Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Go as a River by Shelley Read

28 reviews

alyssatuininga's review

emotional 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: Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Grief

Minor: Addiction, Blood, Car accident, Hate crime, War, Death of parent, Death, Miscarriage, Animal cruelty, Violence, Pregnancy, Animal death, and Infertility

hilhawk's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

What an incredible story, of resilience, of love, of loss..... It was absolutely devastating and heartbreaking in so many ways, but I couldn't put it down even though I was absolutely wrecked.  
I wish I could go back and read this for the first time again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Child death and Death of parent

sophiestasyna'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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Death of parent and War

greatexpectations77's review

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

I have about 4K words of thoughts about this that are more appropriate for elsewhere, but I am absolutely baffled that other reviews didn't mention the fact that this book uses violence against a Native person to prompt personal growth from a white woman. Wil shows up, gets called slurs, has no characterization,

gets Tori pregnant, is vaguely magical, and then dies in less than 100 pages. He only exists to be pined for as like an ethereal being. He is written as essentially something other than human who also provided a baby.

it made me REALLY uncomfortable. Also, I felt like the end was a whole different story that got tacked on. I just cannot believe Read talked to Native folks before writing this book, as she states in her acknowledgements. Because I really feel like she just went and checked off all the tropes of writing about Native people in the kind of "magical Negro" trope. The character is there to further the story, but they're not really a full person. I'm just really mad about this. First time I've been burned by a blind date with a book. Sigh. The action kind of trickles out too. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Abandonment, Bullying, and Child death

Moderate: Pregnancy, Racism, Toxic relationship, Classism, Murder, Blood, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Minor: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Sexual content, War, and Death of parent

mthereader's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Racism, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Abandonment, Miscarriage, Death, Grief, and Infertility

Minor: War

katharina90's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.0

A slow, sad, reflective book with interesting themes, some of which I wish had been explored more (or differently). Some elements of the story felt rushed or underdeveloped. At times it also just dragged.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Racism, and Hate crime

Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Fatphobia

Minor: War, Ableism, Animal death, Colonisation, Animal cruelty, and Miscarriage

alexisgarcia's review

emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

this was so so disappointing. the characters are incredibly one dimensional and stereotypical, the plot is incredibly unbelievable and boring, and the author used the singular Indigenous American character is barely featured and simply used to further the main characters story and then thrown away. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Colonisation, Murder, Grief, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Racism, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Abandonment, Blood, Pregnancy, War, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, and Violence

rudy23's review

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Minor: Drug use, Car accident, and Death of parent

erinwea's review

adventurous challenging emotional 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

4.25

Beautifully written. Loved the
Colorado history and geography.  A little too much trauma for 5 stars, but overall redemptive.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Grief, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Violence, Alcoholism, Hate crime, Death of parent, Bullying, Murder, and Racism

maryfranvs's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Racism, Death of parent, Death, Hate crime, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Car accident, Chronic illness, Sexism, Miscarriage, Drug use, War, Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia

Minor: Sexual content and Infertility