Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

154 reviews

sunbutterlover's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative 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? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

wow wow wow. just wow. never thought I would find a book that I like as much as my favorite book but this is now up there. highly recommend for everybody to check this one out 

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raneyak's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

4.75

It got a little confusing at times, but overall this book is a lyrical exploration of trauma and recovery. The main character has traits of some sort of dissociation disorder, but rather than portraying her experience through a psychological lens the book tells her story in terms of her cultural and spiritual beliefs.  

The story is told in a non-linear fashion, jumping back and forth in the timeline while different characters (personalities/identities within the main character) tell stories from their perspectives. This choice worked excellently for the story being told, with story pieces being told not in order of time but instead in order of personal significance. 

This book was quite explicit, though, and while the language was lyrical it still talked about self harm and suicidal ideation. Be very careful reading it if you have a history of mental health issues. 

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bookishmillennial's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews because I don’t like leaving them. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial

In many ways, you see, I am not even real.

I still can’t wrap my head around this being Akwaeke’s debut! It’s fantastic 😍 This is a character-driven novel and the concept is brilliant. Ada has multiple selves and we experience life alongside them, including some severe trauma. It was especially impressive how Akwaeke definitively fleshed out each “voice” / part of Ada. 

cw: Self harm, Rape, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Child abuse

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poubelleboi's review against another edition

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

5.0

Veramente originale, ben scritto e interessante. "Acquadolce" di Akwaeke Emezi è un viaggio nella mente di una ragazza nigeriana col DDI (disturbo dissociativo dell'identità - se non lo conoscete, prima si chiamava qualcosa come disturbo della personalità multipla ma non è più corretto) che però non è trattato in maniera medica ma spirituale. I suoi alter sono dèi con desideri e obiettivi da dèi. Quando la protagonista si trasferisce negli Stati Uniti, loro combattono per tornare alle loro origini, in Nigeria, e dai loro fratellisorelle. Ed è troppo interessante leggere il loro punto di vista, che è allo stesso tempo esterno e interno. Veramente una lettura da dieci.

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lizziaha's review against another edition

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3.75

This book is no plot, just vibes. And the vibes are good—I love Emezi’s writing style—but I was a bit confused at times. I couldn’t wrap my head around all of it. I didn’t know whether to read it literally or as a metaphor. I would highly recommend reading the author’s note at the end, though. 

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aliciawithoutkeys's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

2.0


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cecilialau_'s review against another edition

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4.0

This was my first Akwaeke Emezi book. It has only confirmed with absolute certainty that I want to read more by them.
Wow, what an original and interesting story while also being heartbreaking and relatable in how specific and triggering experiences that happen TO us can change our trajectory and personality. (How protecting the self can look and feel).

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lolajh's review against another edition

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I just think this is just too much for me to deal with right now, and it’s not looking like the book is going in a direction that is promising and is making reading all this trauma actually worth it. 

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robyn1998's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Not sure about this one. I started off blown away by the writing style - I'm not sure if the writing got worse or I just got used to it, but by the time it finished it felt more like amateur Tumblr poetry. As I've previously said I'm sick of the 'seductress whose sexuality is her power' trope because I don't think it's a good reflection of power dynamics in relationships. I did find the overall story quite evocative though, and I haven't read something that fills me with such a sense of foreboding in a while (probably since I read Wrecked by Charlotte Roche). 

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cocorose's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense 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

4.25


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