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allisonwatkins's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Miscarriage, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Infertility
mondovertigo's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Cancer, Grief, Miscarriage, Death, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Infertility, Gaslighting, Dementia, Death of parent, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Kidnapping, Blood, and Lesbophobia
krisi616's review against another edition
4.5
Moderate: Alcohol and Alcoholism
Minor: Infertility and Miscarriage
cassielaj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Grief, Terminal illness, Miscarriage, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Infertility, Kidnapping, and Domestic abuse
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Child death, Colonisation, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Grief, Infertility, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, Racism, Death, Child abuse, Classism, Cursing, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Emotional abuse
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
- 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? No
I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narration of Aaliya Warbus and Jordan Waunch. This is a very slow-paced book with a focus on character vignettes and development. I didn’t think the “reveal” was particularly shocking or riveting because I had guessed it pretty early on. However, knowing the major spoiler framed my reading experience in witnessing one of the character’s suspicions and overall complicated feelings. This book takes place over the span of 50+ years & you’re given two main characters’ first-person POVs through rotating chapters. Though it was a bit predictable, I enjoyed the characters’ voices and journeys so I would try another book by this author in the future.
Graphic: Miscarriage, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Grief, Child abuse, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Homophobia
sjanke2's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Terminal illness, Infertility, Abandonment, Miscarriage, Car accident, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Cancer, Kidnapping, Colonisation, Death of parent, Dementia, and Gaslighting
amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Classism, Grief, Infertility, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cursing
kelly_e's review against another edition
- 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
Author: Amanda Peters
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.75
Pub Date: April 4, 2023
I received complimentary eARC copy of this book from HarperCollins Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad
T H R E E • W O R D S
Riveting • Quiet • Moving
📖 S Y N O P S I S
July 1962. A Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia arrives in Maine to pick blueberries for the summer. Weeks later, four-year-old Ruthie, the family’s youngest child, is seen sitting on her favourite rock at the edge of a field before mysteriously vanishing. Her six-year-old brother, Joe, who was the last person to see Ruthie, is devastated by his sister’s disappearance, and her loss ripples through his life for years to come.
In Maine, a young girl named Norma grows up as an only child in an affluent family. Her father is emotionally distant, while her mother is frustratingly overprotective of Norma, who is often troubled by recurring dreams and visions that seem to be too real to be her imagination. As she grows older, Norma senses there is something her parents aren’t telling her. Unwilling to abandon her intuition, she pursues her family’s secret for decades.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Amanda Peters debut novel, The Berry Pickers, came onto my radar while browsing 2023 releases on NetGalley. From the synopsis, I had a gut feeling I'd absolutely love this novel, yet it far surpassed me expectations.
Told in alternating POVs between Joe and Norma, Peters has crafted two unique voices offering just enough history without it overshadowing the story. The writing is subtle and the story has a steady pace. With themes of generational trauma, different types of loss, and the search for truth and identity, there is also an undercurrent of love, hope, and forgiveness. This novel is filled with great sorrow, yet there's so much resiliency that I couldn't help but feel hopeful.
The Berry Pickers is a book that will stay with me. Each of the characters found a way into my heart. It moved me to the core and is a stunning portrayal of the importance of family, language and culture. Amanda Petters is a new voice in Canadian fiction that I will be eagerly awaiting more books from.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers searching for an Indigenous voice
• historical fiction fans
• book clubs
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Words are powerful and funny things, said or unsaid."
"Hope is such a wonderful thing until it isn't."
"If children lose their parents, they are orphans. If a husband loses his wife, he's a widower. But there's no word for a parent who loses a child. I've come to believe that the event is just too big, too monstrous, too overwhelming for words. No word could ever describe the feeling, so we leave it unsaid."
"Some wounds cannot be healed. Some wounds never close, never scar. But the further away from the injury, the easier it became to smile."
Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Addiction, Alcoholism, Racism, Infertility, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Kidnapping, Death, Violence, Miscarriage, and Blood
Moderate: Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Dementia, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, and Animal death
sibling death, divorcereadingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Racism, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Cancer
Moderate: Mental illness, Blood, Murder, Abandonment, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Miscarriage, and Child death
Minor: Religious bigotry, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Excrement, Racial slurs, Car accident, Pregnancy, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Death of parent, Infertility, Sexual content, and Suicide
Residential schools, heart attack, dementia, aneurysm.