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birdieex's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal death, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Death, Grief, Suicide, Death of parent, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
Moderate: Chronic illness, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Addiction, Alcoholism, Medical content, Cancer, and Homophobia
Minor: Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Stalking, Sexual assault, and Infidelity
ank3's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Self harm, Homophobia, Death of parent, Grief, Terminal illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Vomit, Addiction, and Stalking
Minor: Animal cruelty
blackorchids's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Suicide and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Drug use, Drug abuse, Self harm, Pregnancy, Suicide, and Panic attacks/disorders
The entire book takes place after the main character tries to take her own life, so it’s a prevalent theme throughout.gabriella_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Animal death, Medical content, Mental illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Alcoholism
avacronin's review against another edition
- 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
This book imagines that between life and death there is a library, as it appears for Nora, that allows you the opportunity to try a life that you could have lived, if you had made a different decision in the past. It allows you to undo your regrets of a missed choice, however good or bad it could have turned out. As somebody who has been interested in The String Theory and the theory of parallel universes, I thought this book provided a interesting view on how this could appear.
The Pros
- I found this book both interesting and easy to read. The chapters are fairly short, and none of the story line was dragged out unnecessarily. Because the story was changing often with the changing of lives, it never felt boring and the book had my full attention throughout its entirety.
- Matt Haig expertly deals with the topic of regret in a way that doesn't feel forced or fake. Through Nora, he shows that life can be full of regrets, which ultimately can lead to life becoming a task, rather than something to enjoy (possible trigger warning). However, through the library, he conveys the message that not all regrets should be lingered on, as you can never accurately predict how your life will turn out.
"But it is not lives we regret not living that are the real problem. It is the regret itself."
The Cons
- The only con that springs to mind is that I wish some of the lives lasted longer. I understand that some had to be longer than others in order to avoid losing interest or becoming too repetitive, however, I would have liked for some of Nora's lives to have been able to develop more and have more of an impact.
This book is truly a pleasant read. It does feature some possibly sensitive topics, however I felt these are all dealt with in a proper way. Overall, The Midnight Library was insightful and had great impact, and has inspired many philosophical thoughts about the afterlife in my mind.
Moderate: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Death of parent, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Self harm, and Suicide
nick13's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Toxic relationship
Minor: Pregnancy
toriffic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal death, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Medical content, and Mental illness
Minor: Pregnancy, Stalking, Terminal illness, and Vomit
connie29's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Pregnancy, Animal death, and Cursing
roouija's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Moderate: Self harm, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Pregnancy, Death, Car accident, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol
celestialg's review against another edition
- 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
Okay so that’s a joke, but honestly, anyone who has dealt with depression, suicidal ideation, or even just complete failure and despair will resonate with this story. Despite the topic, the book made me feel quite hopeful and grateful for my life. I see it as a novel length thought experiment about the “what if’s” in our lives we may ruminate on.
Ultimately I don’t often dole out 5 star reviews. Only the books that change my life get those. Please read this book, if you’re in a place to do so. Anyone and everyone could benefit from its themes.
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide
Moderate: Death of parent, Addiction, Self harm, Medical content, Animal death, Infidelity, Grief, Death, Body shaming, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Cancer, and Alcoholism
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Medical content, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Police brutality, Sexual content, and Vomit
CW for self injury and self harm, as well as suicidal thoughts and ideation. These topics are central to the story, not a passing plot point, so those sensitive to these topics should use their discretion.