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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
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
readingwithtrey's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
“People say, That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. But they are wrong. What doesn’t kill you, doesn’t kill you. That’s all you get. Sometimes, you just have to hope that’s enough.”
Silver Sparrow took me through a rollercoaster of emotions. I’m going to keep this review short because I don’t think you should have any opinions on it going in. The book is written in 2 parts/POVs, and I must say, it was done brilliantly. All of the thoughts and opinions I formed in part 1 (other than the fact that James is/always will be a piece of work) were completely shattered in part 2.
I was so invested in this story, and the build up was perfect. The only reason this wasn’t a 5 star read for me is because the ending felt rushed and didn’t live up to the rest of the book.
Silver Sparrow took me through a rollercoaster of emotions. I’m going to keep this review short because I don’t think you should have any opinions on it going in. The book is written in 2 parts/POVs, and I must say, it was done brilliantly. All of the thoughts and opinions I formed in part 1 (other than the fact that James is/always will be a piece of work) were completely shattered in part 2.
I was so invested in this story, and the build up was perfect. The only reason this wasn’t a 5 star read for me is because the ending felt rushed and didn’t live up to the rest of the book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Infidelity and Abandonment
charliesmith1564's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Abandonment, Rape, and Racism
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
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
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".
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, and Racism
Minor: Infertility and Child death
zoeltjuh99's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
This book hit home hard. I literally cried at the end. Coming from someone who’s parents split up bad. This book opened so many wounds and trauma about my own father that it was really hard to keep my feelings in check. I couldn’t put the book down. The first few pages were already interesting. And the part where Dana compared herself with “James perfect other daughter” really broke my heart. And when he said that she was “the secret “ it just made my blood boil
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Abandonment, Violence, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, and Domestic abuse
I couldn’t really put in other trigger warnings so I will write it here. For me it was very triggering because of the whole broken family thing. Coming from someone who’s wondered how her father feels about her this really hit hard. If you have a bad relationship with your mom or dad please consider not reading it. It involves cheating, and divorced parents or well separated parents
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