Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Luster by Raven Leilani

130 reviews

leah_alexandra's review

challenging emotional reflective fast-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

I got this from the library, and was so stunned by it that I might just go out and buy a copy to keep. I thought this was a 4-star book for the first third or so, and then it just ramps right up. The writing is phenomenal, the characters are believable, the emotions are acute. Everything is rendered so finely. Leilani writes sentences that are unique and clearly her own, that a lesser writer would have struggled to make come off so naturally. Nothing felt forced, everything is felt deeply. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Drug use, Miscarriage, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal death, Infidelity, Racial slurs, and Car accident

jlucillemathis's review

dark emotional reflective 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

3.75

the plot was hard to follow at times but the prose was absolutely incredible. i did struggle to finish this book due to its rambling narrative: it reminded me of (and i mean this with the utmost respect) a longform tumblr post, but less sophomoric. lots of angst, loneliness, melancholy. descriptions that were grotesque and ripe with body horror. despite the heaviness of the themes, i couldn’t stop reading.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

pollyflorence's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

sl680's review

dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, and Death of parent

jesscoast's review

emotional tense slow-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

3.0

This is very outside my regular reading genre, but glad I picked it up. Its a windy road that doesn't really go anywhere. Many frayed, unfinished threads everywhere, but the prose is nice and it covers a few interesting themes. Enough loose ends that it's interesting enough to keep reading but I wouldn't describe any part of this book as satisfying. The collection of absurd mini stories loosely connected together that serve as a plot are for the most part entertaining any even funny. A messy book that reflects the messiness of New York City and of life in one's early 20s.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Death of parent

deenmachine's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad 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

 beautiful, dark, engrossing. Edie's wry narration is a joy to read. The sensory descriptions of New York stand out too. Other books about your early 20s make it out to be a time of fumbling but ultimately fun and adventurous. Luster digs into the darker, lonelier, precarious side of that time of life, and does it so well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage and Police brutality

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Animal death and Suicide

blessing_aj's review

adventurous challenging dark funny reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Self harm, Suicide, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Abortion, and Death of parent

masscrafter's review

dark emotional funny sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Abortion, and Death of parent

librarylurker's review

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Drug use, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Abortion, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicide, Grief, and Death of parent

tabitha_isabelle's review

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Infertility, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, Police brutality, Grief, and Death of parent