Reviews tagging 'Death'

Maame by Jessica George

75 reviews

smkelly1997's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.25

Maddie has been the Maame (translation: woman) of her family as long as she can remember. She has taken on the role of caring for her dying father, paid for the family’s bills, and single handily run her household for as long as she can remember. That is until her mother returns home allowing Maddie to finally leave home at 25 years of age and discover who she is and not who her family wants her to be.
Maame is central themes of love and loss, complex family dynamics, mental health, race, and the dynamics of a first generation Ghanaian are prevalent through the book. Maddie character provides a charming yet relatable moments as she googles her way through life, overshares with those around her, and obsesses over a yellow pant suit. These themes along with Maddie’s relatability culminate in a refreshing take on a coming of age story following a 25 year old young woman as she navigates a whole new world. 
I would highly recommend the audiobook version read by Heather Agyepong. Her voice acting not only brings the accidents to life but places you inside of Maddie’s head. Experiencing the world as she does.   (I think had a read the book it would have been a 4.25. The voice acting put it over the top)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Death, Dementia, and Panic attacks/disorders

porktheorc's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Sexual content

meghanelizabeth's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Death

Moderate: Racism and Mental illness

Minor: Suicide

jaclynrei's review against another edition

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? Yes

4.0

The themes of this book do not become obvious until 3/4s of the way through. The author tells, not shows, the themes through the main character's narration. I still enjoyed this book and felt that the themes were important and original.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Rape, and Sexual assault

calamitywindpetal's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Sexism, Death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Racism

Minor: Sexual assault

jjha's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content

Minor: Suicide and Vomit

martapsalvado's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-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

3.5

Took me more than a month to read and several in-between books because it's so sad and intense and I'm not in the right headspace 🥲 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Medical content, Death, Racism, Death of parent, Sexual content, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness

Minor: Drug use, Suicide, and Alcohol

emjay2021's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.0

Maddie lives in London. She is the 25 year old daughter of Ghanaian immigrants but is an odd mix of much older and much younger. On the one hand, her family has piled a lot of responsibilities on her that she shouldn’t have had to handle on her own, and on the other, her upbringing has left her too anxious and scared to take the risks involved in developing her own identity separate from her family.

There are a few things that make this book stand out from other coming of age novels. First of all, Maddie is very loveable despite being a frustrating character. I also appreciated the book’s perspectives on racism, grief, and familial/cultural expectations. The writing is simple and the plot pretty straightforward, but there are also bits that are really quite beautiful. I am glad I read it and would happily read another book by this author. I think Maame is quite autobiographical, and the author’s experiences will lead to some rich literature to explore in future.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Death, Bullying, Sexual assault, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism

awhitson's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Death of parent

Moderate: Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content

michelles_books9's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Abandonment, Death of parent, Chronic illness, and Grief