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Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
11 reviews
noerlund's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Don’t know about this rating. Some parts of the book I really liked - some parts I really didn’t. I did like Oscars character and point of view - especially his friendship with Mr Black. But part of the ending (digging up his father’s grave) kind of ruined it a bit for me. Why was that bit necessary? However I did like that the story didn’t have a typical happy ending, and that there wasn’t a deeper meaning behind the key
The other POVs (Oscar’s grandfather and grandmother) really didn’t do anything for me. I just found it boring and kind of annoying; why was we supposed to feel so sad for his grandfather;yes, Anna died, but seriously - he just decided to stop talking and ran away from his family and unborn son?
Overall not a completely bad read, but far from a five star read too.
The other POVs (Oscar’s grandfather and grandmother) really didn’t do anything for me. I just found it boring and kind of annoying; why was we supposed to feel so sad for his grandfather;
Overall not a completely bad read, but far from a five star read too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Violence, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual content
Minor: Self harm
cute_emo_bookboy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-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? It's complicated
4.25
It would be five stars if not the info dumping in some parts of the book :/
Still worth reading though.
Still worth reading though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and Mental illness
Minor: Self harm
sejw's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness, War, and Sexual content
quinnpjd930's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Lots of super great emotional and poignant parts in this book, but I was pretty off-put by the frequent dropping of the R-slur, and casual references to incest, pedophilia, sexual trauma, and how shockingly fine everyone was with a nine year old walking around NYC alone? Part mesmerizing and part bizarre… I understand the hype but I feel this missed the mark for me a bit
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Grief, Bullying, Mental illness, Child death, Car accident, Adult/minor relationship, War, Xenophobia, Death, Death of parent, Abandonment, Violence, Sexual content, Sexism, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, and Miscarriage
emileegargano's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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
3.0
This book was really confusing and that’s the main reason I didn’t like it that much. However, it was one of the better books I had to read for school. Also, I would rather not hear about the sex scenes between the grandma and grandpa. And, why is the grandpa writing about his sex life to his son? Same with grandma, except to her grandson? The plot was interesting and I get the message but the characters are so odd to me. It would be fine if their behaviors were explained much better. Like, yes, I get that most of their behaviors’ reasonings have to be inferred but it’s so annoying that I was constantly questioning if I was actually understanding the plot.
Also, I just want to say that this could totally just be me and the style of books I like reading. This one makes you think hard and dissect the characters. I personally don’t care for books that make me think into things deeply. I’d much rather prefer to just read things that give me the information right in front of my face. That being said, if you like more confusing books, this is for you. The plot is actually pretty good and interesting. It’s a good story, just not executed in a way I prefer.
Also, I just want to say that this could totally just be me and the style of books I like reading. This one makes you think hard and dissect the characters. I personally don’t care for books that make me think into things deeply. I’d much rather prefer to just read things that give me the information right in front of my face. That being said, if you like more confusing books, this is for you. The plot is actually pretty good and interesting. It’s a good story, just not executed in a way I prefer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Death from 9/11 and shows photos of someone jumping from the building numerous times.augustst's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, War, Death, Death of parent, and Mental illness
Moderate: Self harm and Bullying
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, and Incest
livviolet's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Mental illness, and Self harm
micarus's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Grief, Death of parent, Death, and Mental illness
juliatsang's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, War, and Mental illness
mikayla_ruth's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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
After his father dies in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, nine year old Oskar embarks on a many-month quest throughout New York City searching for the lock into which the key left behind by his father fits. While not explicitly stated, it becomes apparent that Oskar’s municipal expedition is really an attempt to process his own inner trauma and grief. Intertwining two stories, Foer also depicts a couple dealing with, or perhaps avoiding, grief, relational complexity, and loss. The two stories come crashing together at the final point of Oskar’s city adventure - his fathers grave.
I started this book anticipating a National Treasureesque story told in the voice of a nine-year old boy. Expecting an exciting, light-hearted, adventure story, I was left unsatisfied.
Instead, through the stories of those who are learning to grieve, are grieving, and have failed to grieve, Foer shows the heavy, sometimes inexplicable emotions that come with pain and loss. As an exploration of the emotional effects of crises on human hearts, I liked it more.
Why I didn’t like it:
- At times, some of the details about Oskar seemed unbelievable. He has a lot of freedom in a lot of city for a nine year old. And he has some thoughts that show more maturity than nine years would give. Maybe I would have trusted his process more if he were eleven or twelve, but this made the story less believable for me.
-The couple’s sub plot is sad, dysfunctional and, at times, frustrating. While it does seem plausible if you followed some poor decisions out to their end, I personally am unsure if it made me want to read the book.
- While not a hard read, it is not fast paced and can be hard to follow.
Things I liked:
- Foer utilizes various voice styles, page layout methods, and artistic tools throughout the novel to capture the story’s emotion.
- The ending resolves the story and does not. It leaves you with emotion more than conclusion. I liked it.
- Fore’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is unique in its voice and purpose. It was not my favorite book to read and I don’t think I would reread it. But after finishing the book and processing its entirety, I appreciate it more.
I started this book anticipating a National Treasureesque story told in the voice of a nine-year old boy. Expecting an exciting, light-hearted, adventure story, I was left unsatisfied.
Instead, through the stories of those who are learning to grieve, are grieving, and have failed to grieve, Foer shows the heavy, sometimes inexplicable emotions that come with pain and loss. As an exploration of the emotional effects of crises on human hearts, I liked it more.
Why I didn’t like it:
- At times, some of the details about Oskar seemed unbelievable. He has a lot of freedom in a lot of city for a nine year old. And he has some thoughts that show more maturity than nine years would give. Maybe I would have trusted his process more if he were eleven or twelve, but this made the story less believable for me.
-The couple’s sub plot is sad, dysfunctional and, at times, frustrating. While it does seem plausible if you followed some poor decisions out to their end, I personally am unsure if it made me want to read the book.
- While not a hard read, it is not fast paced and can be hard to follow.
Things I liked:
- Foer utilizes various voice styles, page layout methods, and artistic tools throughout the novel to capture the story’s emotion.
- The ending resolves the story and does not. It leaves you with emotion more than conclusion. I liked it.
- Fore’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is unique in its voice and purpose. It was not my favorite book to read and I don’t think I would reread it. But after finishing the book and processing its entirety, I appreciate it more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Self harm, Mental illness, and Adult/minor relationship