Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Mothers by Brit Bennett

12 reviews

awkwardllama's review against another edition

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Death of parent, Abortion, and Infertility

Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Rape, Alcohol, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Racism

meganashlee27's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Abortion, Alcohol, Infertility, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Suicide

sarahholliday's review

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

Bennett is able to tell stories in a way that feels so effortless—you could easily read The Mothers in a single sitting because it feels like an extended conversation, or a story being told to you by a friend over coffee.

Like in any story, things happen and events transpire, but emotions are the main star of this story—the healthy and unhealthy ways we deal with them, how complicated and layered they are, how they evolve over time as we grow.

I wouldn't have minded a little more meat to the final chapters of the book.

To see how Luke and Aubrey put their life back together, what Nadia goes on to do with her law degree.

I would've also liked to have seen some more intentional grappling with religion and its impact on the characters' lives, but I think that may be a desire informed by my own (white) evangelical upbringing. That kind of deconstructing may not be an accurate reflection of the black religious experience, given the ways the church is tied up in community and political activism.

All of those very small issues aside, The Mothers has proven my theory that Brit Bennett is an automatic-read author for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Grief, and Infidelity

jaja_1212's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-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

3.0

The characters felt realistically flawed in their own ways and I enjoyed the writing metaphorical and intimate writing style, which kept me going even although the narrative voice took a while for me to get used to.

After getting such a deep, intimate look into the lives and minds of these characters the ending felt a little too abrupt,  I can see why the author might want to end it at that point in their lives though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Abortion, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Violence, Grief, Rape, Infidelity, and Child abuse

Minor: Racial slurs, Car accident, Alcohol, and War

aseel_reads's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.5

This was such a good read, I really liked the exact amount of plot we were given, we got a good slice of life. Somehow managed to include loads of heavy topics without being too triggering. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Abortion, Alcohol, Child abuse, Death of parent, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Physical abuse, Grief, Infertility, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

moriahleigh's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Suicide, Abortion, Infertility, Death of parent, Alcohol, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault

amandalorianxo's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

A lot of storylines, characters and grey morality woven into complex people yet you are still engaged throughout the entire story. We meet Luke and Nadia, two young adults who are going through their own traumas in life. Nadia’s mother had committed suicide & it’s caused Nadia to find ways to soothe her pain by participating in risky activities. Being with Luke in secret was one of them, until the two find out Nadia is pregnant. Luke’s mother takes care of it with a simple gesture, causing their assumed problem to be fixed. Nadia befriends Aubrey, a girl who is living with her sister and is fleeing abuse from the hands of her mother’s boyfriend. The story is told from the POV’s of Nadia, Aubrey as well as The collective mothers of The Upper Room church. We are entangled in the lives of these people and their decision making, no judgement cast just a fly in the wall. This raises a lot of questions, especially in the framework of black eyes in a black community. Well done and we’ll delivered. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Death of parent

Minor: Abandonment, Lesbophobia, Suicide, Infertility, Alcohol, and Sexual assault

lissareadsbooks's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion

Minor: Alcohol

michtrnr's review

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Death of parent, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Suicide

Moderate: Abandonment, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Medical content, and Racial slurs

nebraskanwriter's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

1.5

The characters were all awful people. The book kept building and building, weaving a beautiful, complicated tapestry of these peoples lives in a black community in California and the repercussions Nadia and Luke must deal with after Nadia gets pregnant at 17 years old and has an abortion. 

The author’s observations and commentary on race, culture, age, youth, I really enjoyed and for the first half of the book, I was highlighting a quote on almost every other page. There were several that made me take a step back and really thing about our world and how it treats the black community. 

But after the 50% mark, the main characters development is utterly wasted and they stay stagnant for the rest of the book. Neither of them grow, they only become more toxic and worse people. Everyone lies, no one is faithful, everyone is selfish. Loved it until the 50% mark and then hated the rest of the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, and Medical content