Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

11 reviews

sundayfever's review

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

I wanted to love this book, but it just didn't do it for me. There was no suspense or unexpected plot twist. I knew within the first few chapters what had happened, so it was just waiting for the whole rest of the book for the characters to figure it out. Love the setting in Downeast Maine & Atlantic Canada, and the characters were sweet. But not as engaging a read as I'd hoped. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, and Murder

Minor: Vomit

bites_of_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

The story of Ruthie and Joe is so sad and so necessary. I loved the writing and the complex characters. It would be easy to be set against the kidnapping family, but even with those characters, there was complexity throughout the book. 
Ruthie's journey is hard to read, mostly because of the gaslighting that she endures. I think many things did happen to her and she didn't get to have much agency, but that felt like a big part of the point of the story in this case. 
Joe was a potentially unlikeable character who did grow for me and his story is truly heartbreaking. His emotional journey was difficult to connect to at times but there were certain moments that were so heartfelt and real for me that I couldn't help but want to just wrap him up in a blanket.
I'd love to read more of Peters' books! I simply loved her writing, at times I was so wrapped up in it that I did forget everything that was going on around me. That's a great book for me! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol

celticthistle's review

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

teacupsandfirereads's review

emotional hopeful 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

4.5

In a year of mediocre reads, this one really stands out. Though there was no real mystery, I loved seeing the character's lives over time. The writing was strong at the same time as being accessible. The characters were varied and complex. The story held a lot of emotions. It was full of heartbreak as well as hope. I do wish more space had been given to the ending and rebuilding the bonds.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

Minor: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Abandonment

meganclaire7's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious sad fast-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

4.5

Mystery meets historical fiction vibes ~ the whole concept of this book is phenomenal and had me wanting to read more! I really liked the dual POV, however I did think the narrators were unreliable at times (which is not my fav). This book also kinda falls in the coming-of-age genre as it follows the characters throughout their life (if you’re into that) — also, def check TW before reading! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Dementia, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, and Grief

liesthemoontells's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

2.0

**I originally gave this 3 stars, but after discussing with my book club and realising the weaknesses in pacing, structure, character development and language in this book, I revise my rating to 2 stars**

Saying that you wish a book had been a different book/that a story had been told differently feels like a cop-out in a review. An author chooses the story they want to tell, and that is the story the reader receives. Amanda Peters wanted to tell the story of two siblings who were torn apart by an awful act, and how the trauma of that act was mirrored throughout their lives into adulthood and middle age. 

The problems with this are that a) the drama of the book lags in the middle as the two characters move away from their traumatic childhood, before the reckoning of mortality brings them back to it in middle age, and b) the story of Joe is ultimately not as strong or believable as that of Norma's. I think this would have been a better book had it concentrated only on Ruthie's disappearance, or

the revelation of Norma's kidnapping and reunion with her family.

Similarly, I think a multiplicity of viewpoints, such as the other siblings, or the parents, or the Ellises who owned the berry farm, would have made the story stronger.

The highlight of this book for me was the way Peters wrote the complicated, twisted, guilt-ridden love between Norma and her mother. It was painful, heartwrenching, and rang utterly true.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Genocide

littlelizzieborden's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia

asienerbrown's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

mdavis26's review

5.0

I am not okay after reading this! 😭

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad slow-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? No

5.0

There were passages I read over and over again. This is a story that takes decades to tell, and there was a constant push-pull for me: both to getting it to the conclusion I knew must be coming and to slow it down so that the story would continue.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Racism, Terminal illness, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol