Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

47 reviews

oz2021's review against another edition

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Racism, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Grief

evalynnfarkashasanbasri's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

This was my favorite book I have read all year, no contest. It was so beautiful, sad, and full. Of suspense, sibling love, honesty, rage, and a sense of searching for home. 

Spoilers Below:
There were many parts where I could tell what might be coming, but it was written so well. I braced myself and read on, and a few moments left me reeling---Ruthie's questions about her "dreams," Charlie's death, Ben almost reuniting with her in a crowd, her miscarriage... Towards the end, I broke down and cried happy tears at seeing Ruthie reunited with what remained of her family. I was so worried the entire time I read that Joe would die before seeing his youngest sibling again, that the beginning of the story was only a hope and not reality. With a book so rife with sorrow, I was grateful for such a gentle ending. And I would like more books to read and handsell please, Amanda Peters. 💙💚💙

Also, can I just take a minute to say how gorgeous this cover is? From the first moment I saw it pre-release, I have been so drawn to this book. It did not disappoint.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Kidnapping, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

machenn's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent

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

hmih's review

challenging emotional reflective 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism

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

rachellbc's review against another edition

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

mollysmith1313's review

Reading about the mother who abducted this girl, and the family complicit with it, makes me so sick with anger. Listening to the experiences of grief surrounding deaths and lost pregnancies is really tough to listen to as well. I ended up being to overall upset at the content to continue, but I applaud the author anyway. It truly is a well-written book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, and Gaslighting

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

mynameisrebecca's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Blood, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia