Reviews with content warning for Dementia - Stora vackra liv

Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

Stora vackra liv by Emily Henry

93 reviews

monalyisha's review against another edition

4.25

emotional funny hopeful reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

At the broken (and healing) heart of this story are family dynamics and, more specifically, the hidden, tremulous, and deep-seated feeling that you don’t belong — that your family may love you but that they don’t really like you. It’s an awful anxiety, too tender to poke at, and maybe one that we’ve all felt. I know I have. I know my husband has. I know we’ve talked about it and fought about it.

In the words of the poet Philip Larkin, ”They fuck you up, your mum and dad. / They may not mean to, but they do. / They fill you with the faults they had / And add some extra, just for you.” The parents in this short poem are looked at with tenderness as much as blame. And, in the final stanza, he writes that “[misery] deepens like a coastal shelf.”

It’s almost like Henry used the poem as a template for her novel, given its island setting, and then came to an altogether different conclusion than the droll warning proffered by the poet. Maybe it’s the difference in an American perspective versus a British one. We can’t help our naive optimism despite the *preponderance* of evidence to the contrary. Fortunately, this is the correct stance for a literary romance novel to take.

I know reviews have been mixed for Henry’s latest book but it punched me in the gut, quickened my pulse, and made my heart flutter. I suppose that *is* a mixed reaction…but certainly not an apathetic one.

Small criticisms include: minor pacing problems. The end, in particular, felt rushed. I’m sure she was aware that the book was already longer than her readers expect from her. Also, for a story so concerned with the love between siblings, Alice’s sister & Hayden’s brother (especially, considering…!) were barely wisps on the page. That said, all three main stories — Alice & Hayden’s, Margaret’s, and Alice’s relationship with her parents — were expertly and gracefully balanced, which is quite a feat when so much could have been fumbled.

I’d like to give a special shout-out to the joke about Cosmo going from being “the poor man’s Elvis” to “the rich man’s Elvis” after he married into the Ives’ family fortune. Very witty, Emily. Top notch. ;) And it was very sexy, of course, per usual!

Content Warnings

jg93's review against another edition

3.25

emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

justinepatel's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

kailiyahknight's review against another edition

3.0

emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

novelsally's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I had to keep on reminding myself this was Emily Henry and not Taylor Jenkins Reid. Not that that was a bad thing.
Loved the final parts with Alice’s parents story and choosing love.

Content Warnings

literary_heather's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

So good, very "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo"-esque but happier. Less Rom-com than her other books, more romantic fiction. Heartbreaking and healing at the same time. Wonderful.

Content Warnings