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teacherjones's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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
3.75
This book was filled with emotions.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest and Cancer
moriahleigh's review
emotional
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Cancer, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Infertility, Incest, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Rape
michaelareads's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief, Hate crime, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Rape, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Incest, and Mental illness
serendipitysbooks'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
4.75
Saving Ruby King was one of my favourite books last year, so I was eager to get my hands on the author’s sophomore novel The Two Lives Of Sara. It didn’t disappoint.
The Two Lives of Sara is a sort of prequel to Saving Ruby King and is focused on a pivotal period in the life of Ruby’s grandmother Sara. Unmarried and pregnant, she leaves her hometown of Chicago for Memphis, where she finds love, support, and a found family in the boarding house where she lives and works. The characterisation was great and I thought the portrayal of Sara’s difficultly with motherhood, with accepting and loving Lebanon, the baby she did not want because he was the result of a gross violation, was beautifully handled. Mama Sugar was also a favourite character. Yes, she may have been a certain archetype but she was so full of love, kindness and resilience and was clearly such a dominant personality that it was impossible not to be drawn to her. The sense of place was also strong. I was transported to the Tennessee of the early 1960s, when there was so much hope but also still so many obstacles facing Blacks and this duality really came through. Mama Sugar’s boarding house was bustling with life and the restaurant where Jonas took Sara was so vividly depicted that it seemed to spring to life around me as I was reading. Sara’s story arc is a real roller coaster with some beautiful, joyous highs and some heartbreaking, soul destroying lows. It’s definitely a book that gave me lots of feels. The writing was strong and lush. Some might find it flowery and overwritten, but I did not. I loved the storytelling, was fully invested in Sara and her life, and am eagerly awaiting whatever Catherine Adel West writes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, and Gun violence
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