Scan barcode
ejhurton's review against another edition
Not my favorite, felt pretty predictable but didn’t hate it and still wanted to know how it would all play out
Lots of pretty shitty characters and they lying annoys the shit out of me
Lots of pretty shitty characters and they lying annoys the shit out of me
sarah2438's review against another edition
2.0
So... why do people like this?
It's a complete non-presence for me. It's a mystery without any mystery. It's a historical fiction without any history. It's a contemporary without any real emotion. Joe kinda just sucks and Norma wasn't very fleshed out. I'm seeing reviews where people say this talks about residential schools, MMIW, loss of culture, etc. and all I have to say is... did we read the same book? These topics are barely touched on, if at all. I just don't get it. I would've DNF'd if I wasn't reading this for book club.
It's a complete non-presence for me. It's a mystery without any mystery. It's a historical fiction without any history. It's a contemporary without any real emotion. Joe kinda just sucks and Norma wasn't very fleshed out. I'm seeing reviews where people say this talks about residential schools, MMIW, loss of culture, etc. and all I have to say is... did we read the same book? These topics are barely touched on, if at all. I just don't get it. I would've DNF'd if I wasn't reading this for book club.
annie75's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.75
kendragaylelee's review against another edition
4.0
The Berry Pickers is a mystery--sort of. Less of a whodunit and more of a "what makes us ourselves" plot that needs to be untangled.
While I definitely wanted to know how in the actual hell the Norma and Joe (the two characters followed closely throughout the book) ended up where they were, narrating from their own disparate corners of the world, what really kept me invested in the book were the questions about family (what makes family? how can those ties be broken? and if they are, what does it take to repair them), forgiveness (who deserves forgiveness? how much can we be expected to forgive? what is the cost of denying forgiveness), and truth (can perspective create varying truths? Is there an absolute truth at all?).
Norma and Joe are fully developed, complicated characters--who often make choices that feel fraught, difficult, or outright wrong. And even if you choose a "side" in this narrative, Amanda Peters has made sure that even if the reader can find a villain, they can't be completely written off without compassion for some aspect of their pain.
I enjoyed the complexity of ideas that The Berry Pickers let me toss around in my brain. I also found the characters compelling enough to keep turning pages to figure out where they would end up--and how the story would be made whole in the end. Or if it even could be.
Support Bookish. Order The Berry Pickers here: https://bookshop.org/a/4334/9781646221950
While I definitely wanted to know how in the actual hell the Norma and Joe (the two characters followed closely throughout the book) ended up where they were, narrating from their own disparate corners of the world, what really kept me invested in the book were the questions about family (what makes family? how can those ties be broken? and if they are, what does it take to repair them), forgiveness (who deserves forgiveness? how much can we be expected to forgive? what is the cost of denying forgiveness), and truth (can perspective create varying truths? Is there an absolute truth at all?).
Norma and Joe are fully developed, complicated characters--who often make choices that feel fraught, difficult, or outright wrong. And even if you choose a "side" in this narrative, Amanda Peters has made sure that even if the reader can find a villain, they can't be completely written off without compassion for some aspect of their pain.
I enjoyed the complexity of ideas that The Berry Pickers let me toss around in my brain. I also found the characters compelling enough to keep turning pages to figure out where they would end up--and how the story would be made whole in the end. Or if it even could be.
Support Bookish. Order The Berry Pickers here: https://bookshop.org/a/4334/9781646221950
nancyas's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
hannasolek's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
ccassell91's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
keats1787's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
4.25