Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

15 reviews

lottiegasp's review

challenging dark emotional sad 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

3.75

This is a tragic book about the pervading anti-Blackness in the US from Jim Crow era until the modern day, and how this collective trauma is passed down intergenerationally

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Grief, Cancer, Murder, Addiction, Hate crime, Death of parent, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Physical abuse, and Child abuse

Minor: Abandonment

This is a very sad book and covers a lot of dark topics relating to Jim Crow era anti-Blackness and abusive, neglectful parents. Read when you can handle it

mel_j's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Sing, Unburied' Sing' was a marvellous reading experience. In some way, I could feel for and understand all the characters and their motives. The magical realism was well-done and felt not too over-the-top; it fit very well into the story.

There was a slight historical feel to 'Sing, Unburied, Sing' that is connected to the magical realism. I loved the historical references and facts; sad, but important, they added a lot to the book

It's a heartbreaking book that made me stop and think quite a few times; very moving.
The ending felt quite rushed and incomplete, which is why I don't give the book 5 stars – I feel there could've been done more, but I enjoyed the reading experience a lot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, Addiction, Blood, Death, Toxic relationship, and Drug use

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Vomit, Hate crime, Blood, Cancer, and Grief

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

rhall19's review

challenging dark emotional reflective 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: Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Child death, Death, and Cancer

Moderate: Abandonment and Addiction

voicenextdoor's review

dark sad medium-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? Yes

3.75

This was a tough read. Be sure to check the content warnings

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Racial slurs, Racism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, and Abandonment

reachingforstardust's review

dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Racism, Addiction, Cancer, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Police brutality, Drug use, Grief, Physical abuse, Blood, Gun violence, Gore, Death of parent, Death, Abandonment, and Animal death

Minor: Rape

maxgardner's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This is a grueling story about family and generational trauma, and the larger trauma and rippling effects of racism and white supremacy. It is a story of coming of age, of accepting who you are and who you are not, told in alternating perspectives of primarily a mother and son with a very strained relationship. Jesmyn Ward’s writing is beautiful and lyrical, and she does an exceptional job of weaving the characters’ histories into the main storyline. Maybe the best way I can think to describe it is it feels very natural, like someone telling the story out loud. And I absolutely loved the aspects of magical realism throughout and the way it connected the family members through the generations, though it culminates in an ultimately confusing finale that took me rereading the final couple of chapters to fully visualize and understand. At its core, Sing, Unburied, Sing is just a very well-told, poignant story with characters that feel alive on the page and a plot that is simple but richly realized.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Vomit, and Drug use

Moderate: Racial slurs and Abandonment

natalienance's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Police brutality, Racism, Vomit, Racial slurs, Addiction, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

booksnooksandcooks's review

dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.25

Definitely a book I could re-read and pull out parts of the text I never studied before and it could change the whole book.

Beautifully written and the magical realism is both transformative and also bone-chilling. I struggled a bit with the characters and development, but Ward presents the family in such a heart breaking way that the reader weeps alongside them.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to read magical realism.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Murder, Racism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Cancer, Child abuse, Rape, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Hate crime, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, and Child death

rexpostfacto's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Hate crime, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Racism, Pregnancy, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, and Addiction

Incarceration and servitude related to jail time

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-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

4.25

This book is really raw and hard-hitting, and it has about every trigger warning possible. It's a world that many of us who are white and middle-class don't know and have been able to ignore as the faraway south. But the issues that this family faces are solvable, and it's all of our responsibility to change policy to put those social programs in place. This book is also a great anti-"classic literature" example - it's lyrical and winding and shows that there is not one way to write.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Cancer, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Vomit, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Hate crime, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Sexual content, Addiction, Gun violence, and Murder

Minor: Abortion, Domestic abuse, and Abandonment