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jrae_miller's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content, Vomit, Alcohol, Confinement, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Death of parent
madeline_p4's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence, and Sexual assault
searobin's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
I was so close to DNFing this around 20-25% of the way through. It just didn't grab me at all, and I was still having a hard time getting to know the characters. I kept listening because I didn't have anything else ava lable at the library before catching a bus, and I'm glad I did! I really enjoyed how it all came together. Some parts of this had me grimacing through them, and others had me feeling so much for the characters. It was quite the book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Minor: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Bullying
mondovertigo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Death of parent
Moderate: Vomit, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, and Alcoholism
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
I received a copy of this book as a gift.
"Salvage the Bones" follows Esch and her family in the weeks leading up to a hurricane. Esch lives in Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, and they have not seen a bad hurricane since before she was born, but this hurricane, Hurricane Katrina, is threatening to ransack their lives. Esch and her family live in poverty, and they do not have access to a ton of resources to help them prepare, but they do have each other.
This story was intriguing to me because it took the approach of establishing character's stories before they were impacted by the hurricane. I already had empathy and concerns for them before the rain even started.
There is a plotline about a dog who has puppies that Skeetah, Esch's brother, wants to sell to help make more money for the family. Skeetah also has the dog engage in dog fights. There is no outright abuse, but I did not like to read about how they were treating this dog and what was happening with the puppies. Skeetah clearly loved the dog more than anything, but he pushed her to her limit.
Esch was a complicated character to like. She clearly had a good heart and loved her family more than anything. But I do not think she had that love for herself.
I think this is a great book for anyone who is looking for a story about survival against the toughest of odds.
"Salvage the Bones" follows Esch and her family in the weeks leading up to a hurricane. Esch lives in Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, and they have not seen a bad hurricane since before she was born, but this hurricane, Hurricane Katrina, is threatening to ransack their lives. Esch and her family live in poverty, and they do not have access to a ton of resources to help them prepare, but they do have each other.
This story was intriguing to me because it took the approach of establishing character's stories before they were impacted by the hurricane. I already had empathy and concerns for them before the rain even started.
There is a plotline about a dog who has puppies that Skeetah, Esch's brother, wants to sell to help make more money for the family. Skeetah also has the dog engage in dog fights. There is no outright abuse, but I did not like to read about how they were treating this dog and what was happening with the puppies. Skeetah clearly loved the dog more than anything, but he pushed her to her limit.
Esch was a complicated character to like. She clearly had a good heart and loved her family more than anything. But I do not think she had that love for herself.
I think this is a great book for anyone who is looking for a story about survival against the toughest of odds.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Death, Rape, and Toxic relationship
shainabriley's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Animal cruelty, and Blood
bookishevy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This is a story about the Batiste family of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi. The father, a drunk, who has no time for his children as he prepares for a hurricane. The eldest, who aspires to play basketball professionally. The second eldest, who dotes over his prized fighter pitball China and her puppies. Their sister, 15, pregnant, and madly in love with her child's father. And the youngest, who is being raised by his siblings.
But it's way more than that. It's a study of rural poverty. Of Claude, neglectful father seeking escape from his circumstances through alcohol. Of Esch, our protagonist, who seeks attention from other men, her unrequited love and fantasies surrounding Greek mythology. Of Randall, whose dreams of having a better life may never come to fruition because poverty doesn't allow for the pursuit of opportunities. Of Skeetah, our second protagonist. With the heart of a hustler, he doesn't fantasize; he acts. Since Esch is our narrator and spends most of her time with Skeetah, we get a better understanding of his emotional attachment to China, their bond, and all he is willing to do for her and his family. Of Junior, much younger than his siblings, he turns to them for comfort and hasn't fully grasped the extent of their poverty. Of Katrina, a storm so many underestimated, getting primed to leave her mark.
TW: Animal Cruelty/Deaths
I've never considered how complicated the relationship between fighter dogs and their owners is. I can't imagine it being easy to watch a dog you love so much get mauled by other dogs. The descriptions of the dog fights are intense.
Ward's writing left me breathless. She describes scenes so poetically. Her comparison of the water crawling toward the Batiste's home to that of a snake slithering toward it's prey made the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. Writers like Ward are why I read. I would join a book club for her. I want to pick this story apart. How she balances these heavy subjects with such beautiful prose is magical. There's so much more I want to say but don't want to give anything away. 😩 Just READ. THIS. BOOK.
But it's way more than that. It's a study of rural poverty. Of Claude, neglectful father seeking escape from his circumstances through alcohol. Of Esch, our protagonist, who seeks attention from other men, her unrequited love and fantasies surrounding Greek mythology. Of Randall, whose dreams of having a better life may never come to fruition because poverty doesn't allow for the pursuit of opportunities. Of Skeetah, our second protagonist. With the heart of a hustler, he doesn't fantasize; he acts. Since Esch is our narrator and spends most of her time with Skeetah, we get a better understanding of his emotional attachment to China, their bond, and all he is willing to do for her and his family. Of Junior, much younger than his siblings, he turns to them for comfort and hasn't fully grasped the extent of their poverty. Of Katrina, a storm so many underestimated, getting primed to leave her mark.
TW: Animal Cruelty/Deaths
I've never considered how complicated the relationship between fighter dogs and their owners is. I can't imagine it being easy to watch a dog you love so much get mauled by other dogs. The descriptions of the dog fights are intense.
Ward's writing left me breathless. She describes scenes so poetically. Her comparison of the water crawling toward the Batiste's home to that of a snake slithering toward it's prey made the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. Writers like Ward are why I read. I would join a book club for her. I want to pick this story apart. How she balances these heavy subjects with such beautiful prose is magical. There's so much more I want to say but don't want to give anything away. 😩 Just READ. THIS. BOOK.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty
Moderate: Alcoholism
afaison's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Pregnancy, Grief, and Alcoholism
ceriokie's review against another edition
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Salvage the bones follows a poor southern family preparing for a hurricane. Across 12 days, the author maps the current happenings in the book, with flashbacks from the past woven in the text. It is ultimately a coming of age novel that observes a family as they step through the roles in a family and a girl exploring the idea of motherhood and what it means. Overall an okay book, but graphic descriptions and almost predictable. Each choice the author makes is well thought out and has the potential to be a great book for someone, that someone is not me. Some parts of the book seem like they could've just been cut, they make it kinda a harder read. Also big conflict that kinda ends unresolved, dog becomes concept?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, and Injury/Injury detail
caseythereader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Alcohol, Sexual content, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Blood, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Drug use