Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

25 reviews

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

clairecummins's review

challenging emotional medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Moderate: Homophobia and Religious bigotry

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

charlieeew's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Confinement, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol

Minor: Death, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, and Antisemitism

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

xereads's review

challenging emotional reflective 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

5.0

A classic that I think everyone should read because of course so many themes (race, poverty, injustice, classism, grief, and family) and the characters’ experiences are relevant to this day. After finishing the book the reader is left to decipher Fonny’s fate…I will say I wish we knew for sure what happened but through the course of the book this happens a few times.  This book while fiction, to some could also be considered romance as we understand Tish and Fonny’s timeline and the love that develops. But to me the romance shows in how Tish’s parents and sister show their love, through action for her and Fonny.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Police brutality, and Alcohol

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

sarabrogan's review

emotional sad tense slow-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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Police brutality

Moderate: Cursing, Physical abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Minor: Miscarriage

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

carriewnettles's review against another edition

challenging sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, and Alcohol

biblioghoul's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad 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: Confinement, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Police brutality, and Alcohol

Minor: Death, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, and Death of parent