The book sacrifices much of its tension and pacing in an attempt to lean into being more character driven, but even then it sometimes feels more like outlines of lives rather than fully fleshed out characters. This book would have benefitted from being longer and adding more depth to some of its themes.

As a side note, the repeated casual fatphobia was super irritating. Every single time the author brings up a character's weight, it's always to either make fat characters the butt of a joke or with implications that the fat characters are disgusting or have let themselves go (sometimes it's both!).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Dementia, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Cancer, Fatphobia, Gun violence, and Pregnancy

cptnstphy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.5

This book was such an emotional journey. Norma/Ruthie’s parts held me in a chokehold. I didn’t have much interest in Joe’s parts, which decreased to almost nothing

after he beat his wife. There was the slightest redemption when he finally returned home to face what he’d done and make amends.

I loved hearing about the places they occupied in NS, knowing those familiar lands/berries and the rough but charming character of Nova Scotians. The author had quite a way to paint emotional pictures, connect them to the reader’s emotions, and invoke all five senses. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Racism, Terminal illness, Dementia, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Racial slurs, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, and Vomit

liesthemoontells's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

2.0

**I originally gave this 3 stars, but after discussing with my book club and realising the weaknesses in pacing, structure, character development and language in this book, I revise my rating to 2 stars**

Saying that you wish a book had been a different book/that a story had been told differently feels like a cop-out in a review. An author chooses the story they want to tell, and that is the story the reader receives. Amanda Peters wanted to tell the story of two siblings who were torn apart by an awful act, and how the trauma of that act was mirrored throughout their lives into adulthood and middle age. 

The problems with this are that a) the drama of the book lags in the middle as the two characters move away from their traumatic childhood, before the reckoning of mortality brings them back to it in middle age, and b) the story of Joe is ultimately not as strong or believable as that of Norma's. I think this would have been a better book had it concentrated only on Ruthie's disappearance, or

the revelation of Norma's kidnapping and reunion with her family.

Similarly, I think a multiplicity of viewpoints, such as the other siblings, or the parents, or the Ellises who owned the berry farm, would have made the story stronger.

The highlight of this book for me was the way Peters wrote the complicated, twisted, guilt-ridden love between Norma and her mother. It was painful, heartwrenching, and rang utterly true.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Genocide

abicaro17's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is amazing. Very insightful and inspiring. You really connect to both sides of the coin: Ruthie as dutiful and reserved struggling to break free and Joe as angry and lost struggling to find peace. I think while the end was a tad short it did wrap everything up in a neat and sad way. Its also hella slow and doesn't pick up till the last 30%. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

gwenswoons's review

dark emotional informative 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Racism, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

Moderate: Addiction, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Blood, Dementia, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment

Minor: Cancer, Confinement, Death, and Death of parent