Reviews tagging 'Pandemic/Epidemic'

Les Optimistes by Rebecca Makkai

26 reviews

ellagrady's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Infidelity and Police brutality

naechan's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I has been two weeks since I finished this book and I still can’t stop thinking about it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical trauma, Death, and Grief

ariana3's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.0

This took me longer to read than I wanted it to, it was longer than I think it should have been. It basically describes the AIDS epidemic in Chicago in the early 80s from the general viewpoint of 1 main character

(who eventually gets it from a casual fling- after being so careful with his then-longtime bf who cheated, got it, and thought he got it from him but didn't-and ultimately dies).

It alternates chapter-by-chapter with that and one of their female friends in the future in 2015.

Her brother was one of the first in this friend group to die, so she was always around these men. In the future, she's trying to find her estranged daughter and make amends. It ends a little bittersweet, as Yale (the main character) does indeed die and it describes his slow-ish decline. But Fiona (the girl) finds her daughter and they seem to slowly be repairing/building back their relationship

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Infidelity, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Hate crime, and Homophobia

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Excrement, Abandonment, and Mental illness

dominika_benmichael's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Homophobia, Medical content, Infidelity, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Police brutality and Animal death

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

allairek's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Chronic illness, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Death, and Homophobia

emtekolste's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad fast-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

A marvelous story of the very personal consequences of the AIDS crisis across decades and generations. The characters are so beautifully developed and loveable, and the story is so well woven together that it takes you on an emotional journey that focuses on the personal but makes very clear the personal consequences of the political. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Terminal illness, and Pandemic/Epidemic

addie's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Homophobia, Death, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Medical content

Moderate: Drug use and Infidelity

Minor: Addiction, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Racism

penrodkatie's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Death, Chronic illness, Grief, Medical content, and Medical trauma

elizapease's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

The Great Believers challenged me in a way no book has before. My perceptions of the AIDS crisis completely shifted, my perception of loss, trauma, guilt, hardship and so much more were all deeply challenged. This is a tough read - but it’s also incredibly beautiful and colorful and funny. It makes you feel like you’re falling in love - with a city, a new lover, a friend, the book itself. 

While this book is all too amazing, I subtracted half a star because i found the sections of Fiona searching for her daughter in paris to feel lackluster in comparison to its parallel storyline in the 80’s. I often wanted to rush through that half of the book to return to Yale’s perspective. I still found it compelling, beautiful, and admittedly a necessary relief to the horrors of the past. It was an important perspective in many ways, illustrating the far reaching impacts of the AIDS crisis on its survivors and their loved ones. 

The Great Believers has the power to effect great change- not just from the influences of reading an amazing book, but from the light it shined on this terrible miscarriage of justice, the very real nightmare of the AIDS crisis brought to life in screaming color.  Yes this is a book about tragedy and mortality - but where it succeeds most is in painting a beautiful portrait of life, friendship, hope, and the things that make our time on earth worthwhile. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Homophobia, Medical trauma, and Pandemic/Epidemic