Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

273 reviews

chsm8's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

Moderate: Drug abuse, Animal death, Medical content, Drug use, Grief, and Mental illness

Minor: Alcohol, Cursing, Death of parent, Racism, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Death

dgolds11's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Racial slurs

readingwithgoose's review

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Drug use, Racism, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Addiction, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Religious bigotry and Suicide attempt

Minor: Animal death

hileahrious's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-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? Yes

3.75

A story of the search for meaning. And that, I find, is what makes it feel so relatable, even though the protagonist’s life experiences are nothing like mine. The quest for purpose, especially with the dis/comfort of evangelical religion mixed in, keeps you hooked on what will happen next. But not in a suspenseful way…. simply, as a reader you also become eager to discover if there is refuge for the main character Gifty, because maybe, just maybe, that means you yourself will one day find it as well.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Death

siomaii's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Racial slurs, Grief, Death, Drug abuse, and Addiction

Moderate: Death of parent and Forced institutionalization

avacadosocks's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Grief, Suicide attempt, Drug use, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Death

Minor: Death of parent

victoriawighman's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-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? Yes

5.0

the writing is incredible, the storytelling so personal. Something that will probably stay with me for a while

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Drug use

Moderate: Drug abuse

leonormsousa's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? It's complicated

4.5

I really liked this one. It is beautifully written, and the constant time jumps were done perfectly, which is something quite rare. It hooked me from the start, and I found myself wanting more at the end, even though I know this was the perfect size for this story.

Small note that I was pleasantly surprised by the queer representation in this one (MC is queer). 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Grief, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Racism, and Religious bigotry

thiccadonna's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

4.5

This was such a deep reflection on faith and belonging seen through the lense of a family of west african immigrants shattered by a certain event

(the older brother's overdose)

. Gyasi explores those feelings of alienation, from the community back "home", from the new community steeped in racism, from a God that's both all encompassing and also absent in a church that ostracizes and withholds grace from people deemed "unworthy" or "unfit", from the self after the shattering of grief, and she does so with brio. Weaving between past and present, Gyasi ponders on faith, on family, on trauma and addiction and the handling of mental health, all through the perspective of a black family, while offering this poignant and nuanced character portrait of the main character. Not an easy read but a truly engaging one.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use and Suicide attempt

gottheblues's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Drug use, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, and Addiction

Moderate: Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Racism and Sexism