Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese

5 reviews

kelisabeth's review against another edition

challenging emotional slow-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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Sexism, Slavery, Classism, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Death of parent, Abandonment, Blood, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Violence, Xenophobia, Abortion, Addiction, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

kimveach's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I enjoyed this fictionalized version of the writing of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.  Even without the ties to the classic book, it was a wonderful historical novel set in Salem in the 1600s.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Physical abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Racism, Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Slavery

Moderate: Sexual content

gracescanlon's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

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

4.75

As a woman with multiple forms of synesthesia and with family members who also have it, a historical fiction story told from the perspective of a woman with synesthesia is so up my alley, it may as well have been written for me. 

I found Isobel’s descriptions of her experiences with her own synesthesia quite believable. I haven’t had such vibrant experiences myself since I was a girl, but I remember them, and still have smaller, less dramatic ones. Whether Ms. Albanese has synesthesia or not, I found her portrayals of it, especially how it touches every part of life, to ring true. Well done!

This would have been a five-star read, but I felt that the story was rushed in some places. That rush led to a lack of development and depth in characters and their relationships with one another. I think if more time had been devoted to building and expanding upon these, it would've enriched the novel - and earned five stars from me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Death, Misogyny, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Violence, Blood, Colonisation, Miscarriage, Addiction, Racism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, Sexism, Sexual content, and Slavery

Minor: Ableism, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Child death, Excrement, and Suicidal thoughts

spineofthesaurus's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Alcoholism, Child death, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Colonisation, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Racial slurs, Abandonment, Death of parent, Confinement, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Abortion, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Slavery, and Sexual content

Minor: Medical content, Incest, Vomit, Gun violence, and Excrement

erynlasbelin's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Slavery

Moderate: Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Classism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Violence, and Xenophobia

Minor: Religious bigotry, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, and Terminal illness