Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Les Optimistes by Rebecca Makkai

4 reviews

juliej0715'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I loved this book. It was a slow start for me, but I also read it in super small chunks at first so it was hard to keep people straight. About 1/3 in, it really picked up and I couldn't stop thinking about it and reading it. It's so sad yet perpetually full of hope and love and friendship and caring, and reflecting on what's important in life. It was so good I want to read it again. I wish there were more books exactly like this one. I also loved it being set in boystown (now northalsted) Chicago and knowing all the places they were going around Lakeview and the city. Just so good overall.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Police brutality, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Genocide, Medical trauma, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug use, Grief, Toxic relationship, Pandemic/Epidemic, Addiction, Alcohol, Death, Drug abuse, Violence, and Medical content

franklola's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, Addiction, Police brutality, Chronic illness, Medical content, Excrement, Homophobia, and Terminal illness

Minor: Abandonment, Cancer, and Alcohol

kimveach's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

I wanted to like this book more than I did.  The dual timelines broke up the story too much for me.  I preferred the story set in 1980s Chicago to the one in the present day.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Cancer, Classism, Hate crime, Police brutality, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Ableism, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Violence, Vomit, Cursing, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gore, Toxic relationship, Grief, Outing, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, Blood, Body shaming, Dementia, Drug use, Excrement, Medical content, and Abandonment

cc0906's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, and Medical content

Moderate: Cancer and Excrement

Minor: Police brutality