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epellicci's review against another edition
challenging
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Mixed feelings with this one. One the one hand, Sorrow and Bliss is an amazingly visceral portrayal of mental health, and a points (particularly towards the end) did make me feel connected to the main character, Martha, and emotional. On the other, Martha spends most of the book intensely unlikable, and Meg Mason's decision to not name her condition/talk about it in code gave me a sense of stigma and frustration around her journey and diagnosis that just didn't sit right.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, and Suicide attempt
rambling_reading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Alcoholism and Emotional abuse
gwenc0423's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Domestic abuse
amaya_jam's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
3.25
This book was 90% sorrow and a scant 10% bliss. the last 30 pages or so really saved it. it took me weeks to read this. i really wanted to love it but i had to drag my way through most of it. i think my lack of depression made me have a much harder time sympathizing with Martha.
Despite this, I found myself highlighting a dozen or so passages and could see myself recommending this to a couple people. maybe i’ll like the book more as i mull over it in my mind.
Despite this, I found myself highlighting a dozen or so passages and could see myself recommending this to a couple people. maybe i’ll like the book more as i mull over it in my mind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Pregnancy
Moderate: Domestic abuse
kiwichill's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
5.0
Mental illness, alcoholism, family, motherhood, marriage
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Abortion, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, and Physical abuse
heathergeorge's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, and Addiction
Moderate: Drug use and Abortion
Minor: Medical content and Cursing
emma_sky's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Mental illness
Minor: Domestic abuse
rebeccagl0ver's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-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
4.5
Devastating and moving yet witty and snappy. I ate up this book in 4 days, and wish I could do it again for the first time. It’s a beautiful narration of mental health, loss, identity, and family.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Mental illness
Minor: Domestic abuse and Miscarriage
lydiature_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
5.0
I’ll be honest. The amount of times I DNF’d this in 1 month is embarrassing. But here I am, giving this book 5 ⭐️. I can barely write this review without crying. This was one of the most touching, emotional books on mental illness that I have ever read or come across. It’s so REAL. Martha wasn’t a character with a bunch of random symptoms that the author googled. She was a real person with real depression and apathy and irritability. You know how hard it is to pull off a character like that? To make them not be stereotypical or a caricature? Really difficult. So I really want to congratulate Mason on that.
This book was truly a whirlwind. I thought this would just be about an older woman who was depressed. But it became so much more than that. Martha took us on a long journey, one where she showed us her childhood, her adolescence, her adult years that were embedded in sadness, her growing love for Patrick, their special marriage, the slow destruction of their marriage. Honestly, my favorite bits were about her and Patrick. I think through her flashbacks with Patrick, I was better able to understand them both. We have Martha, who seemed consumed in her illness. And we have Patrick who stood beside her all those years, literally absorbing her illness. They were flawed. Neither was perfect.
The structure was genius. It was told in a series of fragments, starting with the ending of Martha and Patrick’s marriage. And it ended around that time. I really love circular endings, because by the time you’re done (if it’s well-written), I’m emotionally attached to all the characters. And this proved to be the case for this book.
Another thing I loved about this was the family aspect. Obviously, Martha’s family was completely flawed. Sometimes they were nice, and other times they were too harsh and abrasive. It made me think about how we as a society respond to people with mental illnesses. Some of us are empathetic and understanding, trying to be there for a person (like Peregrine). Some of us are understanding, but are almost afraid to address the elephant in the room (Martha’s father). Some of us don’t want to get down to the root, get dismissive, but later on become sympathetic (Martha’s mom). Some of us, having grown tired, give up (Patrick and Ingrid). And some of us lack complete sympathy and blame the victim (Jonathan). I think it’s so special that Mason really embodied society’s response to mental illness in every single character. Genius.
It was beautifully written. Although the tone was very melancholic and bleak, humor was sprinkled throughout. I really loved this book. I cherished my time reading it. I wanted to take my time to really just sit in it, but I also wanted to see what happened—not because I viewed Martha as entertainment, but because I wanted to see her growth. I wanted a note of redemption for her.
Mason did a FANTASTIC job. I’m very curious to read more from her. I HIGHLY recommend this. Please read it.
🚨SPOILERS 🚨
What I found interesting was Martha’s inability to be honest with herself. When she found out her real diagnosis, she refused to actually write out the name of the disease. But it was only around that time when she was able to admit to herself and to others that she really wanted to be a mother. That, despite her words, she wanted children. What shocked me was when Patrick said that he knew already, that babies (and her nephews) were all she talked about. It’s so interesting because in her flashbacks, she hardly talked about babies themselves. She hardly ever talked about motherhood. So she hid that from herself. Only when Patrick left did she start talking about children—mentioning a child or a baby in passing. She was allowing herself to be honest in the inward places.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Alcohol
edgaranjapoe's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Violence, Domestic abuse, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Medical content
Minor: Cursing, Medical trauma, Self harm, Cancer, Death of parent, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Car accident, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Grief, and Abortion