Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Les Bien-aimés by Ann Napolitano

192 reviews

applesaucecreachur's review against another edition

4.25

emotional 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: Yes

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Over the last few days, while reading this book, I found myself in a daze any time I was alone. (The fact that I listened to the entire story over a few hours-long sittings likely has no bearing on this.) Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano had a striking way of showing me myself and my beloveds within its pages. In this way, the story fit like a lens over my frontal lobe: I saw its words walking down the street and trailing through my journal. The range of years and human emotions was exhausting in its beauty. The span of decades and personalities felt both breakneck in its pace and loving in its attention to detail. Hearing the story from multiple distinct POVs was not only enjoyable but also immensely clever. While the timeline remained more or less linear, Napolitano bends the arrow to allow for multiple perspectives on the same events, and to station the reader in different minds in the same instant.

The most breathtaking example of this was the day of Sylvie's death, where we first watch Alice waiting uncomfortably at her father's work before learning in the next chapter that he has just fallen headlong into grief.

With emotions swirling inside of me, I have only so many intelligible thoughts on this book.  I will end this review off with a lasting lesson: Love, like the people with whom we share it, is imperfect and essential.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Homophobia, Medical content, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol

Minor: Child death

bellsdixon's review against another edition

4.25

emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Pregnancy

hannnaemiliav's review against another edition

4.0

emotional hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia

geoalice23's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful inspiring 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

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I loved and hated each character simultaneously in ways you only can about family 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Classism

emilymichiels's review against another edition

3.25

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Suicide attempt, Dysphoria

catieshabbs's review against another edition

3.0

emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Suicide

victoriascotta's review against another edition

5.0

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Death

meredithamadee's review against another edition

4.5

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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4.25-4.5 ⭐️ 
This book started out slow but I ended up really enjoying it. The reflections on family, sisterhood, grief, mental health, love and forgiveness and really beautiful. I love a multigenerational family drama and this one definitely delivered. My critiques had to do with taking a bit to get into it, but once the characters got older I was hooked. One of the main characters felt very flat and unlikeable to me so that was also hard. As the story progressed, hearts are softened and people act with more humility but it was difficult to read the story from the perspective of someone quite selfish and stubborn for so long (I don’t want to say more because I don’t want to give anything away)

If you enjoy multigenerational family dramas I think you’ll appreciate this :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Suicide, Death of parent

csyip's review against another edition

5.0

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt

Moderate: Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia

martideno's review against another edition

2.5

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Suicide attempt