Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

The Guncle by Steven Rowley

101 reviews

jj_tj's review

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emotional funny reflective 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

5.0


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beatriks's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad 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

4.25

This was less lighthearted than I had expected, nevertheless heartwarming and hopeful. There were lots of funny moments, but also very sad ones.
that birthday cake scene, what did I cry!


I would definitely recommend the book and I’m planning to read more books by Steven Rowley.

Also, I could feel the heat of Palm Springs shine through the pages.

Curious to find out who’s going to play Patrick in the movie/TV adaptation. 

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heypretty52's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0


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mpearson0711's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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lisasilv's review against another edition

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

4.5

A story that seems shallow at first but grows on you. Some good things to think about when it comes to how we live and the legacies we can leave. 

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whatkathrynreads_'s review

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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diana_raquel's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

“Grief orbits the heart. Some days the circle is greater. Those are the good days. You have room to move and dance and breathe. Some days the circle is tighter. Those are the hard ones.”

The Guncle
follows the story of Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick, when he has to take care of Maisie and Grant, his niece and nephew, after tragedy strikes. And despite having a set of “Guncle Rules”, Patrick has no idea what to expect, having spent years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a somewhat-stalled career, and a lifestyle not-so-suited to a six- and a nine-year-old.

I really loved this story! Its a story about grief and loss, but its also about hope and recovery. I loved every bit of it and couldn't put it down! Truly recommend it!


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kickitupanotch7's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

It took a couple of chapters for me to get into it but I’m glad I stuck with it. This book was funny and unique and had such tremendous character growth throughout the course of the summer. 

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lynxpardinus's review

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emotional funny hopeful reflective

4.0


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znvisser's review against another edition

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

2.5

I was expecting some sort of character study with emotional highs and lows and compared to that this was a bit… smoothed out? Somewhat ironically, the plot has a typical Hollywood film structure with out-of-nowhere twists and an unnecessary enemy, except each problem blew over quickly without actually  being completely resolved? The historical family dynamics were underexplored while they could have added some depth. There were some profound moments with the children which I enjoyed but it seemed mostly written just to be tied up in a nice bow. This wasn’t my cup of tea but probably a satisfying feel-good story for those who do enjoy such pacing.

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