Reviews tagging 'Grief'

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

6 reviews

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

ktkeps's review

challenging dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Suicide, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Miscarriage

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

mikki_9's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Miscarriage and Torture

trinidad_gondi's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Police brutality, Grief, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Miscarriage, Slavery, and Abortion

rosalind's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad slow-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

Always nerve-racking to read one of your best friends’ favourite books. Fortunately I came to a similar conclusion! Man, reading this in the shadow of the George Floyd court case is heavy. But an important heaviness, a heaviness we need to feel and respond to, be motivated to do move against. Baldwin writes so lyrically and you feel the fresh heartbreak of every despondency whilst balancing the weary sadness of inevitability. And the space, the space to fill in the gaps, to confront your own feelings, like a Biblical ‘selah’. A classic and rightfully so.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia

Minor: Death, Suicide, Antisemitism, and Death of parent