Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie

8 reviews

emmatwetan's review

dark sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Abandonment, Racism, and Child abuse

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Pregnancy and Car accident

alicelalicon's review against another edition

emotional 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? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Blood, Pregnancy, Racism, Car accident, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, and Infidelity

Moderate: Sexism, Pedophilia, and Trafficking

aimnorth's review

dark sad medium-paced

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

0.25

The book reads with lots of inconsistencies in storytelling.  Things that happen at the beginning of the book

like Alice and Nori reading the diaries together

are forgotten later on

like when it is said that Nori has never told anyone about the diaries before Noah

. Beyond plot inconsistencies, there are lots of character inconsistencies. Nori is often described as stupid one minute and then smart the next, by multiple other characters, and it changes to fit the plot of the moment. Character motivations change often, having one goal or personality until it's convenient for the plot that that character have an opposite motivation or personality

like when Akira is obscenely protective of Nori to the point of being constantly in her business, until it is convenient for him to ignore her with no explanation long enough for Nori to be raped by his best friend without him ever having the slightest notion it happened

. 

It doesn't seem as if the author had a great understanding of Japan in the 1930s-1950s, either, and the setting reads too modern sometimes while the character actions frequently read out of the 1800s, with all the woman constantly fainting or vomiting at the slightest inconvenience, and pregnancy being something nothing but the doctors, not even woman who have had children, can recognize or name. It's very odd and unrealistic. 

Nori also reads as being fetishized sometimes. Despite everyone in her family being described as tall, Nori is described as the shortest,  most petite person with "meager" strength that can still push people over. However, she is also often described as well-endowed starting when the character is 13. She is put through a lot of awful physical, verbal, and sexual abuse in the book and handles it with a sort of mild attitude. The pain is almost romanticized. It can come off quite gross, especially since this is happening to a minor for a majority of the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Rape, Death, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Racism, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Car accident, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, and Blood

There is a graphic rape scene in the book. There are also extremely detailed incidents of skin bleaching, physical attacks, life threatening injuries, and suicide attempts. The main character, at one point, is part of a brothel. Lots of under age girls being mistreated often in the book. Read the whole thing will caution if any of the triggers are rough for you because they are continuous themes through the book.

cc0906's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Grief

Moderate: Car accident, Child death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, and Xenophobia

Minor: War

lucys_book_boutique's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Rape, Pregnancy, Racism, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Confinement, Child abuse, and Abandonment

Minor: Abortion

christina_ro's review

challenging dark 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

4.5

This was a great read. I finished the whole thing in one sit. The way the author managed to include a whole boatload of traumatic events without being overly graphic and without it feeling gratuitous was impressive. I would caution anyone who is worried about trigger warnings this book includes child abuse, SA, SW, and a myriad of general trauma. I'd look into more detailed trigger warnings if you're concerned. That being said, I tend to avoid SA being used as a plot device, but this was tolerable. Lemmie managed to convey the weight and horror of abuse, assault, and other trauma without being graphic. While listing each traumatic event would make this book seem ridiculous and violent, the execution was graceful and appropriately emotional.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident and Child abuse

Moderate: Abandonment, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, and Misogyny

patricia0227's review

emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.75

I was gripped from the beginning and couldn't put it down. I didn't particularly enjoy some of the plot points and characters' choices, but really an excellent novel with great world building. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Torture

jmarinaro's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Car accident, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Torture, Rape, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death, Confinement, Child death, and Body shaming