Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - The Family

Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

one_to_fifty_two's review

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

I loved this debut novel. The Family is a story about friendship, secrets, love, mystery, and corruption. It's centered around the lives of two best friends, Antonia & Sophia, from 1928-1948. It tells the story of how they grew up together and within the wall of the "family", an Italian mafia group which is lead initially by a man only known as Uncle Tony. The girls face dilemmas together including the death of Antonia's father, the rise of Sophia's father to power, falling in love with family men, building a family, having children, and choosing a career path.

The writing of this novel was captivating. I highly recommend the audio of this one. I also loved that this mafia, historical fiction centered around women instead of men. Unique Perspective!

Content Warnings

brdoyle08's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

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

2.75

Content Warnings

cassielaj's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This book is a lovely story of friendship, family, and identity.

Content Warnings

notabookseller's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional sad tense 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

I absolutely love this book, more than I would’ve ever expected to; I know how that sounds and that’s not how I mean it I mean it like it’s different than what I thought it was going to be and therefore I love it in a different way. Why am I justifying myself to you it’s my review, you should read this book it’s amazing, moving on.

The writing style is very neutral and omnipotent, but it still hooks you and envelopes you in the story and the world; it’s engaging and accessible and makes you want to keep reading.

This is very much a character book far more than it is a plot book, which totally works for me because that’s what I prefer anyway.

These characters are thoughtful and well-developed and it’s so easy to fall in love with each and every one of them. Following Sofia and Antonia’s lives and friendship over twenty plus years, since childhood, was truly an experience; once you get past a certain point in the story and you think back to the earlier chapters it’s like you’re reliving your own memories; it feels like a different whole lifetime even though you only read it a few days ago.

This is Naomi Krupitsky’s debut novel and she really knocked it out of the park with this one. I am so excited to see what else she has in store for us.

Content Warnings

tadow's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious reflective slow-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? Yes

4.0

I can see why some people love this book. It truly created a unique world and Brooklyn community that made you sympathize with an otherwise, morally corrupt system. By taking the POV of women in the Italian mafia, Krupitsky introduces a lot of themes about motherhood and femininity in a masculine space.

Sofia and Antonia are a pair of plutonic soulmates, and their heart beats throughout the book. I would even venture to say it is one of the strongest friendships I have ever read. Combined with the WWII setting and immigrant roots, this view of the American Dream was very insightful to read.

My critiques are along the lines of the structure of the story. I would say it is slow paced, but not painfully slow. What drags the book is the lack of dialogue. In a book that had such maternal characters and focuses, I felt like we spent quite a bit of time in the minds of men, which made it feel less realistic. Information asymmetry didn't really exist, which is what threw a wrench in it for me.

The Family is a great book to have open discussions about, and will lead to lively conversations about past and current topics that are essential to understanding the American experience. I can't wait to see what else Krupitsky puts out in the future, and to read some of her other work.

Content Warnings

valerie's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional medium-paced

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

4.25

Content Warnings

bekkasbookclub's review against another edition

Go to review page

slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

This is a coming-of-age story of two best friends, Sofia and Antonia, growing up in 1920s-1940s Brooklyn, who are daughters of men in the Italian mob. Things change for the families when Antonia's father goes "missing.' The girls grow up, become women, marry, have children, and must come to terms with the life they have been born into.
I went into this book expecting a little more Goodfellas vibes but got something really different. I did enjoy seeing this story told from the perspective of Sofia and Antonia, daughter of member of the Family. It is pretty clear that their father are involved in some shady business but the central focus are the conflicts that the girls face. The men in the story come across as the good guys just trying to "help people." We get the sense that everyone would have chosen a different path in life, had they been given the opportunity. This is a good historical fiction about friendship and family, with a little mafia vibes throughout.

Content Warnings