Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

78 reviews

angievansprang's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

This book does a great job with story telling and making the characters come alive off the pages. It was an incredibly sad read, especially due to the aspects of the book that are not fictional. Knowing that these things really happened to live children for years, unchecked, is a horrible thought. I’m glad this book is out there and was even able to bring clarity to some survivors.

The parts I did not love were how the author & the characters spoke about most of the Black characters. I understand that much of this book was set in 1930s Tennessee, but I found certain descriptors unnecessary and racist.

Fuck Georgia Tann and her conspirators, may they forever rot in hell!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Classism, and Child abuse

Moderate: Dementia, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Grief, and Child death

Minor: Death of parent, Alcoholism, Addiction, Suicide, Confinement, Bullying, Sexual assault, Rape, and Panic attacks/disorders

nikkilerae's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Child abuse, and Confinement

Moderate: Death, Bullying, Child death, Murder, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Grief

amkleintje's review against another edition

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping and Child abuse

Minor: Child death and Sexual assault

haleyschmitz's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad slow-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

Really did not enjoy the writing, subplots, or main character Avery. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Child death, Death, Kidnapping, and Trafficking

Moderate: Child death and Child abuse

butilikeit's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Child abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Grief, Death of parent, Dementia, and Sexual assault

Minor: Pregnancy and Suicidal thoughts

oalborn512's review

dark reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Death of parent

kitten_nuisance's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.5

I was primarily interested in the historical timeline of this book, so I guess I should have read something nonfiction on the subject instead. I did enjoy parts of this, but it was also a bit circuitous in ways? 

The modern timeline was not enjoyable, like a Southern version of a Debbie Macomber book. It’s a feat to bore me with a plot about someone trying to find out secrets that I’m already invested in!

I have to sadly say that both of these were drowned out to me by a chorus of conservative, even racist, dogwhistles. Everything an author includes in a book is a choice. Confederate roses are a choice. A character in modern day using an old, *moved* slave cabin as a workshop is a choice. Saying that your sister is glaring at you and looks like a Chinaman doing laundry is a choice. It appears that a lot of readers are fine with these choices. I will be choosing to be more cautious with my White Woman Fiction reading selections in the future.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Trafficking, and Child abuse

Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, Child death, Confinement, Dementia, Bullying, and Classism

Minor: Infertility

Adoption/adoption coercion

sarahmerfi's review against another edition

emotional tense 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? No

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Pedophilia, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, and Kidnapping

ladyaligator's review against another edition

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Grief, Trafficking, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Infertility and Dementia

Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Rape, Racism, Pedophilia, Addiction, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Police brutality

pferdina's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative 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? No

4.0

Based on true horrors of the abduction and sale of children in Memphis Tennessee between 1920 and 1950, the novel alternates back and forth in time. One story follows the Depression era story of Rill Foss and her siblings, taken from their family houseboat and then adopted by various people. Only three of them find each other again. The other story is Avery Stafford, daughter of a senator and the one who discovers her grandmother’s true history while struggling to figure out who she wants to be.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Dementia, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Classism, and Physical abuse