Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers

20 reviews

liemannen's review against another edition

emotional mysterious 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

3.5

Small Pleasures is about trying to seperate duty from pleasure, logic from emotion - and failing to do so when the heart wins over the head. The prose was quite enjoyable, and carried a sense of peeking into another persons intimate private life. 

I would have rated it a clean 4/5, although i found myself rather unsatisfied with the ending. 

After an eternity of will they won't they, a lesbian elopement, and the reveal that the "virgin birth" was the result of rape during drug-induced sleep... It ends with the love intrest dying in a train crash. After the heaps and heaps of misery the book piled up towards the end, I felt this was a lazy and unfulfilling write-off. Oh well.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Drug use, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, and Rape

falltumn's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

i liked the majority of the book, but felt it kind of fell apart at the end. i felt very unsatisfied and that there were a lot of loose threads that will never be tied.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Abortion, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Medical content and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Alcohol, Death, Terminal illness, and Sexual content

vinnyvince's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious relaxing sad slow-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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical content, Death, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Homophobia

Minor: Chronic illness, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Rape, Terminal illness, Sexual assault, and Mental illness

betsygrace's review against another edition

dark mysterious relaxing 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? No

3.25

One woman claims she had a virgin birth. When a local journalist begins to investigate, she discovers things are more complex than they appear. Through a twisting web of secrets, the truth comes out and changes everything— with a twist at the end. 

I feel like Gretchen is aspec. This book is dialogue heavy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Chronic illness, and Rape

Moderate: Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

Minor: Drug use

hollieadaw's review against another edition

mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Death of parent

Moderate: Rape, Abandonment, and Terminal illness

Minor: Cancer

elliebrom's review against another edition

emotional mysterious relaxing fast-paced

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

4.0

The ending came out of nowhere - weird last chapter. Didn’t understand it until I read the afterword. I really loved the rest of it, so that taints it a little bit.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness and Abortion

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Rape and Terminal illness

emmagreenwood's review

dark emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Grief, Mental illness, Cancer, Medical content, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Abortion, Infertility, Confinement, Dementia, and Rape

Moderate: Body shaming and Ableism

Minor: Infertility, Incest, Medical trauma, and Mental illness

msjenne's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

2.5

I was quite enjoying this book until the very end, which ruined everything. I realize that yes, the author gets to decide what happens in a story, but I don’t understand being unnecessarily cruel to your characters just to include a random historical incident. Not cool. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Infidelity, Abortion, Cancer, Chronic illness, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Pregnancy, and Terminal illness

oliviafaye's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

kirstyplumb's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion, Blood, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Homophobia, Infertility, Terminal illness, and Xenophobia