Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

16 reviews

aileen_macalister's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

I have a love hate relationship with this book. I was captivated by the story of Martha and her relationships but there were style choices that kept taking me out of it.
Mosan writes a complex and altogether frustrating character that makes you read on just in the hope that some good will come of it.
She says this book is about more than mental health and I can see that point of view. At it's core though the story would not unfold without the mental health struggles and the mental health struggles would not happen without the story.
I was not expecting this to be as much about motherhood as it was. Without giving too much away, I found it's description of motherhood and the conflicting thoughts women in today's society, especially those who struggle with mental health, have on the subject raw and beautiful.
I wish I could have scored it a 4/5 but I could not get past the style choices which is very much a personal preference but it really distracted me from the book's core themes and message. So 3.5/5 is where I have settled.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Domestic abuse, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Abortion

Minor: Death and Death of parent

jupiter5's review

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Pregnancy, Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Minor: Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Vomit

helenajoy_'s review against another edition

dark emotional funny 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Abortion and Death of parent

risemini's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Addiction, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Death of parent, Mental illness, Alcoholism, and Toxic relationship

elisem04's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness

Moderate: Miscarriage and Alcoholism

Minor: Death of parent

writingcaia's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

I was not convinced at first by the way it rambled on. These weird ravings of a 40 year old (my age give or take) women that seemed filled with so much anger towards everyone including herself, it felt a bit too much.
As it advanced I became addicted, there was a love story and a family story, and I wanted to know more, even though I felt a huge clench in my heart every time something written was so close to what I’ve felt or feel sometimes.
The anger, the anguish, the self destructiveness, it’s present as much in the voice of the writer as is in the story which makes it feel so real. And, I guess it is. Not in the sense of the actual story not being fiction but in the sense that the feelings, the arguments, the breakings, the misdiagnose, the hopelessness and the hopefulness are all real to some of us, they’ve been around us or in us.
I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did by the end but here it 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Miscarriage and Death of parent

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

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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

coffeespooncait's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Alcohol, Miscarriage, Addiction, and Alcoholism

Minor: Abortion and Death of parent

cloud_animals's review against another edition

emotional funny 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Self harm, Violence, and Death of parent

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

this was such an amazing portrayal of mental illness and the effect it has on the people around you. it just was a little slow and monotonous at points :/

the ending was amazing though

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Alcohol, Body shaming, Classism, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, and Grief