Reviews tagging 'Death'

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

75 reviews

bandysbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

Going into Sing, Unburied, Sing I had never before read a Jesmyn Ward book. All I can say is that I think this book will be the start of me reading her entire backlist. Sing, Unburied, Sing is both familiar and also unlike anything I can think of that I've read before. It follows three generations of a family as they struggle with chronic illness, addiction, life choices, and the ghosts that follow them. There is a mix of real life and magical realism told with lyrical prose that creates such a unique affect.

Jojo, a young boy, and his mother Leonie are introduced as the two focal point characters and I had immediate reactions to both. Jojo is likeable. Part of me wanted to shield and protect him as I dug into the things he was experiencing. And Leonie...she was tough for me. While I logically understand that addiction is an illness, I also grew up in a family with addicts. Having experienced the inconsistency, disappointment, and heartbreak that comes when dealing with an addicted family member made me feel so much for Jojo and honestly made it hard for me to like Leonie. Suffice it to say that both characters elicited a very visceral response from me.

One of the qualities that I really loved about this book was the very beautiful description used. This story covers some very dark themes and I loved the juxtaposition of the flowery prose against it. It created a very haunting atmosphere and for me, really added to what we were witnessing on page.

My only real critique of this book is that sometimes it is easy to get a bit lost. I think, for me, this was because I got wrapped up in the beautiful description and didn't always really take in what was happening. I did have to go back occasionally and re-read chapters...but I think that's sort of part of the experience here. It's confusing and at times a little chaotic, but that's also how I think things must feel for Jojo as he navigates the story.

All in all, an excellent book and definitely the first of many that I will read by Jesmyn Ward. If you like a Southern Gothic vibe, ghost stories, and the exploration of family ties, this should absolutely be on your reading list. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Death, and Cancer

reachingforstardust's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Racism, Addiction, Cancer, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Police brutality, Drug use, Grief, Physical abuse, Blood, Gun violence, Gore, Death of parent, Death, Abandonment, and Animal death

Minor: Rape

hanhantap's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Hate crime, Grief, Death, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Police brutality, Drug use, and Racial slurs

Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Rape

averyarden's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Violence, Vomit, Child abuse, Racism, Child death, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Addiction, and Hate crime

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Sexual content

natalienance's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Police brutality, Racism, Vomit, Racial slurs, Addiction, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

abitbetterbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Death, Vomit, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, and Drug use

Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship

liferhi_inspired's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

This is a book that’s been on my shelf for a long time, I’m glad I finally got around to it. This book is HEAVY, so please check the content warnings. Sing, Unburied, Sing follows a family with three generations under one roof and the layers of trauma that each of those have faced. 

I think that this would be a great read for someone that enjoys taking a deep dive into their books. I’m not one of those people, but I think there is a lot that can be uncovered for those that do.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Death, Drug abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Animal death

anniesher23's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Death, Violence, Rape, Drug abuse, Addiction, Racial slurs, Cancer, Racism, and Child abuse

mladd28's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Murder, Rape, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Animal death, Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Vomit, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Torture, and Violence

booksnooksandcooks's review against another edition

dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.25

Definitely a book I could re-read and pull out parts of the text I never studied before and it could change the whole book.

Beautifully written and the magical realism is both transformative and also bone-chilling. I struggled a bit with the characters and development, but Ward presents the family in such a heart breaking way that the reader weeps alongside them.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to read magical realism.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Murder, Racism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Cancer, Child abuse, Rape, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Hate crime, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, and Child death