Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

10 reviews

mana_elena's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

The person who recommended this book to me described it as "It's an easy read, not in the sense that it's simple but in the way that a conversation with someone you love is easy", and I think that's an excellent description for the book. I was intrigued by the fact that all but three chapters are written in third person, and about the choice for which characters got first person voice, and the strong effect of referring to one character as "you". 

I also thought it was interesting how the character we are first introduced to forms the through line for the story and especially how our initial perspective of her affects the other stories she appears in, adding some dramatic irony to other people's opinions of her. The novel doesn't have a main character, strictly speaking, but she is the main character, as far as I'm concerned.

I personally found the second to last chapter a compelling "end" to the story, but I think the author felt it was necessary/honest to have it end the way that it did. I can see how it rounds out the perspectives shared in the book. As a personal preference, though, stories set in the near future break my suspension of disbelief. Egan's predictions for the 2020's are pretty good in many respects and I think suit the tone and message of the book, I just didn't like having to "learn" a new setting in the last chapter.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Racism

duchesseducool's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape

bootsmom3's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Addiction, Body shaming, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Death, Drug use, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Cancer, Classism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Suicidal thoughts

fraise's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Sexism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Homophobia, Alcohol, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Body shaming, Medical content, Misogyny, Racism, Suicide attempt, Genocide, Sexual assault, and Suicide

Minor: Eating disorder and Cancer

unboxedjack's review against another edition

reflective fast-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

Minor: Death, Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship

gwendle_vs_literature's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

I bought this not knowing what it was — it was one of those “blind dates with a book” where you get it wrapped on brown paper with a vague description on the outside and pay a fraction of the normal cover price. It’s the first time I’ve actually been interested enough to buy one. It was described as “Dubliners for the digital age”, and it lived up to that.

This is an excellent book. It reads more like a collection of short stories, with each chapter focused  on a different character, but the way they all weave together and connect in the end is really impressive and beautiful, and by the time I’d finished it I understood why it’s billed as a novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Self harm, and Drug use

Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Infidelity, and Terminal illness

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, and Vomit

One chapter/story was difficult to read because it describes an attempted sexual assault from the perspective of the person who had committed it, so be careful of that if it might be triggering for you — chapter 9. There are other mentions of that event, as well as sketchy situations with sexual relationships between adults and minors, but chapter 9 is the one that’s overtly violent.

angel_kiiss's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Cursing, Drug use, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship

booksfield's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

confusedmuse's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Addiction

falchionm's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Addiction, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Suicidal thoughts

I heard this was a book about time travel, but it was not in the way I thought. It isn't science fiction, but the reader travels through vignettes of a connected cast of characters through different points in their lives and how they intersect with each other. It has character studies and each has their unique struggles and secrets in their lives.