Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

54 reviews

marielulus's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.75

Not quite 5 because I had a hard time following at times, but such an amazing book. I empathised deeply with the characters, even if Leonie was a hard-to-love character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Vomit

golelifsu's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

deirdrelk's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

A profound book that manages to be  gut-wretching and beautiful at the same time. While Ward is in a class of her own, fans of Gabriel García Márquez and Toni Morrison will find a home in her work.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Slavery, Violence, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, and Child abuse

katherine_kelley's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

I mean… of course it’s five stars. I can’t wait to discuss the end in class. Such a poignant and strikingly resonant story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Torture, and Violence

miamon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Murder

taratearex's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

 First read 2018: Wow, I loved this. Lyrical, vivid, heavy, and emotional, but beautiful, I was so drawn in to the story that I just consumed it so quickly, like I never came up for air. So I think I'd like to listen to the audiobook too, also this would be great for a book club, so please read it and then discuss it with me! Looking forward to finding her other books and reading those.

Reread 2024: Wow, it's taken me a while to reread this, in the meantime I've read all of her other books. I remembered very little once I actually started reading this again. I also did the audiobook along with my physical copy. The audiobook was really good, loved the voice actors- I looked them up and I don't think they've done other books or I'd seek out more from them. I will say that even though the audiobook was really well read, I think I personally enjoyed reading the physical book more just based on the prose, I think it just works better for me to sink into the writing that way. A beautiful, haunting, and heartbreaking story, don't pick up a Jesmyn Ward book unless you are ready for it to break you apart, but it's so worth it. Her characters always feel so painfully real that I think about them long after closing the book.  Also, note the content warnings, this book is very graphic, particularly with the deaths that occur.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

chandranolynne's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, and Vomit

quicksilver's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective 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

4.75

This book is lyrical and is so full of issues to unpack. The characters are rich and fully developed, with a real sense of connection. The book has JoJo at the heart but it builds the world of the living and the dead in a powerful way. I would love to read Kayla’s coming of age story. I would also read a whole book about the unburied dead, those who died without peace, and their life straddling the spirit world and the land of living. 

I think I loved its strong sense of place most and what it means to belong is threaded throughout. The natural elements and how it ties to the theme of nature vs. nurture was extremely impactful. The idea that nature heals and the importance of a balanced ecosystem is paralleled with the importance of a balanced internal world. I could read this over again. 

This intergenerational saga is also key - this novel really brings Southern rural black life to light in a way I haven’t seen before, while exploring the theme of multiracial children and how they find their place in that backdrop. 

The descriptions are dynamic: they made me sad and made me hopeful and taught me some perspective on common themes. The dynamic of struggle in relationships and the emotions people feel but don’t speak are laid out for examination. 

It was a good read, deserving of all the praise heaped on it. Why are you still reading this? Go get your hands on it and read it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Police brutality

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Toxic friendship

ananamauvais's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-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: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Gun violence, and Medical content

caprivoyant's review against another edition

3.5

Ouch. This book hurt to read.

I just... where's the child neglect content warning? I'll just lump it under child abuse. Yeeks.

Was it beautifully written? 100%
Did I think it was a beautifully crafted novel? Definitely.
Would I ever recommend it to anyone else? Probably not.

I'm gonna go journal. Or do some inner-child work. Or... something.

Ow.


⚠️ PS: the police brutality CW below has to do with slavery-like conditions and punishments (whipping, for example) in a prison. That was the best CW I had for it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Racism, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, and Death of parent

Minor: Rape