Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende

9 reviews

a_alves00's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Cancer, Gore, Grief, Abandonment, Death, Deportation, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Alcoholism, Child death, Rape, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Slavery, and Trafficking

gabster21's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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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Content Warnings

Minor: Cancer, Rape, Trafficking, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Murder, Slavery, Suicide, and Violence

puffin_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful 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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Mental illness, Murder, Trafficking, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Grief

spinesinaline's review against another edition

challenging informative 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? Yes

4.0

Well this certainly was not a traditional love story but a very enjoyable read.

I have to say, I went into this book expecting a much lighter story. This is not that and while I did enjoy the book, it took some time to adjust my expectations.

I’ve heard a lot about Allende and I would really like to read more of her work, even if this one wasn’t stellar for me. That said, I learned a lot about Chile and Guatemala’s history and I appreciated this first-person perspective on the experience of refugees and immigrants coming to America. There’s a lot of trauma in these pages, mostly reflective as this cast of characters share their histories with each other, but it can get quite graphic.

I really liked each of the three characters we get to spend time with and though it’s a traumatic recollection in part, the mystery and intrigue was a humorous addition to the story. By the latter half, it becomes clear that the book is aiming to be a love story but that felt like an odd addition, sticking out from the tone we’d had thus far, so the ending was a bit awkward for me.

I listened to this one on audio and while I enjoyed each narrator, one for the three characters, it was a bit difficult to follow dialogue. Each chapter is from the perspective of one of these characters and so for example the ‘Lucia’ narrator would read the Lucia chapter. However, the Richard and Evelyn’s dialogue within that chapter would also be read by the ‘Lucia’ narrator. I would’ve preferred if the character’s narrator for each could’ve stepped in for their respective dialogue to make it clear who was speaking.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Violence, War, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Cancer, Car accident, Death, Suicide, Trafficking, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Racism, Miscarriage, and Rape

mmonteverde's review

dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

It was such a heartbreaking tale.
Discovering each of their pasts was so beautiful. I always wanted to know more. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Domestic abuse, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual assault, Death, Child death, Rape, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Grief, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, and Trafficking

labyrinthpeach's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing sad slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Cancer and Trafficking

claudia_bow's review

emotional hopeful 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? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Blood, Cancer, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Violence

gemma's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Trafficking, and Murder

Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, Drug use, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking

hannahb's review

emotional hopeful medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Violence, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Miscarriage, Gun violence, Death, and Child death

Minor: Alcoholism and Cancer