Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Sorrow and Bliss

Really brilliantly written and engaging. Moved me to tears occasionally, the characters and their struggles felt very real and incredibly close.
It veered, about 2/3 of the way through, to feeling too autobiographical in tone - like that one chapter needed another round of edits. But it was brought back on track, and the ending was satisfyingly unsatisfactory.
What I would recommend to people who like Sally Rooney or who wanted to like Sally Rooney, but didn’t (like me).

Content Warnings

emilypaigehumble's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging 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? Yes

5.0

one of my favourite books of all time. it's heavy, sensitive, sad, relatable, inspiring and moving. meg mason has realistically portrayed mental illness and its complexities in Sorrow and Bliss. The book represents a raw and validating experience of mental illness and its impact on daily life. the protagonist, martha, narrates a story of loss, darkness and hopelessness. yet, there's moments of light. she's a symbol of strength and resilience. she makes you laugh and cry simultaneously. meg mason's writing and storytelling is beautiful and i instantly felt a connection to the characters. I've found comfort and validation in martha's journey.
highly recommend!!!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Content Warnings

chloleighton's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Content Warnings

hannahmh13's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

adelal's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective medium-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

Content Warnings

fleursreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.75

It's a beautiful and focused book about how mental illness can have lifelong implications, and how it's important to find treatment.

Content Warnings

candaceallison's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

2.75

I would have liked to see more narrative structure in the book. Also, Martha and some other characters (like her mother) had no redeeming qualities until the last 15% of the book. I’m not opposed to unlikeable characters but there needs to be something redeeming about them. Several characters in this book had none (until the end). Martha was so selfish and self centered it made it hard to root for her.

I do like that Martha (and her mom) are held accountable for their actions. I thought the descriptions of having a mental illness were fairly accurate, the constant push and pull on wanting to do more, get better, clean up, make friends, etc. with the total lack of desire, motivation and discipline.

Content Warnings

gtrue21's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

2.75

Content Warnings

More...