Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Les Optimistes by Rebecca Makkai

59 reviews

crags617's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, and Homophobia

Moderate: Violence and Infidelity

dearbhlanoonan's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Medical content, Death, Police brutality, Grief, Sexual content, and Homophobia

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. 

---

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

---

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

siobhanward's review against another edition

emotional 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? It's complicated

2.0

Maybe it's because I've read other works that took place during the AIDS crisis that were a whole lot better, but this was the closest I've been to DNFing a book in a long time. While Makkai captured how quickly HIV moved around, and a lot of the attitudes towards it (both from straight folk and LGBT+ folk), this one just didn't have the impact of others I've read. I had trouble connecting to the characters and while my heart broke over and over for Yale, I still found myself waiting for the book to the over. Makkai had a great idea, it just didn't pan out for me personally.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Medical content

sstarliper's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative fast-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Medical content, Police brutality, and Sexual content

sestout's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Grief, Death, Medical content, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Infidelity, Abandonment, Sexual content, Homophobia, Alcohol, and Mental illness

Minor: Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Alcoholism, Bullying, War, and Police brutality

jkamler's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Police brutality, Abandonment, Death, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Homophobia, and Grief

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

---

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

---

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