Reviews tagging 'Excrement'

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

86 reviews

schausjk's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

There were many aspects to this book I did enjoy. Some of the characters were very interesting, particularly Chona and Nate. The way James McBride really showcases his characters serves the book well in driving home how interconnected everyone is, and how one person's decisions can impact everyone else. That being said, I would have loved to have seen more character growth from many of those involved. And while I know that the characters are the main focus here, I'd also have loved more frequent descriptions of Chicken Hill itself as a place. At times I'd just sit back and soak in the sense of place created by the characters and their histories, and I would've liked to see more on how their surroundings impact them in turn. I also found the ending somewhat anticlimactic in part because of all this time spent building up this web of characters. I've seen how they relate to each other, and I learned what became of a few of them, but there are many more who I came to know and care about over the course of the story but never really found out what happened to them. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Antisemitism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

bessadams's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Excrement, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol

juanat77's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Infertility, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

leah_pants's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is so many different stories in one. It's very dynamic and extremely well paced. 

I think it's my top 2 favorite books this year. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Excrement

aly97's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Excrement, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Police brutality

laurenmiller100's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

• Characters: 9
• Atmosphere/Setting: 10
• Writing Style: 8
• Plot: 7
• Intrigue: 7
• Logic/Relationships: 9
• Enjoyment: 8

This books is great. The book so wonderfully describes and details a small immigrant town and the interactions between the different groups, cultures, and ethnicities. This is a story where the location and environment are as much of a character as the characters. Some of the content is difficult, but the story is worth it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Pedophilia

Minor: Infertility and Death of parent

nukie19's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, and Alcohol

zoea08's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Death, Infertility, Rape, Violence, and Excrement

dogoodwithbooks's review against another edition

emotional 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? Yes

4.5

This book was something else. While I don’t really read a whole lot of historical fiction and that I thought the pacing at first was pretty slow, I was captivated by McBride’s storytelling of the residents in Chicken Hill. Capturing the various points of intersectionality in terms of race, social class, and disability (just to name a few), McBride’s stories of the African American and Jewish residents who live in Pottstown’s Chicken Hill is both heartbreaking yet hopeful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, and Medical content

Minor: Infertility, Excrement, Death of parent, and Abandonment

chewy__stuff's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Infertility, Mental illness, Excrement, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Death of parent