Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett

34 reviews

ketchup_chugger_al's review

emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

I too would buy a Russian fox for $18,000 if it wasn’t horrifically inhumane

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Dementia, Grief, Child death, Infidelity, Cursing, Alcohol, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Terminal illness, and Cancer

Moderate: Kidnapping

Minor: Gore, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, War, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness

okiecozyreader's review

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

4.25

Like everyone else has said, this is a very quirky book. There are multiple animal sections, each introduction by an animal (from the collection of Ernest Baynes, “the real-life Doctor Doolittle who was a naturalist for [Corbin] Park.”) from the Author’s Note. The author came upon a mansion in Newport, NH which spanned 26,000 acres and was filled with animals from all over the world. 

Emma Starling returns home after deciding not to pursue a career in medicine and finds her dad suffering from dementia, her mother burned out, her brother recovering from addiction, and her best friend from high school missing. She realizes she has missed a lot of their lives, and there is a lot that she can do to help.

Through the story (told in 3rd person), random, sometimes humorous, discussion points are raised by those in the cemetery with their lifespans in parenthesis. 

“…not knowing what happens next and the fear associated with the not-knowing, that uncertainty and anticipation is what makes us human.” Ch 6

“Oh  man, we thought at Maple Street, how we missed the excruciating pain of being alive.” Ch 37

“Even if Crystal Nash was never found, she wasn’t forgotten in Everton. She wasn’t invisible. She was everywhere.” Ch 52

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse and Terminal illness

Minor: Confinement

emilye's review

emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Terminal illness and Drug use

Minor: Child death

mrellis's review

adventurous emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction and Terminal illness

unluckycat13's review

I just straight give up on this one. Normally I read a lot further to give it a chance, but I got the strong vibe what I was getting was what I would get for the next 300 pages. I knew I was signing on for minor quirk and I assumed this would probably be like a more bittersweeet Dickens novel-- Which I feel is accurate. I was not prepared for the level of quirk modern authors feel obligated to bring into their work though. I'm also not fond of greek choruses, the characters, or the writing style. 

At one point a paragraph goes on so long it takes up half the page. It begins with the description of how she picked up a dog and ends with a dead ghost giving her looks a rating on a scale of 10. I love unconventional writing but I don't love badly constructed paragraphs that segue into casual sexism for a character quirk. I don't even know what that adds. That's part of my issue with "cozy" things, they often feel so completely unexamined in their baggage. 

I picked it up for something different than what I normally read, but this felt a great deal like many things I've read and simply don't care for. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Drug abuse, and Mental illness

galexy_brain's review

challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-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? Yes

4.75

Never has a book made me cry in one paragraph and laugh in the next. Wish there was more payoff and explanation for why

E.H.B. was able to/decided to haunt Cliff Starling in particular.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Chronic illness, Child death, Confinement, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Drug use

Minor: Animal death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail

teaxmillions's review against another edition

emotional funny fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness

Moderate: Death of parent

eebluee's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.25

I loved the narrators - omniscient ghost chorus, what a unique and lovely perspective to write from! The story did get slightly unbelievable by the end, but with the elements of magical realism one just has to suspend some disbelief.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness and Death

greywolfheir's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness and Grief

Moderate: Drug abuse

Minor: Death of parent and Suicide attempt

maroar's review

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Drug abuse

Minor: Sexual assault