Reviews tagging 'Abortion'

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

34 reviews

aahalo's review

dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.25

This was the first set of short stories. I have read in a while, and the first that I had culturally identified with in a long time. These are the stories of our mothers and grandmothers and aunts. There is a sense of familiarity and a sense of sadness that comes with a familiarity. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Death of parent, Abortion, and Bullying

dcfelk's review

challenging emotional funny reflective fast-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

5.0

Tender and critical. Didn't expect to love it like I did. Especially a short story collection! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Infidelity, and Dementia

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Homophobia, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Sexual content, Abortion, and Violence

axel_p's review

challenging emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Abortion, Alcoholism, Addiction, Death of parent, Alcohol, Body shaming, Dementia, and Adult/minor relationship

grandpas_farts's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

This short story collect kept getting so much buzz. The buzzing finally became loud enough I took a bite. Happy I did! This book may be titled Secret Lives of Church Ladies, but scripture doesn't really play into the stories. This is not a "preachy" book and more of a cup of tea.

In each short story we explore the lives of various women, throughout various decades, places, life stages, and situations of life. Anyone who has grown up in/around church culture will know some of the people in a few of these stories. This collection shines a light on what happens when the gossipers hang their laundry out to dry. He who is without sin and all of that!

My favorite short story was "Instructions for Married Christian Husbands" because it connected to "Peach Cobbler". Here we have a daughter (did we ever get her name), that never wanted to turn into her mother. As we see from the article or Facebook post, whatever it is she made, she has ultimately turned into... her mother.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Infidelity, and Dementia

Minor: Cancer, Lesbophobia, Child death, Abortion, and Death of parent

clarabooksit's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Body shaming, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Pedophilia, Abandonment, Sexual content, Grief, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Racism

Minor: Abortion, Violence, Death of parent, Death, Bullying, and Murder

imogenlj's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Cursing, Dementia, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Abortion, Domestic abuse, and Rape

kendal_reads's review

challenging emotional reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Alcohol

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Dementia

Minor: Abortion

felishacb's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Addiction, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Murder

Minor: Dementia, Alcohol, Miscarriage, and Abortion

clairew97's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Murder, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Child death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship

whatthekatdraggedin's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Infidelity

Moderate: Homophobia and Alcoholism

Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, and Abortion