Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

35 reviews

mel_sh's review

4.75

 4.65*

“When you’re climbing Mount Everest, nothing is easy. You just take one step at a time, never look back and always keep your eyes glued to the top.”

WHAT A TRIP
as some of you may have noticed, i have been reading this book for a little over two months now. this was never because i wasn’t absolutely enamoured with the book. i don’t really know how to describe why this book is so good but it just isss
if you read books about characters you love and beautiful and lyrical writing then this just isn’t for you. the characters are enjoyable and you will love a good few of them and there are some lovely lines but its not what makes this book. what makes it is these absolutely psychotic characters that live these lives that you never will but whose problems feel somehow so real and close to your own. beneath it all, this is a story about women and everything that comes with being a woman in hollywood.
i think it’s incredibly important to mention that this book is clearly a sign of the times. the casual and blatant homophobia, fatphobia, and ableism is present all throughout the book and is quite hard to read at times 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Lesbophobia

jopriestley's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-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

I'm not really sure how to feel about this book. I liked reading it and it held my attention but boy oh boy did it bring me down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Medical content, and Abortion

stevie's review

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Abortion, and Suicide attempt

oliviaisawkward's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted sad tense slow-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

4.25

This is a heart breaking story of the lives of 3 women in the entertainment industry during the 1940's & 50's

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, and Suicide

sertle's review against another edition

dark reflective sad fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• 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

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Cancer, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide attempt