Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

17 reviews

eabh's review

adventurous challenging emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.75

This book felt a bit like reading Seven Days in June again. There is such depth and intensity to this story and the characters. As someone who has walked with grief for a long time, I found myself these pages at times. And sometimes it was uncomfortable, and I think that’s part of the point of the story. It’s hard to look away from these chaotic characters and their choices. 

This literary fiction novel is messy and raw and explosive with new and forbidden love. Which made it beautiful and also at times rather un-relatable. You are both repelled and repulsed by some of the characters choices, both enamored and dismayed. 

You made a fool out of death with your beauty is an interesting exploration of ethics and how grief molds and changes each of us in vastly different ways. This novel is quite atmospheric, and you may find yourself with a new appreciation for the art of food and creation (I know I did). 

It is written incredibly well, and it very quite quotable. 

For a shorter book, I found it simultaneously lagging in some parts and feeling very rushed and others. However, it does seem intentional on the authors behalf. But it made it challenging for me to stay invested in the plot. Overall, I am grateful I read this book for its bravery in characterization and beautiful depiction of the environment, but felt pulled out of the world at times due to how the story was written. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Car accident

Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, and Alcohol

peggy_racham's review against another edition

5.0

Truely no words are there to describe this book. Hooked from first page to the end. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

jillaay_h's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Blood, Grief, Car accident, and Gaslighting

alli_andrews's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Ableism, Biphobia, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, and Car accident

Moderate: Child death, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Self harm

alexisgarcia's review

emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Emezi is one of the best writers I have read from. they write such full characters. the characters have flaws but can also be so loveable. while i could point out many “flaws” in this book, it doesn’t matter. i loved it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Alcohol

on_your_raedar's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective relaxing sad tense slow-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

3.0

This is a moment that I say that I was not the target audience for this book. I found it cringy and messy but not in a way that I would have continued outside of audiobook form. Romance is not preferred genre but I heard such great things about the book. I also found the plot to be meh and the way grief was handled was interesting. I do really appreciate the moments of "selfishness" the characters experienced with actively moving toward things that made them happy because thats what they needed.

Even not being my genre, THE WRITING IS EVERYTHING! The author is a phenomenal writer and I absolutely see the hype. The writing is why this is 3 stars and not 1.5-2.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Mental illness and Car accident

Minor: Blood and Death of parent

grets_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Car accident

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Blood, and Death of parent

Minor: Biphobia, Cancer, Child death, Infidelity, and Panic attacks/disorders

bestienicoley's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring 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? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Violence, Grief, and Classism

thebookishfarmer's review

emotional funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Car accident

Moderate: Mental illness, Blood, and Death of parent

Minor: Cursing and Alcohol