Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

34 reviews

kfergy's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad medium-paced

4.0

Considered the first contemporary "true crime novel," the writing is very compelling and the quotes from and conversations between characters/witnesses is a really interesting approach to telling the story. It makes me wonder slightly about creative licence on the part of the author, but I dig it. Huge warning for racist slurs though - you could say it goes with the territory for the place and time, but a warning nonetheless. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Violence, Murder, and Gun violence

Moderate: Sexual content and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Cancer, Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Mental illness

calamityin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

1.5

While it's one of the cornerstones for True Crime as a literary phenomena, it's incredibly insensitive to the victims and those around them.  It's frankly a bit disgusting the way that Capote describes these horrible acts as if they didn't happen to real people who had real hopes and dreams and lives.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder, Classism, Death, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Violence

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Racism, and Car accident

Minor: Fatphobia, Alcoholism, Animal death, and Animal cruelty

gh1's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Racism, Murder, and Sexual content

Moderate: Toxic friendship

jbrown1120's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Gun violence, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Abandonment, Car accident, Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Mental illness

Minor: Sexual violence, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicide, Sexism, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

clareehebert's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Mental illness

Minor: Rape

eleeowart's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative tense medium-paced

4.0

Read this to pay dues to one of the original crime reporting novels and Capotes journalistic prose made clear why this is a classic. Really enjoyed how it was written (alternating between those investigating, and the actual guilty parties). Capote gave insight into the lives and minds of people who commit these awful motiveless crimes, while still honoring the lives of those lost AND the ones impacted via their line of work. Overall, really well done. 

Didn’t LOVE the racist slurs/phrases used but understand it was reporting and that was the 1950s. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Murder

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Mental illness, and Confinement

hoey_girlboss_queen's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

truly captivating book

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Dementia, and Gun violence

Minor: Pedophilia and Self harm

vireoeo's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

I went into this book curious about the origins of modern true crime, and came out of it with a lot of complicated and unexpected emotions. This book bounces around between a half-dozen stories throughout time, which is one of my favorite narrative devices and is executed really well.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Racial slurs, Mental illness, and Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, and Rape

bcooper21's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Violence, and Alcohol

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Gore, Racism, Self harm, Grief, Mental illness, Cancer, Rape, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Sexual content, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, Eating disorder, Vomit, and Car accident

henrygravesprince's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.75

Capote’s prose is masterful, but the non-fiction aspect was handled in a way I don’t find responsible, and I think that, as one of the first major modern true crime media “sensations”, In Cold Blood embodies many of the same problems that true crime media, particularly dramatizations, maintains today. I don’t dislike Capote, and in fact I quite like his writing for the most part, but I couldn’t in good conscience give this book a wholly glowing review. There would still be issues if I looked at it the way one looks at fiction, but monumentally less — that said, it is not purely fiction, and I can’t look at this novel & not be acutely aware of the fact that these were real people & the facts were embellished in ways that can’t really be brushed off, in my opinion.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Mental illness, Death, Child death, and Murder

Moderate: Pedophilia, Racism, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Misogyny, Suicide, and Violence

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, War, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Homophobia, Abandonment, and Grief