Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

12 reviews

angel_ontheother's review

emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

"If Beale Street Could Talk" by James Baldwin got me out of a reading slump!

"It was as though we were a picture, trapped in time: this had been happening for hundreds of years, people sitting in a room, waiting for dinner, and listening to the blues."

I'm glad I gave Baldwin a second chance. I had read Giovanni's Room a few years ago and didn't enjoy it much at all (I know, unpopular opinion), but this book sounded more like my taste so I picked up a copy from the library.

This hooked me in right away. When I sat down to start it, I thought I'd only read the first few pages, considering my slump-ish state, but I ended up reading almost 30 pages in one sitting! 

The plot is engaging but I think the narrative voice is what I liked most about it. This was written from the perspective of a young woman. The language feels believable, and I agree with the back cover describing it as "honest." Aside from a few slang words and phrases; it feels timeless. In some ways, the timelessness to the story is a bitter thing, considering the themes: systemic racism and sexual violence, corrupt "justice" systems, poverty; it's the type of thing you wish were outdated, but for many, it's no different from the present. This is also a story of love and hope, but my mind tends to hold on to the dim side of things.

There are no chapters, which I usually find to be challenging, but the mostly-casual yet sometimes-lyrical writing style kept the pace flowing smoothly. Some of the content was outside my comfort zone but the writing style and story made it worth it, this was a page turner for me. I finished in about four sittings. I would recommend this!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Miscarriage, Suicide, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism, and Alcohol

marena02's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I don’t know how to feel about the ending, but I liked this book. I enjoyed reading about Fonny and Tish’s love story, despite its sad and open ending.

For this to be my first James Baldwin book, I think the thing that stood out most to me was his writing from Tish’s perspective. She is seen by everyone around her as naive and overly optimistic, but it’s clear that while she goes through these new and traumatizing experiences of pregnancy and helping her man who is wrongfully incarcerated get out of jail, she is willing to change her mindset with every obstacle that gets in her way. Baldwin shows this in the way she he narrates her perception on the world and how she learns to navigate it alone with Fonny who has always been by her side. Her journey throughout the book was the most interesting to read about.

Like I said, I don’t really understand what he was trying to do with the ending, but everything else I enjoyed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

brittrowell's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, and Grief

Minor: Alcoholism and Drug use

lp961's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Minor: Drug use, Police brutality, and Colonisation

emwebz's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Alcohol

midnightmarauder's review

dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

If Beale Street Could Talk is a novel that follows the two protagonists, Fonny, a young man who is currently in jail for rape, and his girlfriend, Tish, who finds out that she is pregnant while Fonny is serving his sentence. The book mainly follows Tish as she and her family attempt to get Fonny out of jail. 

The book is a romance novel through and through. The love that Tish has for Fonny and vice versa is constantly put on display. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Grief, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

srjennings's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Drug use, Racism, and Alcohol

mpaterson's review

dark 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
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A beautiful and poignant prose that offers a brief window into the lives of two interconnected families and explores the interconnection of racism and sexism in 60s NYC. It’s tender in moments and tense in others, sometimes both simultaneously. Both nothing and so much happens throughout the book. Love, in all its forms - unconditional and unhealthy, and emotion carries the story with ease and depth. 

If you’re looking for a beautifully melancholy, yet even hopeful of a story, this is it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, and Alcohol

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Minor: Drug use, Miscarriage, and Suicide

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.75

I'm a little embarrassed that this was my first James Baldwin book, but I'm so glad that I read it. What beautiful writing and such a tragic story. I feel like it's rare that a male writer has such incredible insight into a female character, but I thought it was such an amazing story about women. I would love to write an essay about it. And how horrifying that 50 years later, the exact same story could happen today in this racist country built on stolen land.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Abortion, and Abandonment

theuncannydani's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Baldwin wrote this is such a poetic way, but I was still able to follow it. That was great.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Torture, Forced institutionalization, and Blood