Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

25 reviews

orlagal's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Body horror, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Police brutality, Self harm, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, Blood, Body shaming, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Violence, Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, and Rape

thursdd4y's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.5

The ending was lovely, but this book felt 200 pages too long and I really started to hate picking it up. Personally a lot of it could’ve been cut and made everything a lot more powerful and engaging, because at times it felt tedious.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Drug abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Death, Drug use, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Chronic illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Addiction, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Self harm

hduc's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Death of parent, and Death

Minor: Police brutality, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Violence, Animal death, Drug use, Addiction, Mass/school shootings, Pedophilia, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, and Alcohol

desheebasara's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective 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

4.25

This book already had me crying by page 14, it was really not what I expected and surprised me in a positive way.

It lost me a little bit in the middle, but not in a way that made me put it away.

I really really enjoyed Ruth Ozeki‘s writing style, pretty sure I have never read anything like it!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Grief, Car accident, Sexual violence, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Bullying, Drug abuse, Addiction, Animal death, and Death of parent

futuretreeman's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

I was in my favorite bookstore when we found each other. It's kind of a hole-in-the-wall used-book bookstore. But the hole goes surprisingly far back and the precariously leaning bookshelves touch the ceiling. It's a magical place that never fails to house several books I'm interested in. It was the first place I visited when I moved to college and the last place I visited when I dropped out.

Just like the book-within-the-book "Tidy Magic", 'The Book of Form and Emptiness', flew off the shelf to me. I was in the middle of several projects about homes and objects, the way objects feel and the way they make us feel and the memories they help us make. I even wrote poems about forks and spoons and napkins.

I was also beginning some self-discovery at the time. My dad died too when I was a little kid and after years of ignoring how it hurt, I finally started to recognize how it really made me feel and who I had turned into.

By the time I finished the book, I had gone through other changes too. I learned what a terrific friend I had been in college, unreliable, apathetic, and exactly the kind of person I had always feared becoming. I went through back-and-forth stages of putting the blame all on me, all on my friends, and realizing we all had roles to play.

I've felt much like Benny. I even feel like Annabelle as I write this review.

The certainly hasn't changed my life, and it will take far more than words on a page to heal my hurt and the hurt I've caused others. But this book has had a marvelous impact on me. I sometimes find myself wondering if a hot pan burns because it is angry at you for hurting it by putting it in the oven. But my family hasn't read this book and they'd think I was crazy if I said it out loud.

If you've read the book, you understand.

And if you find a book that makes you feel this way, listen.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Death, and Self harm

Moderate: Drug abuse, Body horror, Car accident, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Confinement, Blood, Bullying, Alcohol, and Animal cruelty

madeleinebay's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Alcohol, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Fatphobia, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm

Moderate: Drug use, Alcoholism, Animal death, and Drug abuse

Minor: Police brutality

alicelalicon's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Grief, and Self harm

Moderate: Child abuse, Fatphobia, Bullying, Drug use, Alcohol, Medical content, Racism, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Body shaming, Sexual content, Ableism, and Cursing

Minor: Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Racial slurs, and Suicidal thoughts

erinwolf1997's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad tense 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Animal death, Alcohol, Addiction, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual violence, Bullying, Sexual assault, Incest, Police brutality, Self harm, and Sexual content

grace_anna's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Drug abuse, Alcohol, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, and Mental illness

bookmark3brodi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Alcohol, Animal death, Car accident, Medical content, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Addiction, Drug use, Blood, Bullying, and Death of parent