Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

35 reviews

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

---

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

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

---

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

---

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

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship

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

---

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

dios8008's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Police brutality, and Racism

socialpsysteph's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

I didn't really know anything about this one when I picked it up. I just knew it had won awards, some people were talking about it, and the cover intrigued me. Turns out, this is a multi-perspective story set in the deep south and explores themes regarding race, family, trauma, and ghosts? I was pleasantly surprised to find a nice helping of magical realism sprinkled throughout and I thought that aspect was done really well and seamlessly. 

This book counts for Popsugar 2022 for an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner and for Whateverathon II for  a book on a previous TBR, last letter -> first letter, and S's on the cover.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Cancer, Vomit, Drug abuse, Racism, and Death of parent

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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

4.25

This book is really raw and hard-hitting, and it has about every trigger warning possible. It's a world that many of us who are white and middle-class don't know and have been able to ignore as the faraway south. But the issues that this family faces are solvable, and it's all of our responsibility to change policy to put those social programs in place. This book is also a great anti-"classic literature" example - it's lyrical and winding and shows that there is not one way to write.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Cancer, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Vomit, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Hate crime, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Sexual content, Addiction, Gun violence, and Murder

Minor: Abortion, Domestic abuse, and Abandonment

atamano's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Cancer, Racism, Vomit, Death, Grief, and Gore

Moderate: Drug abuse

kellyofcali's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

3.5

A book written with shifting perspectives and narrators about a family struggling with addiction, incarceration, illness, racism, and life. It's a powerful story, and the writing style is unique and often beautiful. I struggled when it turned a bit more magical/spiritual, but it is a truly singular novel and voice.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Death, Chronic illness, Cancer, Addiction, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Racism, and Grief

Moderate: Abandonment, Gun violence, and Murder