Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Sula by Toni Morrison

16 reviews

henrib11's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Child death, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, and Animal death

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Racism

Minor: Blood, Addiction, Excrement, Classism, War, Drug use, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Body shaming

ukponge's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Death of parent, Death, and Child death

eve81's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, Murder, Mental illness, Child death, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Grief, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Suicide

jennswan's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Racism, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Sexual content, and Death

Moderate: Mental illness, Drug abuse, and War

kirkspockreads's review

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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Child death, and Racism

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, War, Physical abuse, Cursing, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Police brutality, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Child abuse, Murder, and Sexism

Minor: Rape

earlygrey's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Murder

pergie's review against another edition

challenging dark fast-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

3.5

I know this was not written for me, about me, or with any intent to coddle me. The content is really tough but I do think that it is honest to the time/place described. That being said, I had a really hard time with the content. I liked Sula (the character) a lot, and didn’t see as much of her as I’d liked. I was confused and disheartened by the choice of vignettes that were the focus. But the prose was gorgeous. I didn’t like this book but I appreciate the craft in it. So I’m torn to give it this amount of stars! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Racism, Death, Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, and Drug abuse

alexandra_skl's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Infidelity, and Murder

booksonadventures's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Sula does so much, so beautifully that I can’t possibly address every delicious detail and metaphor. Sula receives (and deserves) a lot of recognition for its depiction of female friendship and societal expectations for women, and that’s what I expected to stay with me... However, long after I closed this book, I found myself pondering some of the parallels to today’s “canceling” and digital virtue signaling.

Consider a community brought together by their superstition and hate of one woman. And yes, Sula’s betrayal was *wrong* and she *should* be held accountable in her friendship with Nel, but the response goes beyond that… misconstruing her every action as evil because her chaos cannot be contained. In comparison, darker forces within their community (such as child neglect) are ignored. Additionally, the townspeople use Sula as an excuse to posture and perform “goodness” in opposition to her ways... though, without Sula to anchor them in hate, their true nature is exposed, and the community crumbles.

All to show that society continues to find new ways to ostracize people throughout history… Especially when those people are vibrant, wild, and unapologetic women. (Especially when those women are BIPOC.) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, and Drug abuse

funmilayo's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Violence, and Suicide

Minor: Police brutality