Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

47 reviews

nemo_lacuna's review

emotional medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

relf's review

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? No

5.0

A lovely, very moving novel that is deceptively simple. In the early 1960s, a Mi’kmaw family from Nova Scotia spends summers in Maine picking berries. One August, the family's youngest child, 4-year-old Ruthie, disappears without a trace, and local police are unhelpful. The book's chapters alternate between the points of view of Joe, Ruthie's next older brother and the last to see her, and Norma, a girl who grows up in a loving but suffocating family in Maine. It's not a suspenseful plot--you see exactly where the story is going--but you become immersed in the emotional lives of the characters and the meaning of family, culture, and home. Residential schools, loss of cultural identity, and racism all come into the story, but are treated rather gently, I thought. A beautiful book by an author of both Mi’kmaw and settler ancestry.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, and Kidnapping

jillaay_h's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Violence, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

atamano's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Racism, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Cursing, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

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

estraat's review

emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Grief, and Alcohol

kimveach's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious 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

4.25

I chose to listen to this book as it was on a "great on audio list."  I've heard better narrations, but the story was great.  I think I'd have liked it even better in print.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

doublel11's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

This was a sad but compelling story. Even though the author skipped around in her timeline a bit, it still made sense and was easy to understand and keep up with. I really liked this one. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse

darumachan's review against another edition

emotional sad tense slow-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

4.0

devastating. beautiful, but so, so heavy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria