Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Long Walk by Stephen King, Richard Bachman

9 reviews

vererito's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Blood, Death, Classism, Mental illness, Child death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, and Violence

kristalall's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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? Yes

4.75

I loved this book, but I really with it had an epilogue.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Excrement, Homophobia, Violence, Torture, Cursing, Gore, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, and Gun violence

cepbreed's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I was disappointed by this book from the get-go. Stephen King didn't even give me a chance to form a positive first impression before Garraty notices that his mom's “breasts were almost nonexistent: token nubs.” There is absolutely no reason that had to be included. What did that add to the plot 💀 I kept reading because I was intrigued by the premise. It kept me hooked but I also kept waiting for more world-building and by the end I was sorely disappointed.  This is a dystopia so I would've loved more details of how The Long Walk came to be. I do get why King didn't describe more of past winners even though I kind of wanted that information. 

The plot became redundant to an exhaustive degree. How many times can you describe the exact same thing? Garraty's feet hurt, he struggles for a moment, gets a couple of warnings, and then comes to his senses (with the help of McVries). I feel like the message would. have been just as successful if this was a short story instead. I also didn't get the point of the quotes that began each chapter. They were just so random. 

I loved McVries (and Garraty wanted him sooooo bad) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Gun violence

Moderate: Vomit, Homophobia, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Sexual content

vinett's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Death, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Vomit, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

saoreads's review against another edition

The reason I couldn't finish the book "The Long Walk" by Stephen King is that I got bored halfway through. I found myself trying to convince myself numerous times to continue, but ultimately, I had to admit that it wasn't my cup of tea. The constant scenarios in the story seemed useless and didn't capture my attention. Additionally, I felt that the pacing of the narrative wasn't to my liking, making it challenging to maintain my interest in the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Torture, and Violence

lizziertaft's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Physical abuse, Gore, Genocide, Death, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Classism, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Suicide attempt, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Misogyny, and Torture

tayahmarie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

Wow… just wow. Talk about a phenomenal, horrific, and heartbreaking story. I was physically and emotionally exhausted all the way from page one to the end. My legs and feet were actually aching, along with the characters’. Stephen King’s skill of turning the most mundane, everyday things into something so horrific that our minds have a hard time grasping them is just admirable. I never read any novels by SK nor have I really delved into the horror genre, I was always too scared (lol) or intimidated, but I came across this story and was instantly intrigued.

This put so many things into perspective for me. When I say this has scarred me for life, it definitely has. There are so many conversations about life, death, why do we put ourselves into certain (especially hellish) situations, and more. His writing is painfully real. Along with the aches, I truly felt the anxiety, fear, and mental anguish through it. You also felt like you were on this journey with the boys and gotten to know them… which made this even sadder. I know that this story is going to stick with me for a long time.

Now, I wish I could’ve given this a 5-star rating, but there were a few racist/offensive things said in here and it was… a lot, lmao. Moving on though, what stuck out to me the most is that there is no REAL winner of The Long Walk. You essentially die before you even make it to the finish line. Either you’re met with a tragic end along the way, or you’re forever trapped in a psychological prison of torment, trauma, and overwhelming grief if you do win. Which, in all truthfulness, is a lose-lose.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, and Mental illness

hannahraepierce's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.25

Unbelievably rich and dark, and a lovely exploration of a slow descent to madness. Not for the faint of heart. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Mental illness, Police brutality, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, and Homophobia

Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Racial slurs, Self harm, and Sexual content

Minor: Blood, Eating disorder, Excrement, Vomit, Violence, and Suicide

emilyharmonica's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Vomit, Torture, and Mental illness

Moderate: Sexual content and Excrement