Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

4 reviews

abbyluvsfrogs444's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Wow. What a book. I am in awe of how amazing this is. All of these characters are so real to me, so vivid and complicated. I felt so many emotions while reading this and even though it was mostly anger or sadness, it is worth it to read. It is brilliantly written. The words flow like poetry but are still accessible and understandable. Overall, this book is fantastic and I highly recommend.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Murder, Death, Drug use, Death of parent, Blood, Child death, Gore, Grief, Racism, and Hate crime

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Cancer, Forced institutionalization, Cursing, Gun violence, and Violence

Minor: Racial slurs

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 I loved the historical references and facts; sad, but important, they added a lot to the book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.

---

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

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.

---

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

cammiem8's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

I read this for my college freshman English course and found myself looking forward to the class discussions on the book. I’d describe it as Song of Solomon meets the Odyssey, this book is a generation spanning ghost story and a fascinating character study.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Vomit, Hate crime, Police brutality, and Animal death

A lynching is a central plot point. The vomiting scene actively made me nauseous, I really suggest skipping the next two pages after the little sister starts getting sick, it’s extremely graphic. There’s also a graphic drug overdose where

the mother swallows a bag full of meth to avoid arrest and her young son has to help her detox