Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

33 reviews

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

laurafrances's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Miscarriage and Abortion

Minor: Vomit and Suicide

mraybennett's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

hannahmh13's review

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Pregnancy

ebonykashan's review against another edition

emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, and Mental illness

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

zara89's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Chronic illness, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Abortion, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, and Suicide

teigancollins's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, and Mental illness

Moderate: Abortion

m_sotos's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

I really appreciated Mason’s handling of the topic of severe mental illness in this text. I personally think that there is a LONG-standing trend in literature/several forms of media to unwittingly glamorize a tragic form of depression in young/beautiful /desirable women (Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary - women written by men). There is something mysterious and ‘beautiful’ about their ‘madness’/sadness that only serves to reaffirm their status in the texts as being somehow ‘special’ and unlike everyone else. This book could have easily slipped into that pattern, but it never does. Mason acknowledges that tendency in a subtle, not overdrawn way and even incorporates it into the characters’ own struggles in understanding the protagonist (Martha), who suffers from an often debilitating mental illness. I listened to this as an audiobook and loved it, but wish I’d been able to read some of Mason’s words/sentences on paper because there are specific lines that I think would have struck me even more powerfully than they did in the ear had I been able to see them and mull them over in my line of vision. An emotionally heavy read for sure, but so rewarding!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness

Moderate: Self harm, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis