Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

74 reviews

qqjj's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense 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: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Body horror, Bullying, Gaslighting, Grief, Stalking, Rape, Terminal illness, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Death, Slavery, Sexual assault, Classism, Gore, Violence, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Blood, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Gun violence, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Torture

hhelphinstine2006's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense 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? N/A

5.0

Have you ever wanted to finish a book but not want to finish a book? That is how I felt about this book. I was lucky enough to win an arc copy of this book, and it was one of the easiest 5 stars I've ever given. This book does deal with heavy subject matters, so please check trigger warnings before reading. This should honestly be turned into a movie or mini series because that is how it played out in my head as I was reading it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Death, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Racism, and Gun violence

swiftpool's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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’ve never cried - no, weeped - as much reading as I did with this book. I cried so hard I thought I might puke, or never stop crying. The plot might have ghosts, but it’s not them that did the real haunting. The characters felt like something from a real book. I can’t explain how moving this book is, but I can say it’s very difficult from most historical fiction I’ve read. It has a point, not just a plot. It’s not just trauma written for the sake of it. It was written with a purpose, based on real people and places that also affected the author  and her family. I recommend reading the acknowledgments to learn more about the authors ties to the dozier school and more nonfiction information on it. It’s not an easy read but I think it’s an important read, especially for those who find nonfiction harder to read but want an insight into Americas real history.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Murder, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Slavery, Grief, Blood, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Violence

Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, and Dementia

jkar7's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but it's not really my style. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Hate crime, Slavery, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Death of parent

hillysreads's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, Child death, and Sexual assault

ellislawreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Gore, Racism, Child death, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Racial slurs

bookended's review against another edition

dark emotional

4.5

4.5/5
Thank you to Saga Press, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, for the free e-copy of this book!

Please be warned the triggers in this read include: racial slurs, abuse, extreme violence , racism.. 

The storytelling in this read was beyond words and left me speechless from start to end. The Reformatory takes place in 1950's Gracetown, Florida, following both Gloria and Robert (Robbie) Stephens, when Robert found himself being sent to a Boy's School (which is led by THE MOST disgusting man) after an incident with his neighbor. 

This was a horrific, heart-dropping, stomach-turning read, that was written so well. And knowing that this read was inspired by true events from Tananarive Due's family history made it that much more memorable.  Historical Fiction at its finest.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Racism, Child abuse, Child death, Hate crime, Death of parent, and Sexual assault

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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? Yes

4.5

Hauntingly beautiful prose yet still direct and plain enough for everyone to access. This book is equal parts historical fiction, horror, and thriller. The paranormal aspect made the story more compelling and without it, it would’ve been just another story about the Jim Crow south and the horrors that occurred there. The characters are brave and heroic and hopeful even when they have no reason to be. This book has the potential to become a classic and should be read widely. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Vomit, Slavery, Child death, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Confinement, Cancer, Alcoholism, Dementia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Murder, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

racheltheripper's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Murder, Hate crime, Torture, Child death, Body horror, Blood, Grief, Gore, Racism, Racial slurs, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Death of parent

queenpashon's review against another edition

Racial Trauma

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Racial slurs