Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin

13 reviews

multimelverse's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.0

This book took me on a journey. In the beginning it was hard to adjust to the journal aspect of the book. Especially when the narrator (Lazi) would move from the past to present (future?) and the crocodile metaphors. The middle was very dark and depressing but still beautifully told. Could be difficult to get though if you’re in a good mood if I’m being honestly. However the watching the Lazi find their queer friends during the college experience was a light in the all the darkness. All that being said, next time my heart gets broken and I know I’m the problem, I will pick up this book and underline the whole damn thing. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

jayisreading's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

3.25

A queer classic from Taiwan, Notes of a Crocodile is set in late 1980s Taipei, following a ragtag group of queer young adults making sense of what life throws at them. The novel follows a lesbian narrator, nicknamed Lazi, who must deal with her messy relationships, both platonic and romantic, which often is a result of people naturally being complicated. Something about the way Lazi makes sense of the world tells me that she is a bit naïve, as she does a lot of stumbling throughout the novel. It can be a bit frustrating at times, because you want so desperately for her to come to her senses that she should not be pursuing X or Y. Yet, that’s part of growing up, and it’s especially difficult when queer.

I quite liked the nonstandard format of the novel. Qiu went for a more journal approach that featured diary entries stuffed with notes, aphorisms, and whatever else struck Lazi’s fancy. It did make it a little difficult to see the overarching narrative, and I can’t help but wonder if things got lost in translation that contributed to this difficulty. However, it seemed like a deliberate move on Qiu’s part, which I think worked for the particular story she wanted to tell.

Overall, I didn’t particularly love or hate this novel. I did feel a little detached from the plot and characters, even frustrated at times, but I’m glad that I finally got around to reading Qiu’s work.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Homophobia and Self harm

Minor: Drug abuse and Alcohol

sarah_kula's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Death, Self harm, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

emmab14's review

challenging dark funny slow-paced

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

4.25

An exploration into gender, sexuality, and the constraints of society in Taiwan through the view of a conflict riddled narrator and their tormented relationships

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Suicide, Abandonment, Drug use, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Death, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Mental illness

lizzie_r's review

dark emotional inspiring reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Self harm, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol

Minor: Bullying, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Addiction, Drug use, and Vomit

alinabkl's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, Grief, Self harm, Sexual content, and Stalking

robinks's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This story was definitely a bit chaotic at the beginning, and I had a hard time keeping track of when the events of each notebook took place relative to each other. This is also the first time I’ve read something translated from Chinese, and I think some of the cultural differences end up very visible in the syntax and situations our characters find themselves in. I really enjoyed the crocodile chapters and would love to see them reassembled on their own or expanded.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Suicide, Addiction, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, and Self harm

Minor: Sexual content and Vomit

wrensinthewoods's review

dark 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? Yes

5.0

- gorgeous prose
- sad, self destructive, lesbian, main character (so me)
- interesting cast of characters 
- the style of it all was so interesting,  i just loved the way the book was constructed
- i want to reread soon, especially since parts of the book i struggled to comprehend because i was reading while exhausted
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Addiction and Drug abuse

k_aro's review

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

I'm not really sure what to make of this book. It's obviously very historically interesting, but there's something about this book that has now become... banal? Something about these themes of corruption reminds me of The Picture of Dorian Gray, which itself has its own host of queer undertones. Obviously Miaojin's writing (and the translation of it) is deeply affective in lots of moments, and hilariously enough because this was a darling for a friend of mine it has given me deeper insights into their psyche.

It's just not mindblowing to me - though, considering the books I have read, probably shouldn't be that much of a shock.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Grief, Self harm, Stalking, Abandonment, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia

Contextually, this book takes place probably around Qiu Miaojin's actual lifespan; however, because this is mostly internal, the homo and lesbophobia are largely internalized. Most of the characters are actually queer on some level lol

lilly_anne's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Mental illness, Violence, Self harm, and Addiction