Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

36 reviews

nkmustdie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Animal death, Cancer, Death of parent, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Gun violence, Rape, Self harm, Violence, Torture, Vomit, War, Body shaming, Bullying, Dementia, Hate crime, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Body horror, and Death

Moderate: Torture, Vomit, War, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Chronic illness, Cancer, Body shaming, Rape, Violence, Death, Animal death, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Hate crime, Medical content, Sexual content, Abandonment, Blood, Classism, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Adult/minor relationship, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Suicide, Racism, and Racial slurs

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Ableism, Cancer, Classism, Sexual assault, Medical content, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Child death, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Excrement, and Terminal illness

outernetbex's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

it’s always really hard for me to put into words how i feel about books after i read them. the situations in these books are so specific to the characters, and yet somehow the messages and sentiments that the author is able to convey feel so universal. i think it’s a beautifully written piece, that somehow touches on so many different aspects of the human experience. like others have said, the last chapter or so was kind of strange/out of place, but i don’t think it really takes away from the rest of the novel. so compelling and memorable. i have a feeling i’ll be thinking about it for a long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Vomit, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Bullying

Moderate: Sexual violence, Death of parent, Death, and Body horror

Minor: Torture

this book has a lot of trigger warnings, but i personally don’t think that they are handled well and not written for glorification or gratification. it’s just the nature of writing about dark themes.

w0rmonastring's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Suicide

Moderate: Dementia and Death of parent

Minor: Trafficking, Rape, and Adult/minor relationship

vegotter's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Sexual assault, Death, Rape, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Murder, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Trafficking, Torture, Bullying, Sexual content, and Pedophilia

aposthuma's review against another edition

emotional 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

3.5

This book left me with a LOT of thoughts. I think I'm rating it 3.5 stars. I didn't care much about Ruth's POV and thought it was pretty slow, but Nao's parts were incredibly thought-provoking, bringing up themes like time, mortality, and permanence. Fair warning, this book is DARK. Far darker than i went in expecting

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Dementia, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

recorderkfk's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Stretch book/ growth edge book for me - but a different mode of storytelling - 2 narratives 1) first person Japanese teenager who grew up in California. 2) third person limited omnipresent narrator of Ruth an author who lives with her husband on an island off of Washington. 

The book grows on you the more you read of it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Violence, War, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Suicide, Xenophobia, and Sexual content

Minor: Self harm, Stalking, Death of parent, Grief, and Miscarriage

valjeanval's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-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

One of the best books I've read in a long time. Theres's not one moment (or fingersnap of 65 moments) that hasn't been carefully thought through to create this beautiful exploration of time, entanglement, and a life (or a death) with meaning. The research that went into this book must have been incredible. Everything from the daily life of a Japanese high school student in Tokyo to neighborly mechanisms that keep a British Columbian island functionings to the realities of life as a WWII kamikaze pilot and the magical realism that is quantum mechanics. I care deeply for the characters. I feel like I've lived in the setting, and I savored the prose. I don't know what else you could ask for in a novel. It's my first Ruth Ozeki book, but definitely not my last.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, War, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Suicide

Moderate: Death of parent, Chronic illness, Grief, Terminal illness, Sexual content, and Death

hannaemilia's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Rape, War, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual assault

Minor: Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Dementia

horationelson's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Bullying, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and War

Minor: Dementia, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Rape, and Death of parent

hannahmager98's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.5

This was my first novel by Ruth Ozeki and it was so beautifully written. The plot was certainly character-driven, but every character developed in such a meaningful way. I felt everything was wrapped up well, but there was certainly a twist to a (somewhat predictable) beautiful ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Bullying, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death of parent, Body shaming, and Dementia