Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy

5 reviews

shannonm306's review

dark emotional funny sad tense slow-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

After reading Prince of Tides I can’t wait to watch the movie. This was a beautiful sad story. Conroy wrote a realistic description of mental health and how trauma manifests in different people. Tom is an adoring brother who loves his sister very much and there’s evidence throughout the story that all he wants to do his help her, but isn’t sure how. The ending was unexpected, but still very well written. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Rape, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Blood, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Cancer, Bullying, and Animal death

kpitsker's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Antisemitism, Sexual assault, Self harm, Child abuse, Suicide, Physical abuse, Rape, Mental illness, and Racism

martinelecorff's review

challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

although some of the themes did not age well, this book is magnificent. i will carry its story and characters with me for a long long time

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Racism, Child abuse, Death, and Murder

brokensporty's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

This is Conroy at his best, but this book is not for the faint of heart or easily offended. It has some very powerful scenes (child abuse, rape, sodomy, murder, racism and integration of schools, mental illness, etc) that need to be taken in context. 

The blatant racism is included because it was a part of the time period the Wingo kids grew up in. Tom's early wanting to just ignore it and go along with his peers is exactly how things go down every day. That's what teenagers do. They try to fit in. Savannah is also representative of some teens. She stands up for what she knows is right no matter the consequences.

The graphic portrayal of the rape ties in to the coping mechanisms of different people. While I believe that Savannah's mental illness is hereditary, I also believe the events in her early life led directly to her dissociation and suicide attempts. Tom's way of dealing with being forcibly sodomized is far different from his sister's.

This is a beautifully written Southern story about family connections, abuse, mental illness, the power of the past, the power of forgiveness, and moving on. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to read Conroy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Self harm, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Racism, Suicide attempt, Rape, and Toxic relationship

misskeesa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence