Reviews tagging 'Lesbophobia'

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

9 reviews

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Dementia, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Body horror, Murder, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Blood, Cancer, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, and Racism

littlelizzieborden's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Cancer, Blood, Death of parent, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Violence, Child death, and Dementia

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia

sytaylor's review against another edition

emotional sad tense fast-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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia and Infertility

Moderate: Grief, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, and Racism

Minor: Death of parent, Alcoholism, Cancer, Dementia, Alcohol, Blood, Domestic abuse, Vomit, and Cursing

books_tea_blanket's review

emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.75

This book deals with grief, some of what was but mainly what could have been. The characters’ stories are often sad as they find themselves, and I found myself wishing that their lives had been different. But I don’t put the blame on the author for writing their stories this way, but on the people and their choices in the book, as well as problems with society, for shaping the characters’ stories. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Terminal illness, Gaslighting, Grief, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism, Car accident, Death, Dementia, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Racism, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Murder, Violence, Blood, Addiction, and Alcohol

Minor: Colonisation, Infertility, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Animal death, and Lesbophobia

Childhood trauma, loss of a child, and lack of identity are consistent themes and potential triggers throughout the book.

rsagarin's review against another edition

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Racial slurs, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Racism

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Infertility, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Grief, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Cancer, Cursing, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Classism, Colonisation, Dementia, Drug use, Addiction, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

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

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.

---

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