Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

67 reviews

darr76's review

emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Death, Terminal illness, Miscarriage, and Grief

Moderate: Pregnancy, Cancer, Alcohol, and Violence

Minor: Racism

squintyfarmer's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cancer, Kidnapping, Terminal illness, and Grief

nativeladybookwarrior's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

3.5

Solid debut. The first third of the book I enjoyed bc it gave me a look into the book's title and how its tied in with Indigenous family and community. Thes  details made me want more. But then it transitions to the plot, and I was able to foreshadow easily what had happened and what would happen next, so me thinking that was intentional, I instead looked forward to the character development but I only  enjoyed that growth with Joe. I enjoyed Joe's perspective (the brother). But Norma's POV I found myself pushing thru. I saw qualities btw to cultures, families and upbringings, which I respected and appreciated but I wish I got more POV's. I woulda loved to read on Mae, Ben, the Mom and Dad, and even Charlie. That woulda given me the depth I crave in character driven stories. But, I look forward to what this author has in store for us in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief, Kidnapping, Colonisation, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Violence, Terminal illness, Racism, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Child death

Minor: Murder, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Abandonment

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.25

i think the pacing in this is a bit off, but this is a really good book overall. 

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Content Warnings

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

annamay1021's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

mthereader's review against another edition

dark 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

2.5

Extremely heavy and sad sad book. Not much of a mystery or thriller so don’t know why it’s been labeled as such. Beyond the event where Ruthie gets taken (it’s right there in the blurb) there is no mystery to be solved. Definitely more of a family trauma saga.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Grief, Terminal illness, Child death, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, and Cancer

sarahfeller's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Grief, Kidnapping, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, and Addiction

warlocksarecool21'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

4.5

This was a beautiful and heartbreaking story above loss, love and family. With its simple yet resonant prose, we follow a Mi’kmaq family over generations and how the disappearance of their youngest daughter Ruthie haunts them for decades. We also see how Ruthie grew up with a white family, never knowing who she was but always knowing something wasn’t right. This is a story about grief and how it can lead people to do terrible things, but it is also a story about how forgiveness and love can help people move on. This book was absolutely beautiful and I highly recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Addiction, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Grief, Domestic abuse, Death, Dementia, Cancer, Abortion, Alcoholism, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Moderate: Car accident

sjanke2's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Terminal illness, Infertility, Abandonment, Miscarriage, Car accident, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Cancer, Kidnapping, Colonisation, Death of parent, Dementia, and Gaslighting

kelly_e'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

4.75

Title: The Berry Pickers
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."

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Content Warnings

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, divorce