Reviews - Sorrow and Bliss

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7.31k reviews for:

Sorrow and Bliss

Meg Mason

4.16 AVERAGE

biblio_bri's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful reflective

An intimate perspective from a woman struggling with mental health, also detailing challenging family dynamics and the complexity of marriage. It was dark, depressing, raw, and relatable. Loved it.

Content Warnings

rebeccakate27's review against another edition

4.0

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The writing in Sorrow and Bliss really hit hard. The portrayal of Martha’s mental illness is vivid and unflinchingly honest. You are completely inside her head from start to finish. It feels incredibly realistic, and as someone who was also diagnosed with something later in life, I deeply connected with the anger, frustration, and relief of finally understanding yourself. It is definitely a heavy read, but also a powerful and rewarding one

“Everything is broken and messed up and completely fine. That is what life is. It's only the ratios that change. usually on their own"

thebecadventures's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

arshreads_'s review against another edition

4.5

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Meg Mason’s Sorrow and Bliss is one of those books that will punch you in the gut but also make you laugh out loud, often in the same paragraph. It’s a story about mental illness but it’s also about love, family, identity, and the sheer messiness of being a human trying to figure things out.

The book follows Martha Friel, a woman in her 40s whose life is slowly falling apart. She has a husband, Patrick who loves her, a career that didn’t work out, and a mental illness that has affected her for most of her life but was never properly diagnosed. On the outside, Martha seems clever, funny, and confident but inside she’s struggling.

There are moments that are deeply sad, moments that are hilarious, and many where you’ll feel both at once.

The disease isn't mentioned in the book and there’s no magical cure or dramatic transformation. Instead it’s about survival, honesty, and learning to live with the parts of ourselves that aren’t so easy to love.

The writing is beautiful in a quiet way. There are no big dramatic scenes, no shocking twists, just small, honest moments that build into something powerful. The relationships, especially between Martha and her sister Ingrid are written with so much love and complexity. And while the book doesn’t offer easy answers or perfect resolutions, it ends with a sense of hope that feels earned.

Sorrow and Bliss is one of those books that stays with you not just because of the story, but because of how deeply it understands what it means to live with pain and still try to find joy. If you’ve ever felt lost or broken, this book will give you hope.