Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Bolo Negro by Charmaine Wilkerson

88 reviews

heyitsroozu's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-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

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nadiaherondale's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Such a beautiful tale of family, love and friendship, the narrative was enchanting and the premise very interesting. I had been putting off reading this book for no other reason that I didn't feel in the mood, and I'm very glad that I finally decided to go for it because I know this is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time 5/5
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susanmshay's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

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eflood1029's review against another edition

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

3.0

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sundayfever's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is a slow burn - at first I wasn't convinced, but by the end I was hooked. It's remarkably well paced, which feels rare these days. The reveals of the characters history are slow but build together in such a magical way. By the end I couldn't help being invested in their story. It's well researched and very intentionally written. 
This is a wonderful story about people of Jamaican, Chinese, British and American heritage who defy odds and expectations to create new lives for themselves. 
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kaitlyns_katalog's review against another edition

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emotional 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

4.0

I enjoyed this read. I like books that bounce timelines and characters POVs but this book did it so much it might be hard to keep track if you're a reader who takes longer breaks between picking your book up. I liked the historical perspectives much better than the present. The children's characters Benny and Byron were a little flat. But I really enjoyed the historical Carribean aspect which was a welcome change in my reading.
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remindmetoread's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I do like this story. I enjoyed the book. I rarely find myself picking up books that are set in the Caribbean and it's so beautiful to feel that vibe in a story and see your culture and history on the page. I loved the book for this. The drama was there. The family was chaos. I just didn't feel attached to it. I started the book loving the short chapters, but now that I'm done I feel it didn't give me time to settle into particular moments. The chapters were short AND switched POV's with each chapter, so it didn't feel like I was really welcomed into the story to get to know Benny and Byron. I don't think I really cared for anyone in particular, maybe Pearl. Towards the end, the author was wrapping up everything in a neat bow and I was finding myself wishing that the ending wasn't perfect. I wasn't expecting a feel-good story after everything and that's pretty much what you get. Eleanor is dead and she gets everything she wanted from the grave. I sort of wish she left the reader wondering.
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kmaffett's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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daintydoe's review against another edition

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slow-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

1.0

I can’t remember the last time I was so disappointed in a book. The author seemed really focused on trying to shock the reader rather than develop her characters. The things that needed explanations were ignored & the things that didn’t were over explained. 
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aschmitttyy's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective slow-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

4.25

This book follows the story of a female main character, told through a recording to her children after she passes away. This woman has lived 4 lives, and up until this point, her children only know about one of them. It's a story about a child from the Caribbean who escapes the island to create a better life for herself, death, rebirth, family and friendship, unwanted pregnancy, adoption, all wrapped up with racial issues that drive most of the plot. It was a slow start, but in the end, I really enjoyed it. 
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