Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones

13 reviews

dianakamau's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Infertility, Rape, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Sexual violence, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Addiction

Minor: Confinement

boba_n_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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

5.0

I am absolutely blown away by Cherie Jones’ novel. I can’t believe this is a debut! 

The way the characters’ stories weaved together seamlessly keeps the reader wanting more. 

Some books I find the need to keep a pen nearby because so many phrases strike me as beautiful—this was one of those books. I’d describe much of the prose as poetic. And this flow made me fly through the pages. 

The mystery, intrigue, suspicions, and relationships really make this story come to life. You get to know each character deeply through their backstories and similar traumas. Jones brings the past and present together with ease showing the reader how we’re all connected at the end of the day. 

I highly recommend this book. But definitely check the content warnings since many heavy topics are explored. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Child death, Grief, Rape, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Gun violence

Moderate: Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Infidelity

Minor: Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, and Animal death

leontyna's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, Blood, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Incest, Infidelity, Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Child abuse, and Child death

Minor: Pregnancy, Infertility, Animal death, and Abortion

kiwialexa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Miscarriage, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Child death, Gun violence, and Rape

sierranichole's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

     this book is just excellent. so flawless. it is easily my favorite and most important book i have read yet. it really made me think and reflect. cherie jones did a marvelous job.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Incest, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Classism, Child death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Confinement, Drug use, Gaslighting, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Medical content, and Sexual content

Minor: Animal death, Abortion, and Excrement

oliviaclaire's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

I will preface this review by warning you that this book is dark and fairly relentless. Nobody makes it out unscathed and I'd emphasise that that in itself is a gross understatement. At the same time this book is atmospheric and enchanting, it draws you in and makes you feel for these characters and their community. If you can bear the heartache this is a well told story about some of the harsh realities of island life and life more generally. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Emotional abuse, Child death, and Child abuse

Moderate: Drug use and Murder

Minor: Animal death

laumilne's review against another edition

It was a bookclub pick, and it was too violent and graphic for me. I kept reading even after I first wanted to stop because of wanting to finish it for book club and in the hope that there was some sort of redemption arc or that the bad guy gets his due, but it just got more and more graphic and awful. I definitely should have read the trigger warnings before starting.

First stopped reading for a few weeks at

Baby's death after Adan and Lala fight over her and he hurts her

, picked up again and read more

rape, violence and abuse

and I'm struggling to see how it can resolve in a way I'd want to finish.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, and Child death

Moderate: Abortion, Gun violence, and Child abuse

jennikreads's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

5.0

 HOW THE ONE-ARMED SISTER SWEEPS HER HOUSE tells the stories of a handful of people in an island town. Two very traumatic things happen right at the beginning of the story that set the stage for the story to unfold. It’s a little bit mystery and a whole lot character study. 

 

This is gorgeously written and I could not put it down. The story that unfolds is so layered and nuanced. I loved that Jones would slip in the stories of other characters, told from their perspectives, that we could easily assume we would only hear about from the perspectives of others. It gave such a rich entangled feel to the story and made your heart ache just that much more for the central characters. 

 

I was honestly very hesitant to read this one after hearing everyone who mentioned it shout from the roof top that it was brutal and the list of content warnings (right fully so) were endless. But, a fellow bookstagrammer spoke about it in a way that intrigued me and when I reached out to ask her about her reading experience. She assured me that it is not gratuitous. And that’s absolutely true. 

 

The violence and abuse in this book are absolutely unsettling, and will genuinely trigger some people, but they are not without context and they are never there for the sake of shock. While the content warnings span the entire length of the novel, there are definitely what I would call breaks from that type of content to let your mind breathe. 

 

All that to say, that if you, like me, were unsure whether this would be for you, give it a go, but please review the content warnings first. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Abortion, Drug use, Incest, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship

sarah984's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-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

This is a multi-pov novel set in Barbados in (aside from a few flashbacks) 1984 showcasing the explosive ways several people’s disparate lives come together in one moment in time. 

This book left me a little conflicted. In a general technical sense, the writing is beautiful, particularly in the sections in second person, and while there was sort of a feeling of being somehow distanced from the characters I think that might be necessary to get through some of the story’s tough subject matter.

I was expecting a heavy read but maybe not quite this heavy. The hopeful note at the end was nice but I was left wondering what I should be taking away aside from how difficult everyone's lives were.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual content, Police brutality, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Rape, and Stalking

Minor: Ableism, Abortion, Drug use, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, and Vomit

havelock's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Rape, and Child death

Minor: Animal death