Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

67 reviews

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad slow-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? No

5.0

There were passages I read over and over again. This is a story that takes decades to tell, and there was a constant push-pull for me: both to getting it to the conclusion I knew must be coming and to slow it down so that the story would continue.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Cancer, Grief, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Death, Abandonment, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Racism, Terminal illness, Dementia, and Homophobia

juanat77's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Racial slurs, Cancer, Bullying, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Blood, Terminal illness, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, and Murder

readmollyread's review

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Wonderful. Family dysfunction, feelings of displacement, longing, unyielding love. Last 2-3 chapters had me sobbing. 

—

The Berry Pickers is a beautifully written, emotionally stunning story about the complexities of family, identity, belonging, and secrets. Centering on a girl growing up in Maine and an adult man dying in Nova Scotia, this story is made especially compelling by the expansive timeline and the alternating POVs that explore the characters’ lives and minds. The book’s final chapters had me sobbing and desperately wanting more time with these Norma, Joe, and their families, but so grateful for the time I spent with them.

The audiobook is narrated beautifully, too, though I am yet again PLEADING with audiobook producers or whoever to provide pronunciation guides. The town of Bangor, Maine is called Bang-GOR, not Bang-er.

First five star read of 2024.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Miscarriage, Child death, Alcoholism, Lesbophobia, and Violence

mondovertigo's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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: Domestic abuse, Cancer, Grief, Miscarriage, Death, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Infertility, Gaslighting, Dementia, Death of parent, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Kidnapping, Blood, and Lesbophobia

gwenswoons's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Alcoholism, Grief, Blood, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Dementia, Abandonment, Blood, Miscarriage, Addiction, Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, and Terminal illness

Minor: Confinement, Death, Cancer, and Death of parent

canadagirl1008's review

challenging emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Terminal illness, Alcohol, Racism, Miscarriage, and Domestic abuse

sofibatt's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Violence, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Murder, Terminal illness, Car accident, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Child death, and Death

cassielaj's review against another edition

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? Yes

4.5

The Berry Pickers is a soft-spoken, impactful novel about what loss can do to a family, about identity, and about those who never lose hope. The alternating perspectives weave together the experiences of two people who deal with loss, guilt, grief, and family over the span of 50 years. It’s slow at times, but it reads as though being told directly to you by the characters, which is perfectly fitting for the story. An excellent debut. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Terminal illness, Miscarriage, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Infertility, Kidnapping, and Domestic abuse

author2223's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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: Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, Terminal illness, and Grief

Moderate: Violence, Racism, Cancer, Miscarriage, and Domestic abuse

brittishrcoming's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Dementia, Kidnapping, Addiction, Death of parent, Death, Terminal illness, Miscarriage, and Domestic abuse