Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Don't Cry for Me: A Novel by Daniel Black

36 reviews

lea's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Racism, Terminal illness, Rape, Cancer, Homophobia, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Alcoholism and Slavery

jaceebenefield's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

This book made me cry & think about family in a lot of ways. I loved it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

buttermellow's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence and Homophobia

Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, Cancer, Death of parent, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Bullying

Minor: Infidelity and Medical content

lindsloveslit's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Shout out to @mea.booknook (on IG) for the buddy read via @the.storygraph. Having someone to talk through the heaviness of the book with was something I didn't know I was going to need. 💜 Y'all, this book was captivating - so much so that I stayed up late to read it (& sleep is my favorite, so this is saying a lot). It was heart breaking, but it also reminded me that I love historical fiction. It left me almost speechless - the perspective it gives is not one often told, and it is IMPORTANT. That said, it felt incomplete. I missed the son and the mothers perspective, and I WANT A SEQUEL with their thoughts and point of view. 🤞🏽
Some of my favorite quotes were:

"...this record of a poor Black father's appeal, is what any dying daddy might say to his son... Many of them were handed so little, yet expected so much. They gave more than they had, but less than we need."

"Now I see why you and your mother read so much. It makes you think, makes you see things you can't see, and that was my problem. I had all kinds of opinions ,but I couldn't see a damn thing."

"The more I thought about it, the more hurt I became. Hurt is worse than anger, you know. Anger dwells in the head, then fades. Hurt lingers in the soul. It arranges your feelings without your permission. It binds you."

"The day I finished the book, I closed it slowly. It had opened my eyes as if, my entire life, I'd been asleep. I'd never known I could decide how to live, how to be in this world. Never knew I had the right."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Moderate: Abortion and Infidelity

danileah07's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Child abuse, Racism, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Suicide

Minor: Animal cruelty and Abortion

larebe's review against another edition

emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

bookworm247's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Slavery, Bullying, and Death of parent

Minor: Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Animal death, and Infidelity

edensbookshelf's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Misogyny, Abortion, Ableism, Sexism, and Death of parent

mcz_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-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

3.5

I appreciated the perspective of Don't Cry for Me. Jacob is of a generation concerned more with survival than self-improvement, and the letters he writes to his gay son, Isaac, offer depth and nuance that I don't often see in literature when it comes to flawed fathers. This book offers context without justifying the harm Jacob caused; however, I would have liked to see more validation of how he his wife, Rachel, and Isaac. Jacob's remorse seems to stem more from his loneliness than in his acceptance that he was wrong. I would have liked to see more in general. The epistolary format of the novel was a unique approach and made a quick read of Jacob's life, but I think some non-letter chapters would have added depth to the story. I would have liked to see a little of Isaac's perspective. The writing style is suited to the book's format; it is plain-spoken to match Jacob's character, but Black does no shy away from literary flair when it adds to the story.

I did like this book and I would recommend others pick it up if they are interested. However, I think the people who would benefit most from it--fathers entrenched in toxic masculinity--would be the hardest to convince to read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Child death, Homophobia, Grief, Child abuse, and Death

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, and Death of parent

mkzach's review against another edition

emotional 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: Homophobia, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Child abuse, Child death, Alcoholism, Abortion, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse