Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

167 reviews

sara_o's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad tense 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

4.0

This book reads like a wood screw.  It starts with a bang and I was kind of expecting a mystery, what with the discovery of a skeleton in a well.  What I got was a story of a community that that cinches tighter and tighter and tighter as the pages turn, so that what seems to be meandering observations in the beginning come full circle in the tight, extremely satisfying  end. 

I really enjoyed it, in spite of the slow start.  I loved the characters and the balance of heartache and brutality with love, hope, and community.  There are a LOT of characters and they all were well-drawn and had their own complexities and motivations.  I didn't find it to be an easy book, but neither did I find it hard to read, in spite of the difficult subjects broached.  I really glad I picked this one up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, and Forced institutionalization

jasisreading's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism

Minor: Child abuse

elletrixie's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Violence, Ableism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Murder, Antisemitism, Rape, Medical trauma, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Death, Confinement, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Racism, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse

maddiet425's review against another edition

slow-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? It's complicated

2.5

I wanted so badly to like this book, and there were parts of it that I absolutely loved. However, there were too many characters, all with their own complex backstories for any growth or development to occur. I found that this made the story quite slow and boring. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

mizheatherhunter's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Fell in love with this book and the path a community took to create and ensure a future for a child. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Rape, Pedophilia, and Religious bigotry

doublel11's review against another edition

challenging slow-paced

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

2.25

The town and characters were interesting and mostly likeable, but I wasn't a fan of this writing style. More than half of the novel was just backstory about the characters. I didn't understand what the plot was going to be until a third of the way into it. The epilogue wrapped things up nicely, but the book started out confusing and didn't really hook me in until almost the end. This writing style was just not for me. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape and Child abuse

jordymyers's review

dark emotional reflective 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Antisemitism, Racism, Child abuse, and Sexual assault

vdspreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.5

I was really looking forward to reading this "slice of life" story. I did like the storytelling, but it was so slow. I think I wanted a pace more like Remarkably Bright Creatures or Practical Magic. To me, even though the explanations and history were needed, the pace was just too slow for me. 

The insight into the period, different cultures/customs, and how people interacted is fascinating. I thought I was going to be taken by the relationship between Dodo and Chona. It was the glimmer of humanity that Dodo and Monkeypants found that kept me reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Racism, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pedophilia, Medical trauma, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Classism, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Excrement, and Death of parent

wackydopamine's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

3.75

I would've loved it if not for the way that the women were described and for the wildly unnecessary interject of a "cell phones are evil" message in the middle of an intensely dark and sad scene.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, and Child abuse

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Hate crime, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexism, Death, Mental illness, and Excrement

elmtreebooks's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-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? It's complicated

2.5

Slow. Brutal. Not for me. Graphically, explicitly, relentlessly dark. 
My mom was reading at the same time as me and I got to a point where I stopped reading to warn her to put it down and not continue further, but it was too late for me at the point so I finished it. 

If you don’t like the first 20 pages, do not continue. Check the content warnings and take them very seriously. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Xenophobia, and Ableism