Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Don't Cry for Me: A Novel by Daniel Black

50 reviews

canascorner's review

emotional reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Homophobia, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Abortion, Suicide, Death of parent, Bullying, Grief, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Racism

sarah_speaks's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Death of parent, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Death, Sexism, and Child abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Animal death, Abortion, and Miscarriage

hamstringy's review

challenging emotional reflective slow-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

This book made me cry a little bit! Black writes a book that is compulsively readable for all its main character is precisely the type of person I would not want to meet in real life. He has a knack for fleshing out difficult characters and the relationships they form. 
I do agree with some reviews I read that his growth at times can feel a little too straightforward, but I also don’t think it really pulled me out of the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Bullying, Terminal illness, and Misogyny

kayjpotts's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Racism, and Homophobia

ashleycmms's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Homophobia

Moderate: Suicide, Child death, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Gun violence and Murder

This book is amazing, heartbreaking, and honest. The pain and reality that Daniel taps into is so deep and vibrant you know that he’s lived and overcome just like others have, just like his characters have, just like others will in the future. B E A U T I F U L writing. I annotated so many beautiful lines along the moments where I hurt so hard for everyone, what the lost, what they could have had, and the loneliness they felt. I knew this book was a 5 star read when I cried during the authors note in the beginning, but the letters (and the 20 minutes of crying post reading this novel) solidified it. Black is an auto-buy author now. But I will not read anything else from him until I emotionally recover from this one.

jedore's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad 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

4.5

“Knowledge is a funny thing, Isaac. It informs by exposing. It shows you precisely how much you don’t know.”

I was pulled into this story from the Author’s note at the very beginning. Like the author, my father passed without ever admitting, let alone apologizing, for his major emotional shortcomings. Writing this book was a way for Daniel Black to heal the gaping wounds this leaves behind.

I don’t like to compare the pain of two different people. Pain is pain and no one deserves to have their pain diminished. But, I have to say what Isaac, the gay son who is the recipient of his father’s deathbed letters, went through is FAR worse than what I went through. 

On top of a typical dysfunctional family, he has the added horrors of the impact of slavery and being black in the U.S., being gay in a subculture that considers it an abhorrence, and the lack of love, tenderness and communication when it was needed most. I honestly don’t know if I would be able to climb out of a hole that deep. 

Reading the imagined letters that the reformed father wrote to Isaac was definitely a soothing salve. Many of the things he conveyed explained some of the characteristics and behaviors of my own father (and other men I know and love), so it was helpful for me personally as well. 

That being said, I still find it difficult to excuse my middle class white father for his emotional neglect. A black man of the same generation is a whole other story.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with daddy issues stemming from a hyper-stern and inexpressive father born in the early to mid-1900s, as well as anyone walking the path toward anti-racism. It’s a very quick, deeply emotional, and insightful read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cancer, Grief, Slavery, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Classism, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Bullying and Domestic abuse

jbird_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Alcoholism and Abortion

sydneybedell's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Physical abuse, and Racism

Minor: Abortion

tahsintries's review against another edition

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Racism

gigisxm's review

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Exactly 10 years ago i submitted another Daniel Black book to my book club. We read Perfect peace and I hated it, i toor it appart in my review (swipe)

Yet i didn’t hesitate to submit his most recent work of fiction Don’t cry for me for our bookclub pick for May. 10 years had elapsed and i went into it with an open mind and loved the deeply moving, beautifully written masterpiece by Dr Black. 5 stars are not enough for this historical novel. I have an aversion to Historical novels as a whole, but this is how you do it! The imagery was stunning. Can Ava Duvernay option this one for the big screen? The characters are layered and engaging and flawed and authentically human. I had deep empathy for every character. The premise is sad but deep layers of pain are so masterfully written that you are transported into this world. And find grace for each character where they are.

The themes are plentiful in this one. Here are just a few that stood out to me (there are many many more) Home, Self, Vulnerability,Intimacy, Ancestry, Ancestors and communicating with them, Land, Growth, Abuse, Reading/books, Abuse, Magical realism, Death, Redemption, Gender roles, relationships, abandonment, abuse, going back to your roots, rebirth, truth…… Oh and lest not forget the biblical reference, that another layer in itself. 

It’s been a long time since I’ve been compelled to look up the authors interviews after I’ve completed a book. With this one I ran over to YouTube immediately after reading the last line. This novel is begging for a sequel and the author has confirmed that Issac’s Song has already been written. So now we wait. All members enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the sequel. So Dr Black will be a three-peat author in our club. We had a great discussion. It reminded me of the early days of the club. I don’t re-read books but I feel compelled to read this one again.

#bookreview #dontcryformebook #islandgirlreads #sxmbibliophile 

22/60 #goodreadsreadingchallenge
 5/12 #bookclub
 9/20 #booksbyblackfolx

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Hate crime

Moderate: Death, Bullying, Cancer, Abortion, Child death, Religious bigotry, and Terminal illness