Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd

30 reviews

kmae314's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

Beautiful!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Misogyny, Death, Violence, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexism

Moderate: Suicide, Xenophobia, Torture, and Self harm

lazmataz's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Death, Blood, Xenophobia, Slavery, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Misogyny, Violence, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

Minor: Abortion, Suicide, and Animal death

sydneys_literarylifestyle's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

eeamiller's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective tense 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? No

4.75

I read this on the recommendation of my friend, Kim. I have been on a Sue Monk Kidd reading kick, having finished "The Dance of the Dissident Daughter" earlier this month on audiobook. I also read this on audiobook. It started a little slow for me, but I was hooked from the first page when it said it would be told from the perspective of Ana, the wife of Jesus. 

I have enjoyed Sue Monk Kidd's nonfiction lately (I'm currently reading "Traveling with Pomegranates"), and it makes me want to go back and read more of her fiction. The themes she explores are the ones that resonate with me right now - spirituality, the divine feminine, women's perspectives and voices.

I admit that as the book reached its inevitable climax (the crucifixion of Jesus), I sort of felt a sense of dread. I have never liked crucifixion narratives or descriptions. Even "Jesus Christ Superstar" is hard for me in the end. I never watched "The Passion of the Christ" because my imagination is already graphic enough - I don't need visual representations. But what moved me the most about the crucifixion narrative was the perspective of the women, particularly their faithfulness in Christ's suffering and when they all gathered together at home after (I think in Bethany with Mary and Martha) and felt a sense of fellowship. It felt very real. Women are always in the trenches in the messiest moments of human experience. They walked with him, kept vigil as he died, cleaned and tended him after his death. 

I was puzzled that she didn't really explore the Resurrection, by having Ana leave the day after the crucifixion to return to her ascetic community. But I guess the point of the book was not to explore Jesus' voice, but Ana's own. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Death, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Child death, Torture, Rape, Violence, Grief, and Sexual violence

alexbooksandmore's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-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

5.0

I really enjoyed this book. I think the story is captivating, and the writing is splendid (very few books are fascinating because of the writing for me). 

This book goes back to the time of Jesus, but the story is not mainly about Him, but about his 'fictive' wife, Ana. We see the whole world through her eyes. I enjoyed the detailed explanation of how people lived back then and their daily activities. 
As always, I am deeply affected by the horror things Jesus had to face. All the aggression. And even when I read it, i could see everything so clear in my head.. 

Another reason i love this book is the questions and discussion topics at the end of the book.. one of the most interesting was 'what would the world be if in the Bible,  Jesus had a wife? Would have change the way women are perceived in the world? Or not? ... it kept me thinking and I think is a very interesting subject to discuss. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Child death

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Violence, Rape, Slavery, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Pregnancy

Minor: Suicide

kichizibi's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture

Moderate: Child death, Death, Slavery, and Misogyny

Minor: Suicide and Death of parent

bethaniemae23's review

emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

3.5

I did thoroughly enjoy this book, learning about a whole different culture and how cruel it can be to women, or anyone that dares to be a little different. I loved Jesus and Ana relationship but don’t think I would have been as forgiving as Ana when he left.  The place where people can go to live out a peaceful life sounded like pure bliss and I wish it was real.
Little thunder 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Misogyny, Torture, Rape, Child death, and Suicide

danicakvcs's review

emotional inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Grief, Murder, Death, Miscarriage, and Child death

Moderate: Slavery, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Torture, Rape, and Suicide

cheryl1213's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Interesting. I'm not a religious person, but I knew a handful of names and stories. I enjoyed it as historical fiction. It made me curious about lives in the first century AD (esp the sect devoted to study and tyat allowed women, apparently based on historical evidence). 

Ana is an inspiration, and her deepest longning resonated with me. 

But I have no idea how this would feel to someone who is a devout (or, really, even loose) follower of a Judeo-Christian religion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Child death

eyedoc's review

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, and Violence