Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Popisho by Leone Ross

9 reviews

manaledi's review against another edition

challenging mysterious 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

3.25

I had so many moments where I was like what the hell did I just read I need to talk to someone what is going on and why and is there a deeper metaphor or is shit just strange. I feel like you could write an entire thesis on this book and yet I still can't decide what the lessons are. It sticks with you though from the three buttocks to the pum-pums to the moths. I'm still also wondering if indigent here is a play on indigenous. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Classism, Grief, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexism, and Sexual content

Minor: Pregnancy

faithe's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Body horror, Death, Medical content, Animal death, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Pregnancy, Sexism, Suicide, Homophobia, Infertility, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Mental illness, Self harm, Death of parent, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, and Religious bigotry

audreyxine's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

I haven't the faintest idea even where to begin. This book was so brilliant, so challenging, and so bizarre. It covers cast grounds and explores so many corners of the human experience. I have so many quotes from this book that will stick with me forever. The world of Popisho is so surreal and yet it feels so tangible. 

My biggest criticism is the length. I would have preferred about 50 less pages. The momentum was hard to keep up, especially with all the jumping around between characters. 

For anyone thinking about picking this one up, I strongly recommend binging it. It needs to be a fever dream in order to make sense.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Classism, Excrement, Infidelity, Grief, Homophobia, Suicide, Vomit, Child death, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

whatannikareads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-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

4.25

this book definitely fits under the "I've never read anything like this and I probably never will again" category. you can tell the author poured her entire heart and soul into the book. I so appreciate the uniqueness of almost all elements of the book: magical realism told through a Caribbean cultural lens, the intertwining of (over) four different character storylines, the colorful intricate descriptions that set this story apart from any other. it was like reading murakami on drugs. the deliberate choice of words was evident in how the Popisho islands played out in my mind. I love that buildings were green and lungs were on attached to people's hips and moths were consumed as a form of addictive drugs.

the author was ambitious in her work, and I think that is why it's not for everyone, because you must be ambitious to finish the book. it took a lot of brain power to keep up with the names of characters, jumping across different timelines without warning and the switching of character perspectives. it is a slow read and at times it made me want to put it down. i think the ending was a bit quick compared to the rest of the book, given the fact it essentially takes place over 1 day. but since it took a lot of energy to complete it, I do feel satisfied in not having given up on it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual content, Body horror, Drug use, Medical content, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Suicide

madelynfrank's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

5.0

I got this book from the library because it had a pretty cover. And now it’s one of my top favorites. 
Beautiful prose, interesting and fun setting. Many extremely unique and strong characters and I love them all. It was a joyful escapist magical fantasy that still spoke on food scarcity, complex colonialism, addiction, misogyny. Smart and special and I wish I had more. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexism, Addiction, Classism, Death, Genocide, Grief, Alcoholism, Racism, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Infertility, and Infidelity

thunderousdandelion's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Pregnancy, Suicide, Alcoholism, Addiction, Child death, and Death

lavenderlemonade's review against another edition

medium-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

This book is visceral and luscious in a way I haven’t encountered before. Colourful and baffling. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Addiction, Infidelity, Excrement, Grief, and Infertility

kayesomething's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Blood, Death, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Body horror, and Infidelity

Minor: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, and Misogyny

hollyd19's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective slow-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

Reading Popisho felt like a tripping headfirst into an adult version of The Phantom Tollbooth set to a soundtrack of "For The Benefit of Mr. Kite."

Set in a fictional Caribbean archipelago called Popisho, this delightful and kaleidoscopic book takes place over the course of a day and follows a chorus of magical characters as the impending wedding of the Governor’s daughter approaches. At the center of it all is Xavier Redchoose, the macaenus (a role appointed-by-the-gods to prepare a meal for every Popisho resident over his tenure). 

This was easily one of the most creative books I’ve ever read. Everyone in Popisho is born with “cors,” another word for some sort of magical endowment. But not in a predictable witchcraft/sorcery way. Cors are as varied as people; some people have extremely long limbs, others can detect when you lie, others can change the colors of random objects. Author Leone Ross also committed impressively to world-building. There were so many invented words that I gave up on looking up definitions and just leaned in to the disorientation. And every plot turn felt completely original and entrancingly chaotic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Drug use

Moderate: Blood, Death, Grief, Miscarriage, Infertility, and Infidelity

Minor: Suicide, Child death, Colonisation, Sexism, and Pregnancy