Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - Sorrow and Bliss

I absolutely devoured this book, although it came at a weird time for me. Although my mental health issues are not as severe as the protagonist’s (which are undiagnosed and later unnamed), lately I have been struggling lately with my depression, anxiety and suspected PMDD, which I finally sought help for and have been put on some medication. I don’t feel up to talking more about that on here just yet, but I think the timing did have an effect on my experience with this book, in that I related hard and loved it so very much and felt a lot of emotions while reading!!

I loved the writing here, it’s super snappy, filled with humour, but it doesn’t make light of Martha’s issues. The characters feel like they lift right off the page, and I loved how Mason explores how Martha’s mental health affects those around her. It explores her fraught relationship with her mother, her beautiful relationship with her father (seriously that one almost made me cry), her rather up-and-down relationship with her sister Ingrid, and of course her husband Patrick. Patrick was such a sweetheart, literally loved him so much, and the dynamic between him and Martha broke my heart, particularly how Martha felt like she was nothing but a burden on those she loves. But if you think Martha has healthy coping mechanisms well 👀 get ready for some mess. Martha also comes from quite a lot of privilege - she is white, cis & straight, middle class and her aunt regularly bails her family out of hard times (her mother is a sculptor, her father a failing poet), so occasionally I was kind of like… not everyone can *afford* to act the way she’s acting right now 😅

Struggling to put any more thoughts to paper right now, but just read it if you’re in the mood for a raw, witty, heartbreaking portrayal of one woman’s struggle with mental illness.

Content Warnings

kiwichill's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

5.0

Mental illness, alcoholism, family, motherhood, marriage

Content Warnings

heathergeorge's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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elisem04's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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

5.0

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leialeilani's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad 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

4.5

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geneviever's review against another edition

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challenging emotional 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? Yes

4.75

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writingcaia's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

I was not convinced at first by the way it rambled on. These weird ravings of a 40 year old (my age give or take) women that seemed filled with so much anger towards everyone including herself, it felt a bit too much.
As it advanced I became addicted, there was a love story and a family story, and I wanted to know more, even though I felt a huge clench in my heart every time something written was so close to what I’ve felt or feel sometimes.
The anger, the anguish, the self destructiveness, it’s present as much in the voice of the writer as is in the story which makes it feel so real. And, I guess it is. Not in the sense of the actual story not being fiction but in the sense that the feelings, the arguments, the breakings, the misdiagnose, the hopelessness and the hopefulness are all real to some of us, they’ve been around us or in us.
I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did by the end but here it

Content Warnings

ruth_power's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing sad 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

5.0

Absolutely brilliant! Just the kind of book for when you want to laugh and cry at the same time. Beautiful exploration of mental health and identity which is moving, hilarious, tragic and witty. I just want to read it again!

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