Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

19 reviews

marjolainegenot's review

funny hopeful sad 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

Beautiful prose. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Rape, Racial slurs, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Police brutality, and Pregnancy

kingcrookback's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Confinement, Cursing, Racial slurs, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Rape, Police brutality, and Death of parent

Minor: Miscarriage

clapyourshands's review

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

Moderate: Death of parent, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Stalking, Suicide, Cursing, Police brutality, and Sexual harassment

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

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

Minor: Torture and Miscarriage

paulrichard's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Death of parent, Sexism, and Suicide

tenten's review

emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.0

this was super sad but incredibly well-written. Baldwin was really a master. i loved the non-linear style of storytelling, the intensity and urgency, the relationships between characters, the language. idk if i'm ready to watch the movie now cus i just know i'mma be crying 😭

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Suicide

meganhornex's review against another edition

challenging hopeful 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? No

2.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Death of parent, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, and Sexual assault

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

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

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

lilifane's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

5.0

That hit hard.
But it was sooo good. The writing is phenommenal, maybe not for everyone but I noted down so many beautiful and powerful quotes. It made me feel all the emotions, joy, happiness, sadness, anger.
The story is told from Tish's perspective, a 19 year old pregnant black girl whose fiance Fonny is in jail accused of rape. It's a story about love and (found) family, and it's about racism and police brutality. You get to know Tish's and Fonny's love story from the beginning and their desperate fight for justice with everything they got. But you also get to know Tish and Fonny as well as their families in such an intimate way. The bondings between the characters made me tear up all the time. It's such a short book but I fell in love with these characters and they will probably not leave me anytime soon. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual content, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Suicide