Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

23 reviews

emma_sky's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Pedophilia

Moderate: Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Excrement, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Antisemitism, Rape, and Murder

Minor: Terminal illness, Slavery, Alcohol, and Mass/school shootings

acashton's review against another edition

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Antisemitism, Sexual assault, Racism, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Death, Rape, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Death of parent and Death

greenan26's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Grief, Chronic illness, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Antisemitism, Racism, Classism, Death, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Ableism, Excrement, Pedophilia, Rape, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Cursing, and Violence

Minor: Alcohol

ewillreadit's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Racism, Terminal illness, and Slavery

Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, and Child abuse

lets_book's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.25

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store is an intriguing examination of the small town of Chicken Hill in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. The narrative opens with Malachi, an old Jewish man, being questioned about a skeleton found in a well with items linked to him. From here, Malachi details how he came to know the local theatre owner Moshe and his wife Chona, owner of the Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, the epicenter of a rich and diverse community. The couple help their friend, Nate, hide his nephew, Dodo, a deaf boy who lost his mother and whom the government is seeking to place into Pennhurst mental asylum. The arrangement  goes well until Dodo intervenes to protect Chona from an attack and ends up caught by the police. The aftermath of this climactic moment spans beyond the modest store, implicating all in the community who knew each of those present. Narratives are twisted by prejudice and cruel lies while the truth rests with those whose perspectives are dismissed by authorities for arbitrary assumptions. The story rounds off beautifully as these characters’ individual stories resolve and all that remains is the skeleton, which is only discovered years later and which holds the memory of that unique slice of time.

This is an extremely vague overview because I don’t want to spoil any major developments! I highly recommend you read this if you enjoy: 

• Heavy emphasis on characters and their relationships with one another. They are developed so meticulously and you understand more about how the town operates with these intertwined narratives. 
• Race relations and how they impact the outcome of a story. The tensions between white people and the Black and Jewish community play a significant role in how each character is perceived by one another. The injustice of what happens with Dodo reveals how power, control, and discrimination shape the outcome of a situation. We see one man with power upend the lives of the disadvantaged around him, all for his own sick motives.
• Witty and engaging dialogue. The conversations between these characters paint a picture of who they are. 
• Bleak situations balanced by lively characters, everyday depictions and humorous quips. 

I really enjoyed this book and while there are a lot of people and stories to keep track of, I took my time with it, immersing myself in the story and getting to know each of the characters. And wow, it was so worth it. Please do yourself a favor and pick this up. A week or two has passed since I’ve finished the book and I’m still thinking about it! 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and Terminal illness

courtneybsmith's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, and Vomit

zombiezami's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.5

I read McBride's memoir about himself and his Jewish mom years ago. It's wonderful to see how, in addition to research, he clearly pulled from aspects of his upbringing in crafting this book. I will say that, although I liked the connection to USAmericans being on stolen land, this would have been a stronger theme if there were any indigenous characters, which there weren't, as far as I remember.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Excrement, Sexual assault, Confinement, Medical trauma, Terminal illness, Child death, Pedophilia, Antisemitism, Cancer, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Medical content, Child abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Violence, Stalking, Grief, Cursing, and Outing

Moderate: Mental illness, Colonisation, Infertility, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death of parent, Alcohol, and Misogyny

Minor: War and Slavery

katie_thrives's review against another edition

challenging inspiring mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

I wanted to love this so bad. The Color of Water is one of my all time favorites, and I went into this with high expectations. Because of that, AND because this book is EVERYWHERE. 

I just didn’t. I found myself unable to connect and kept setting it down. 

Overall, it felt pretty scattered, there were so many characters, and the resolution was anti-climactic. While a realistic portrayal, I just wanted more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Terminal illness, Racism, and Racial slurs

lindseyph's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Antisemitism, Death, Racism, and Sexual harassment

lsinfield's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Hate crime, Murder, Excrement, Death of parent, Antisemitism, Classism, Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, Racial slurs, Racism, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Child abuse