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Reviews tagging 'Grief'
Penguin Readers Level 7: Homegoing (ELT Graded Reader) by Yaa Gyasi
105 reviews
stephbakerbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
Wow, this book. It’s so ambitious, and I don’t think I really knew what I was getting into, but it pulls it off SO well. There are fourteen main characters—seven generations—and we really only spend a snapshot of their lives with them, but man, Yaa Gyasi is a masterful writer and she makes you care about each and every one of them.
This is almost like a collection of short stories, with the thread of a family line connecting them to each other. And I loved following that line, seeing how what happened to their ancestors affected the new characters, and how so much of our lives are decided just by virtue of what family we’re born into.
It was an excellent book to listen to—though I am forever grateful for the PDF of the family tree that is included because I was referring to it constantly!
I loved Transcendent Kingdom by this author, but I think I loved this one even more, just because I’ve never read anything like this book. I’m excited for whatever Yaa Gyasi writes next!
Read if you like: character-driven stories, generational sagas, family trees, missed connections.
This is almost like a collection of short stories, with the thread of a family line connecting them to each other. And I loved following that line, seeing how what happened to their ancestors affected the new characters, and how so much of our lives are decided just by virtue of what family we’re born into.
It was an excellent book to listen to—though I am forever grateful for the PDF of the family tree that is included because I was referring to it constantly!
I loved Transcendent Kingdom by this author, but I think I loved this one even more, just because I’ve never read anything like this book. I’m excited for whatever Yaa Gyasi writes next!
Read if you like: character-driven stories, generational sagas, family trees, missed connections.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Trafficking
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Drug use, Infidelity, Rape, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
musewithxara's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Excrement, Police brutality, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse
alongbookshelf's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? No
4.5
I thought this book was amazing. The writing is truly so beautiful, simple yet elegant and every word adds to the story in a meaningful way. Each chapter is narrated in a different POV, each character descending from one of two bloodlines. One woman remained in Africa, another sold to slave owners in America. The characters represent different existences as a black person in either country, all with a collective unconscious, memories, and visions of ancestors. I think it's incredibly difficult to link smaller, shorter stories that attempt to encompass the entirety of someone's life and being and THEN link those to a larger, more holistic view of a group of people. In my opinion, Gyasi did an incredible job doing exactly that. Each character has their own storyline, but is inevitably connected to their home, their family, their life. I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, and Grief
thrillofthepage's review against another edition
emotional
informative
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
5.0
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi has cemented itself as one of my favorite books. The story is incredible and the characters are some of the best I’ve ever read.
This generational novel spans 300 years and tells the story of two half-sisters whose lives are vastly different. Homegoing begins in 1775 in Ghana when two half-sisters are born in different villages. Effia is married off to a white man to maintain her villages status in the slave trade. Esi becomes a spoil of tribal war and is enslaved and bound for America. Effia lives in the very stone castle where Esi is kept in the dungeons below.
Each alternating chapter introduces the descendants of Effia and Esi. We learn about each generations struggles, hardships, and challenges. You would think that a book spanning centuries would be 500+ pages, but Homegoing is a little over 300 pages. Each chapter is only about 20 pages long, which initially worried me. I thought that there is no way Gyasi could adequately develop or describe the life of a character. Well, I was so wrong! Her writing is impeccable and I was drawn into each chapter immediately and felt the emotions experienced by each individual. I really appreciated the alternating chapters because it expertly displayed the dichotomy between the two family trees.
Knowing that this was Gyasi’s debut novel made reading Homegoing even more astounding. Her ability to craft each character independently while weaving together the two family trees is amazing. Each generation is compelling in its own right and seeing the circumstances each faced because of who they descended from was captivating.
I listened to the audiobook and I have to say I think that was the right way to go for my first read of this book. Dominic Hoffman did an incredible job bringing each story to life. His inflection and emotion provided another layer to the story and took it to a new level. I plan on purchasing a physical copy of Homegoing to to reread and annotate.
TW: sexism, rape, racism, slavery, violence
This generational novel spans 300 years and tells the story of two half-sisters whose lives are vastly different. Homegoing begins in 1775 in Ghana when two half-sisters are born in different villages. Effia is married off to a white man to maintain her villages status in the slave trade. Esi becomes a spoil of tribal war and is enslaved and bound for America. Effia lives in the very stone castle where Esi is kept in the dungeons below.
Each alternating chapter introduces the descendants of Effia and Esi. We learn about each generations struggles, hardships, and challenges. You would think that a book spanning centuries would be 500+ pages, but Homegoing is a little over 300 pages. Each chapter is only about 20 pages long, which initially worried me. I thought that there is no way Gyasi could adequately develop or describe the life of a character. Well, I was so wrong! Her writing is impeccable and I was drawn into each chapter immediately and felt the emotions experienced by each individual. I really appreciated the alternating chapters because it expertly displayed the dichotomy between the two family trees.
Knowing that this was Gyasi’s debut novel made reading Homegoing even more astounding. Her ability to craft each character independently while weaving together the two family trees is amazing. Each generation is compelling in its own right and seeing the circumstances each faced because of who they descended from was captivating.
I listened to the audiobook and I have to say I think that was the right way to go for my first read of this book. Dominic Hoffman did an incredible job bringing each story to life. His inflection and emotion provided another layer to the story and took it to a new level. I plan on purchasing a physical copy of Homegoing to to reread and annotate.
TW: sexism, rape, racism, slavery, violence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Slavery
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Grief
georgiesutton's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Infertility, Racism, Slavery, and Grief
achingallover's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, and Grief
whatannikareads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
wooow what an incredible feat of a book. so many great lines that made me stop to revel at how good it was. this is an emotional book to get through but so insightful. really made me think about how connected we are to our ancestors. it also made me contemplate about how the branches of our families lead such different journeys that the next person you meet could come from the same bloodline as you. it's especially painful to know that many african americans don't have that opportunity. but the ending i found so beautiful, especially with the symbolism. so many different, colorful characters and stories that kept me engaged the whole time. how yaa managed to do that in exactly 300 pages, i do not know!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Infertility, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Grief
laurikas's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Even though the themes covered by this book are some of the worst in our history, it was a majestic read.
I am so impressed by this story and the whole premise of this book, I was hooked from the very beginning. I wish there was more of it - the characters were so well developed that you felt you knew them, and my heart was broken many times, but also inspired. Freed.
I am so impressed by this story and the whole premise of this book, I was hooked from the very beginning. I wish there was more of it - the characters were so well developed that you felt you knew them, and my heart was broken many times, but also inspired. Freed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Slavery
Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Violence, and Grief
jayisreading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
I commend Yaa Gyasi for taking such a fresh approach to storytelling with Homegoing. It was an incredibly ambitious task, but one she handled phenomenally and with care to create two captivating intergenerational stories. The book starts with a split in a family lineage in present-day Ghana during the eighteenth century with two half-sisters, Effia and Esi. Homegoing, and it’s haunting, especially because it lingers in an unexpected way. Despite coming from the same mother, Effia and Esi never knew each other and led entirely different lives; one being married off to a British slave trader, while in the dungeons below, the other was enslaved and sent to the United States. From this point on and across seven generations, we get a chapter that gives a glimpse of each descendant’s life, often during significant moments in history (such as the Great Migration).
What was most powerful about Homegoing was the afterlives of every character playing a role in shaping their lineage. Through this, we see the repercussions of slavery and colonialism, resulting in the intergenerational trauma that would haunt for centuries (and, frankly, continue to haunt). The word “homegoing” marks death, but also a return to home. Gyasi pushes the reader to contemplate what shapes Black life and death, as well as what “home” means for the forcibly displaced. (There’s also a whole thing we can get into about Orlando Patterson’s “social death,” but that’s a literal essay waiting to happen.)
Homegoing is raw and emotional. While some may not be thrilled that each chapter are essentially like vignettes, I find that this approach precisely captures what Gyasi wants the reader to experience: a haunting full of unresolved ache.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Infertility, Infidelity, and Suicidal thoughts
latisha's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
One of the most stunning, moving books I’ve ever read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, and Grief
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Child death and Sexual violence