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poetryotter's review
5.0
What I really enjoyed about this book is that you don't just get told how Flynn feels, you feel it yourself. The descriptions throw you in the story, and it didn't take much for my imagination to take over, and I could see the story happening.
I actually enjoyed this one much more than the sequel, the ending is much more full of hope, and it feels like he could be happier and have an OK life.
I also love how his friends don't abandon him, as a lot of people think mental illness is this awful contagious thing that can never get better. In the book, his friends want to help him and they don't change their views on him just because he's bipolar.
I actually enjoyed this one much more than the sequel, the ending is much more full of hope, and it feels like he could be happier and have an OK life.
I also love how his friends don't abandon him, as a lot of people think mental illness is this awful contagious thing that can never get better. In the book, his friends want to help him and they don't change their views on him just because he's bipolar.
caffeineaddict980's review
5.0
Another book from one of my favourite authors!
I found Tabitha Suzuma's books in secondary school, Forbidden was the first book by her that I had read and then I went in search for more!
Flynn is a student at a elite music university/college and it's always a fight to be a top student.
He struggles on throughout it and after a few breakdowns, discovers that he has Bipolar Disorder/Manic Depression.
This book is one of my favourites because of the honest portrayal of mental illness and how people struggle with it day to day.
I would rate this book five stars!
Looking forward to reading the next installment.
I found Tabitha Suzuma's books in secondary school, Forbidden was the first book by her that I had read and then I went in search for more!
Flynn is a student at a elite music university/college and it's always a fight to be a top student.
He struggles on throughout it and after a few breakdowns, discovers that he has Bipolar Disorder/Manic Depression.
This book is one of my favourites because of the honest portrayal of mental illness and how people struggle with it day to day.
I would rate this book five stars!
Looking forward to reading the next installment.
joyousreads132's review
4.0
Have you ever wondered how madness begin? Is it really just a chemical imbalance that a mere prescribed pill can stave off? Since he was four years old, Flynn had always known music is in his future. Some could consider him as a virtuoso - but that's not how he sees himself. His days are a cycle of crippling depression and brilliant music composition. When he was chosen to play at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall, pressure builds to an explosive point as he struggles to keep his insanity away.
Reading Flynn's descent to madness was interesting. Tabitha Suzuma seemed to be well acquainted, clinically and emotionally with what happens to a person suffering from having a bipolar disease. She's able to paint a pretty visceral picture of the steady decline of Flynn's mind. The suffocating need to burst into tears, the intermittent mood swings and the constant second-guessing of what's real and what's imagined. No. Flynn did not suffer any delusions brought on by his madness. What I meant was that he constantly questioned the authenticity of his musical brilliance - because some days, he couldn't even decipher a single note and on a good day, he could compose a whole opera. It was heartbreaking to see such a gifted mind go to waste.
My only problem, and keep in mind that this is a personal problem, is that there happened to be a disconnection between the character and his actual emotions. I say this is a personal problem simply because I'm not a fan of third person POV. I always find it impersonal and cold. I wanted to feel whatever it was he was feeling but couldn't because being told of what he was going through is entirely different from being "one" with Flynn. The same goes when Flynn's on a high. I can easily picture him on hyper-speed but I didn't feel the heart-pounding adrenaline that goes along with it. Unfortunate, really because a book with this theme requires the reader's fully vested emotions for an even better reading experience.
Tabitha Suzuma is an author whose books are something that I've always been intimidated to read. This was sort of a baptism of fire for me. I was hoping it would ease me into reading more of her works because rumour has it that hers are not for the faint of heart. And in a way, I'm glad that I picked this one. Please don't misunderstand; I think this book would still put any reader (other than me) through the wringer. If Forbidden was written in the same fashion, then perhaps it won't be so bad. But somehow, I highly doubt that there's enough heart breaking books that could prepare me for her more well-known work. I've had this book on my shelves since it came out but I'm just too cowardice to dive in.
All in all, this book was a great introduction to Suzuma's works. It eased my discomfiture some...but I think I'm going to have to psych myself a bit more to pick up Forbidden next.
Reading Flynn's descent to madness was interesting. Tabitha Suzuma seemed to be well acquainted, clinically and emotionally with what happens to a person suffering from having a bipolar disease. She's able to paint a pretty visceral picture of the steady decline of Flynn's mind. The suffocating need to burst into tears, the intermittent mood swings and the constant second-guessing of what's real and what's imagined. No. Flynn did not suffer any delusions brought on by his madness. What I meant was that he constantly questioned the authenticity of his musical brilliance - because some days, he couldn't even decipher a single note and on a good day, he could compose a whole opera. It was heartbreaking to see such a gifted mind go to waste.
My only problem, and keep in mind that this is a personal problem, is that there happened to be a disconnection between the character and his actual emotions. I say this is a personal problem simply because I'm not a fan of third person POV. I always find it impersonal and cold. I wanted to feel whatever it was he was feeling but couldn't because being told of what he was going through is entirely different from being "one" with Flynn. The same goes when Flynn's on a high. I can easily picture him on hyper-speed but I didn't feel the heart-pounding adrenaline that goes along with it. Unfortunate, really because a book with this theme requires the reader's fully vested emotions for an even better reading experience.
Tabitha Suzuma is an author whose books are something that I've always been intimidated to read. This was sort of a baptism of fire for me. I was hoping it would ease me into reading more of her works because rumour has it that hers are not for the faint of heart. And in a way, I'm glad that I picked this one. Please don't misunderstand; I think this book would still put any reader (other than me) through the wringer. If Forbidden was written in the same fashion, then perhaps it won't be so bad. But somehow, I highly doubt that there's enough heart breaking books that could prepare me for her more well-known work. I've had this book on my shelves since it came out but I'm just too cowardice to dive in.
All in all, this book was a great introduction to Suzuma's works. It eased my discomfiture some...but I think I'm going to have to psych myself a bit more to pick up Forbidden next.
jazkc's review against another edition
4.0
4.25 stars ✧
with [b:forbidden|7600924|Forbidden|Tabitha Suzuma|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394239949l/7600924._SY75_.jpg|10018976] being an all-time favorite, delving further into Suzuma's backlist was a prospect that'd been lingering in my mind for the longest time. and where better start than her debut?
breathtaking, albeit draining, a note of madness is the utmost realistic portrayal of what it's like for a creative to live with bipolar disorder, and how things get worse before they get better.
things to expect when picking up a Suzuma novel:
➳ characters that are so incredibly fleshed out, to think of them fictional would seem inconceivable to say the least.
➳ though difficult to read, writing that is simply awe-inspiring
music:
Rachmaninov - Third Piano Concerto
❝In my world black is white, one and one never makes two and agony and ecstasy lie irrevocably intertwined.❞
with [b:forbidden|7600924|Forbidden|Tabitha Suzuma|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394239949l/7600924._SY75_.jpg|10018976] being an all-time favorite, delving further into Suzuma's backlist was a prospect that'd been lingering in my mind for the longest time. and where better start than her debut?
breathtaking, albeit draining, a note of madness is the utmost realistic portrayal of what it's like for a creative to live with bipolar disorder, and how things get worse before they get better.
things to expect when picking up a Suzuma novel:
➳ characters that are so incredibly fleshed out, to think of them fictional would seem inconceivable to say the least.
➳ though difficult to read, writing that is simply awe-inspiring
music:
Rachmaninov - Third Piano Concerto
jazkc's review against another edition
4.0
4.25 stars ✧
with [b:forbidden|7600924|Forbidden|Tabitha Suzuma|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394239949l/7600924._SY75_.jpg|10018976] being an all-time favorite, delving further into Suzuma's backlist was a prospect that'd been lingering in my mind for the longest time. and where better start than her debut?
breathtaking, albeit draining, a note of madness is the utmost realistic portrayal of what it's like for a creative to live with bipolar disorder, and how things get worse before they get better.
things to expect when picking up a Suzuma novel:
➳ characters that are so incredibly fleshed out, to think of them fictional would seem inconceivable to say the least.
➳ though difficult to read, writing that is simply awe-inspiring
music:
Rachmaninov - Third Piano Concerto
❝In my world black is white, one and one never makes two and agony and ecstasy lie irrevocably intertwined.❞
with [b:forbidden|7600924|Forbidden|Tabitha Suzuma|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394239949l/7600924._SY75_.jpg|10018976] being an all-time favorite, delving further into Suzuma's backlist was a prospect that'd been lingering in my mind for the longest time. and where better start than her debut?
breathtaking, albeit draining, a note of madness is the utmost realistic portrayal of what it's like for a creative to live with bipolar disorder, and how things get worse before they get better.
things to expect when picking up a Suzuma novel:
➳ characters that are so incredibly fleshed out, to think of them fictional would seem inconceivable to say the least.
➳ though difficult to read, writing that is simply awe-inspiring
music:
Rachmaninov - Third Piano Concerto
scrollsofdragons's review
3.0
I dont know exactly why any Suzuma book is never fully completely there for me.
lucy_qhuay's review
4.0
*4.5 stars*
A beautiful, albeit exhausting portrait of mental illness.
Jumping faster and faster from the exciting sparks of energy, inspiration and will to live to the pitch black bottom of despair to the cold numbness, just to start it all again and again isn't easy.
I will be wishing for the best, while expecting the worst.
sljcards's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
mariam27's review
4.0
"Go, Rami, he silently implored him.
You can’t help me, nobody can.
You’ll never understand.
You have no idea what it is like to be inside my body,
my brain,
my mind!
Trying to describe my life and feelings to you
is like trying to describe colours to the blind,
or music to the deaf. It’s simply not possible.
We may exist side by side, we may share the same blood,
the same upbringing, but our minds exist in different worlds.
You exist in the world of the rational, the world
where every problem has a logical solution, every question has an answer.
Can’t you see that none of my problems have solutions, my questions can’t be answered?
Nothing in my irrational brain can be solved by your common sense,
none of my pain can be shared by your structured emotions!
In my world black is white, one and one never makes two and agony
and ecstasy lie irrevocably intertwined.
The only way to understand it is to share it and I would never wish this existence upon anybody, not even my worst enemy.
You may try and sympathize, help and care with all your soul,
but you will never, never understand."
Yeah, a lot of people were doing him good because they were concerned for him, but I'd be damned if I were to say they did the right thing. I felt ashamed, humiliated and violated of right seeing and reading what and how others treated him despite the intensity of their kindness.
I just... I'm just... Sigh...
I'm just... Empty.
"It was simply not possible that he should not be able to play a piece that he had been practising every day for the last six months. He was at the Royal College of Music, for Christ’s sake – it was only meant for talented people. He had to have talent, or else he wouldn’t have been accepted here. And yet that was the greatest joke of all. That somehow he had fooled them. Somehow he had duped them all into believing that he was this great musical talent when really – really he was just a nobody."
"Life was tolerable rather than sweet, but he could manage, he could manage."
And through it all, I can't help but be proud of Flynn. Man went through hell and back.
You can’t help me, nobody can.
You’ll never understand.
You have no idea what it is like to be inside my body,
my brain,
my mind!
Trying to describe my life and feelings to you
is like trying to describe colours to the blind,
or music to the deaf. It’s simply not possible.
We may exist side by side, we may share the same blood,
the same upbringing, but our minds exist in different worlds.
You exist in the world of the rational, the world
where every problem has a logical solution, every question has an answer.
Can’t you see that none of my problems have solutions, my questions can’t be answered?
Nothing in my irrational brain can be solved by your common sense,
none of my pain can be shared by your structured emotions!
In my world black is white, one and one never makes two and agony
and ecstasy lie irrevocably intertwined.
The only way to understand it is to share it and I would never wish this existence upon anybody, not even my worst enemy.
You may try and sympathize, help and care with all your soul,
but you will never, never understand."
Yeah, a lot of people were doing him good because they were concerned for him, but I'd be damned if I were to say they did the right thing. I felt ashamed, humiliated and violated of right seeing and reading what and how others treated him despite the intensity of their kindness.
I just... I'm just... Sigh...
I'm just... Empty.
"It was simply not possible that he should not be able to play a piece that he had been practising every day for the last six months. He was at the Royal College of Music, for Christ’s sake – it was only meant for talented people. He had to have talent, or else he wouldn’t have been accepted here. And yet that was the greatest joke of all. That somehow he had fooled them. Somehow he had duped them all into believing that he was this great musical talent when really – really he was just a nobody."
"Life was tolerable rather than sweet, but he could manage, he could manage."
And through it all, I can't help but be proud of Flynn. Man went through hell and back.
aeryeta's review
3.0
I thought I'd enjoy this book because of the relatability (is that a word?) but in the end it wasn't for me.
Classic case of "I hate the main character". I couldn't emphasise with him at all and frankly reading about this gave me mental exhaustion from mentally baby sitting him.
I usually won't rate books too harshly if I don't like the character if the writing is good (or so I say). This wasn't really the case. Stuff happened but it didn't really feel like plot so the book felt kinda dragged out.
Overall it felt like something I don't have the intellect or emotional intelligence to enjoy.
Classic case of "I hate the main character". I couldn't emphasise with him at all and frankly reading about this gave me mental exhaustion from mentally baby sitting him.
I usually won't rate books too harshly if I don't like the character if the writing is good (or so I say). This wasn't really the case. Stuff happened but it didn't really feel like plot so the book felt kinda dragged out.
Overall it felt like something I don't have the intellect or emotional intelligence to enjoy.