Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion

14 reviews

morenowagain's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Abortion

Moderate: Mental illness, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Grief, Drug abuse, Addiction, Suicide, Medical content, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Homophobia, and Drug use

Minor: Car accident

emry23's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion and Suicide

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, and Addiction

Minor: Homophobia

flara's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This was an intense read. Like a tornado, it came out of nowhere. It kept on gaining intensity until it swept me away. There are passages in this book that are brutally sharp; they might as well cut through me. I understood Kate, her feelings.. or lack thereof. I believe Play It As It Lays was set in the 1960s, and yet it didn't feel aged. It felt very contemporary, disturbingly so. I enjoyed every single page of this very confusing, very tense, very dark novel. It's one of very few books that I regretted having finished reading.

I have this funny thing with Didion: every book that I have picked up so far ended up being very on theme. First I read The Magical Year of Thinking, and felt I could not relate due to lack of life experience with grief. Not a month later my grandfather became gravely ill, and died shortly after. That's when I picked up Blue Nights. Kate has an illegal abortion in Play It As It Lays, which I started reading just as Roe v Wade has been overturned. Crazy how a book from 60 years ago could be so relevant to the current affairs of today. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion

Moderate: Suicide, Blood, Violence, Pregnancy, Drug use, Infidelity, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Medical trauma

teresareads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, and Drug use

margztgz's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I expected to enjoy this novel more than I did but it was an interesting read nonetheless and I finished it very quickly. I felt a lot of empathy towards the main character as a woman essentially lost in so much of her life. Certain scenes were difficult to read but so well written and encapsulating. I thought the language was good at keeping attention yet left me in a bleak mood.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Blood, Drug use, Grief, Sexism, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Abortion, and Alcohol

miluva's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Abortion, and Medical trauma

annasreads612's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Death of parent, and Car accident

stevie's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content

ladymirtazapine's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, and Grief

Minor: Death of parent

soradsauce's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Mental illness, Medical trauma, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault