Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

103 reviews

a_alves00's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Torture, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicide, and War

catwhisperer's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Classism, Confinement, Grief, Excrement, Mental illness, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, War, Abandonment, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Racism, Violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Trafficking, Vomit, Xenophobia, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, and Sexual assault

waterbear0821's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This is a really beautiful book. It’s also brutal, but—particularly if you are a white American—don’t let that deter you. Sometimes fiction can make hard truths even more true and this book feels absolutely true. The story is told as one chapter for each character as you move generation by generation into the near present. At first it was a bit of a challenge because I felt like a was missing so much jumping over years (not to mention that it was, no spoiler warning needed I hope, incredibly violent and horrific because it’s about the slave trade). However, as I got into it, I found the generational snapshots to be very effective and more than sufficient for me to be invested in the characters. The writing is wonderful. The story is terrible and beautiful and, in the end, hopeful. Whether you know a lot or not much about the history of slavery in Africa and America and its lingering generational scars, highly recommend this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Trafficking, Racism, Murder, Racial slurs, Child death, Slavery, and Death of parent

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, War, Torture, and Sexual violence

waybeyondblue's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Racism, Trafficking, Death, Slavery, Colonisation, Torture, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, War, Sexual content, Rape, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Pregnancy

Minor: Vomit

bashsbooks's review

challenging emotional 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? No

5.0

I don't have words for how incredible Homegoing is. The blurb cannot do justice to the journey it takes you on. Two Ghanaian half-sisters with divergent paths (one as a wife to a white colonizer and slaver, the other captured and sold into slavery) is only the beginning. This book follows Effia and Esi's lineage for seven generations, one line primarily in Ghana and one line primarily in the United States. It is a sizzering, raw, unflinchingly honest depiction of the experience and the legacy of the slave trade, in all its awful minutia; the creation and the evolution of the systems that still oppress black people. Truly, I've never seen a clearer depiction of generational trauma. It's incredible. That's all I can say. Cannot recommend enough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Vomit, and War

Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, Suicide, Mental illness, and Ableism

Minor: Car accident and Medical content

c_serpent's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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 book was truly sensational.

Total score: 5/5 stars 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Colonisation, Classism, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Slavery, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Racism, Confinement, War, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Pregnancy, and Trafficking

seaschells's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Addiction, Drug abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death of parent, and War

scifi_rat's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

Plot: 5★
Prose: 4.5★
Pace: 5 ★
Concept/Execution: 5★/5★
Characters: 4.75★
Worldbuilding: 4.75★
Ending: 4.75★

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Racism, and Slavery

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Classism, Excrement, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Addiction, Drug use, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, War, Blood, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Domestic abuse

beetandbaguette's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Racism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, War, Rape, Torture, Drug use, Slavery, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

mx_sunshine's review against another edition

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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Violence, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Vomit, Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, War, Abandonment, Bullying, Drug abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Torture, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Trafficking

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Car accident and Suicide