Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones

8 reviews

marioosa517's review against another edition

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Abandonment, and Infidelity

Moderate: Alcohol, Miscarriage, Cancer, Racism, Child death, Medical content, Death of parent, Cursing, Rape, Death, Grief, Fatphobia, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Homophobia, Gun violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Ableism, Suicide, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Drug use, and Domestic abuse

hrosel's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.5

Liked this book. The author did a good job of making you equally sympathetic to the two girls, despite the fact I felt bereft when it switched perspectives. Particularly liked the bit with Dana at the science fair being told she needed to look more the part. Because clearly a good scientist can't possibly wear blue eyeliner... That rang sadly true to me!
Some deep messages about discrimination, sexual assault and misogyny wrapped up in an engaging story.
My key criticism was that I found Raleigh, essentially a neutered dog trailing after James, to not be believable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

lindsayerin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Death

Minor: Child death, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse

michelleka's review against another edition

reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Miscarriage and Child death

mirrie's review against another edition

challenging 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: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Child death

Moderate: Pregnancy, Body shaming, and Death

seawarrior's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

In many ways, Silver Sparrow is a very unsettling novel. Yet it is also a fierce, heart-wrenching love story of a family told from the perspective of their youngest generation. Jones made me fall in love with the Yarboro and Witherspoon families, despite their many flaws and the knowledge that the existence of one of James' families would always threaten the other. Jones' prose was wise and biting, and her characterization was inspiringly precise. Every page in this book holds profound meaning for the people involved, and each scene that moved along the timeline of Dana and Chaurisse's lives was never without the higher purpose of showing us who these young women were growing into. The decision to switch between the girls' perspectives midway through the book was jarring at first, but eventually made the story even more poignant, as it was impossible for me to dislike Dana, Chaurisse, or their mothers. It was even difficult to not empathize with James or Raleigh. By the end of the book I felt devastated that these shared families could not forgive each other and find unity, but as Dana says, "some things were inevitable. You’d have to be a fool to think otherwise".

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity

Moderate: Child death, Fatphobia, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Sexual content, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Rape, and Physical abuse

wellreadmegs's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.0

This is my second book by Tayari Jones and I love how she writes about the complexities of family and relationships. They are real and they are messy but that is life. It was interesting to hear from the perspective of the "other family." Obviously, you don't feel as bad for the other woman, but you empathize with the child that was brought up in this world. Who has to deal with this deck of cards that life gave her & something that was entirely out of her control. 

It was a little confusing at times when they switched back and forth from Dana & Chaurisse's narrations since their lives were so intertwined and you had to remind yourself who was speaking. The ending felt harsh and abrupt, but again, I guess that's life. 

I would have liked to know more about their lives as they got older since we only got a glimpse. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, and Racism

Minor: Infertility and Child death

ktdakotareads's review against another edition

emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship