Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

79 reviews

lmdov's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Death, Cursing, Death of parent, Car accident, Cancer, Alcoholism, and Alcohol

sameehaha's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Grief

Moderate: Self harm, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Cancer, Cursing, and Fire/Fire injury

claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

Nora’s life is a series of disappointments and unfulfilled potential, so after losing the last few people who rely on her, she decides it would be better for everyone if she dies. Instead of death, however, she finds herself in a library—but not just any a library, this one is a library of all the lives she could have lived. All she has to do is open a book, and she’ll be transported to a different life, a different Nora, a parallel universe in which she made different choices.

I had trouble with the book’s premise—suicide is a difficult topic for me to read about—but I’m so glad I pushed through. I love portal fantasies and the concept that you can live many lives. I related deeply to Nora’s indecision and wide variety of interests, so it was interesting to see how each life played out so differently, and reflect on my own unlived lives. I liked following along as Nora’s journey progressed and she began to learn about herself and those around her. And of course, I loved that the overall message of the book is so utterly hopeful.

Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the vibe):

Very happy! I loved the ending and couldn’t see it going any other way. It was uplifting and hopeful and the perfect way to tie up the story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cursing, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Drug abuse, Stalking, and Vomit

madmilliner's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book is the hug and the cuppa that I desperately needed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Dysphoria, Death of parent, Death, Animal death, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Drug use, and Mental illness

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Car accident, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Self harm

Minor: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Stalking, and Terminal illness

labello's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.5

Right from the beginning I was on pins and needles as the second the main driving plot mechanic was introduced, that she could die or choose another life to live. There was just no good way of ending the story in a satisfying way to me. 
And for me personally, it did not stick the landing.

To me, it was, frankly, depressing. It just seemed to say that no matter what the main character did it, it would have always led to her being depressed. There was no chance for a life in which she did not end up having depression. 
She didn't feel she fit in the life that supposedly was the happiest of them the doctor and the child and neither did she feel she fit in any other life, not even her own real one. As though there truly was no place for her without the pain of depression.

What immediately unsettled me as the mechanic of jumping between lives was introduced was, that there were only two possible ends: 
1. she would stay in another life. Which would have given me the message of: "Your life is shit and the life you wanted for yourself is now unobtainable to you thanks to your mistakes in the past. And the best you Can do is obtain a watered-down version" or 
2. she would go back to her original life, which she did, and the message would be "You're so inherently damaged that even in better lives and better situations you will always stick out like a sore thumb." 

I am aware that I am interpreting it in the least charitable way, however, as someone who has depression and felt like the main character does at the beginning of the book, this is how it reads to me. so I personally wouldn't recommend it 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Death of parent, Cursing, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

creepypiespice's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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: Drug abuse, Grief, Drug use, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Death of parent, Animal death, Infidelity, Medical content, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Chronic illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

scarletthazeldine's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.75

I think this is the first book to ever make me cry. it has given me a whole new feeling of hope and positive outlook on life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Animal death, Abandonment, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Vomit, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Car accident, Chronic illness, Dementia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Infidelity, Cursing, and Cancer

raelin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

I almost didn’t make it past the first 10% of this book. But once Nora starts jumping books things really pick up and it was not-put-downable for me. 

It was not the most well crafted story, there was a lot that was incredibly predictable, but it was still engrossing and thought provoking. I would love a good book club discussion about it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness

Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death of parent, Death, Vomit, Terminal illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, and Cancer

planetarysilver's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

as a whole i enjoyed the book, but i didn’t love the writing or the characters tbh. this book took me forever to read bc it just didn’t engage me very well. it’s a decent read and i’m glad i got thru it but it’s not really for me

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Animal death, and Self harm

deideo's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Cursing