Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul

20 reviews

lindsaybethlyons's review against another edition

dark informative sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Beautifully weaves historical truths into a compelling narrative that bounces between present and past. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Racism, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Police brutality, Pregnancy, and Alcoholism

Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Child death, Cancer, and Abortion

aposthuma's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring 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

3.25

This book tackled a lot of heavy issues. Overall it was an enjoyable read and would definitely make a great book club read, but the present-day POV at the beginning really dragged, and I had a hard time keeping up with so many characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Violence, Alcoholism, Hate crime, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Abandonment, Chronic illness, Body shaming, Cancer, Racial slurs, Child death, Grief, Death of parent, Drug use, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

csl4240's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

When I read the synopsis originally, I thought this would be closer to TJR’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and was so excited. I was expecting the glitz and glam of stardom like Seven Husbands offered. I was a bit disappointed and thought this book blew over that. It mainly talked about what money could get you and the power money held but not so much the celebrity side of it. Idk if that makes sense. This book started off really slow for me, to the point I almost stopped reading. I’m glad I kept going as it did get progressively better!

it’s heartbreaking to imagine the choices each mother made in this story. Each mother was doing what they thought was best for their descendants based on the times. Each one suffered and hurt at the loss of their daughter, while also suffering the loss of their respective mothers. No one walked away unscathed in this story and it shows how times have changed but also still stays the same.

this was not my favorite book and I found the writing to be a bit ostentatious especially at first, like the author was trying to hard. It did eventually settle down but it did discourage me in the beginning. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief and Racism

Minor: Death, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

soobooksalot's review against another edition

informative reflective tense 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Grief, Racism, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, and Rape

iamloreal's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative mysterious 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? No

2.75

This book was a slow start for me. It took a while for me to get a true feel for what the book was about because for almost a quarter of the book it had nothing to  do with Elise St. John or her family, their backstory, etc. I wish the author would have just focused on Kitty’s life because her character saved this story.

I appreciate the lengths the author went through to depict life for black people post slavery, and the struggle for those that could pass. How their treatment from those in community with them shaped their views of themselves and how painful decisions were often made to secure chances at a better life. 

I was let down, though, by the author’s attempt to bridge these timelines together. Elise’s storyline felt like more of an afterthought. Kind of how you’re eating a meal and you get to a small bit on the plate that needs a little seasoning. There were so many questions I had that won’t be answered. Why was the St. John family dynamic strained? Who else knew the secrets? What happened with the investigation? And what happened to the other characters from Kitty’s side of the story? 

All in all, this book was ok. I’m glad I opted for the audiobook over a physical copy because it would’ve been a DNF. 🥴

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Abortion, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Bullying, Racial slurs, Rape, Classism, Grief, Death, and Racism

mal_reads_books's review

challenging emotional informative 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? No

2.25

This story had great potential, but it needed a better editor.

The writing was messy, disjointed, and oddly paced. The two storylines didn't mesh well, and the transitions between Kitty's and Elise's chapters were jarring. There was a lot more telling and info-dumping than showing. There were too many characters and subplots that didn't add value to the plot, especially in the present day. The first two chapters were the worst. I had to reread parts and was ready to quit the book early, but I stuck with it because this was the book club's pick of the month. Kitty's parts were more readable and interesting than Elise's, but still had the aforementioned issues.

I would have enjoyed this more had Elise's parts been eliminated. I understand why the author included the modern timeline, but Kitty's story would've been fine alone, with maybe an epilogue with the St. Johns. I also would have liked to see more of Kitty's acting career and later life and was disappointed her chapters ended in the 1960s. The ending felt rushed and anticlimactic, leaving a lot of loose ends.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Rape, Sexism, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Body shaming, and Classism

Minor: Vomit and Blood

mdal26's review against another edition

emotional 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

3.5

I loved the concept, the story and the characters. Kitty and her friends were interesting and kept me engaged. 

That being said, I wish that the storyline in the present had gone deeper - I forgot at times that the story had two timelines because there was a strong focus on the past, and the present felt disconnected at times. In particular, at the end, I wanted to understand the impact and implications of what had happened in the past on the present day characters.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Death of parent, Police brutality, Slavery, Colonisation, Rape, Alcoholism, Cancer, Classism, Bullying, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Racism, Grief, Racial slurs, Death, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, and Abortion

abicaro17's review

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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

3.5

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Its just kinda meh. The story itself is cool! Kitty is a black woman passing as white and paving her way in Hollywood as a white woman. Shes inspiring and clearly talented but unfortunately her character development later in the book falls flat. The whole end of the book feels rushed compared to the intricate stories about how Kitty made it in Hollywood. I think it would benefit from like 100 more pages of either present day Elise content or Kitty with Elise from her pov. They just seem very disconnected for a close relationship.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Police brutality, Abandonment, Alcohol, Cancer, Death, Hate crime, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Medical content, Violence, Body shaming, Classism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, and Vomit

kkulhannie's review

emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Racism, Slavery, Abortion, Abandonment, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Vomit, Rape, Sexism, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Child death, Infidelity, Stalking, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Addiction, Hate crime, and Pregnancy

nehaanna's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative medium-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

4.5

I loved the pace of this book and its themes, but characters like the St. John family fell so flat. They were one dimensional at best. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Racism, and Police brutality

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Rape, Slavery, and Sexual assault

Minor: Alcohol, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Eating disorder, Addiction, Abortion, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Child death, Grief, Infidelity, and Infertility