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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
I finished this early this morning and I just can't stop thinking about it.
Rich in both humour and emotion, I had a hard time putting this one down.
The number 1 read of 2020 for me.
Rich in both humour and emotion, I had a hard time putting this one down.
The number 1 read of 2020 for me.
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fuck. this was just a solid five stars. a really tragically, beautiful insight into unnamed mental health issues.exe and how they ripple into the lives of the others around you.
this is a messy, but honest account of a frankly unlikeable protagonist whom you always find yourself rooting for. martha is a piece of shit but she's a struggling piece of shit and that's why you want her to get better. because we as readers can see that funny, sardonic side of her she tricks herself into believing others cant see. i obviously really resonated with this book because i have been guilty of letting my issues bleed their way into others' lives. and, is this maybe saying that people with extreme mental health issues can be selfish, yeah i think so. but that doesn't make them bad people, it makes them human. but can these people also be cunts, yes. god the amount of times i've been on a self-sabotging war path and completely obliterated people who love me to gain a sense of control over what's happening around me is very confronting.
meg mason has a way of describing the mundane with phrases that feel lived in. and you see people you know in this story. what a terrifying but electric experience seeing the world through meg mason's eyes would be.
you either are a martha or have loved a martha and that's something i think anyone can get from this book. having issues is like a consistent realisation that no, people aren't upset at how often you're upset they hate that they have to watch a person they love completely self-combust in a sadistically predictable way.
i will be thinking about this book for awhile. if u r struggling or love someone who struggles, this is the book for you. anyway, here are some quotes that i love.
"nobody can be held to account as long as they're suffering and i made you my unassailable excuse for not growing up"
"his stubborn, persistent love isn't in spite of you, and your pain. it is because of who you are which is, in part, a product of your pain."
"i said goodbye and it wasn't enough, one word, to quotidian to contain the end of the world"
ouch, going to take a long hard look at myself. and do better, and love better.
this is a messy, but honest account of a frankly unlikeable protagonist whom you always find yourself rooting for. martha is a piece of shit but she's a struggling piece of shit and that's why you want her to get better. because we as readers can see that funny, sardonic side of her she tricks herself into believing others cant see. i obviously really resonated with this book because i have been guilty of letting my issues bleed their way into others' lives. and, is this maybe saying that people with extreme mental health issues can be selfish, yeah i think so. but that doesn't make them bad people, it makes them human. but can these people also be cunts, yes. god the amount of times i've been on a self-sabotging war path and completely obliterated people who love me to gain a sense of control over what's happening around me is very confronting.
meg mason has a way of describing the mundane with phrases that feel lived in. and you see people you know in this story. what a terrifying but electric experience seeing the world through meg mason's eyes would be.
you either are a martha or have loved a martha and that's something i think anyone can get from this book. having issues is like a consistent realisation that no, people aren't upset at how often you're upset they hate that they have to watch a person they love completely self-combust in a sadistically predictable way.
i will be thinking about this book for awhile. if u r struggling or love someone who struggles, this is the book for you. anyway, here are some quotes that i love.
"nobody can be held to account as long as they're suffering and i made you my unassailable excuse for not growing up"
"his stubborn, persistent love isn't in spite of you, and your pain. it is because of who you are which is, in part, a product of your pain."
"i said goodbye and it wasn't enough, one word, to quotidian to contain the end of the world"
ouch, going to take a long hard look at myself. and do better, and love better.
I really enjoy an "unlikeable" narrator, and I have a soft spot for stories involving mental health. This book took a little longer to "get into" than others, since I wasn't engulfed in the story from the beginning, but that's ok and its not that type of book.
This is 4 instead of 5 stars simply because I really wish we could get a book where a woman doesn't.
This is 4 instead of 5 stars simply because I really wish we could get a book where a woman doesn't
Spoiler
ultimately reveal that she's always wanted children after all
I know a lot of people loved this, but I simply didn't. I found a lot of the aspects rather boring and some of it did hit really close to home but the protagonist did bother me for a good portion of the book. I felt like this book didn't need to be as long as it was. There were simply a good amount of scenes where nothing happened to progress the story or tell anything about her character
I will think about Martha and Patrick forever. This book was witty and it made me laugh, whilst also being an incredibly accurate description of not only living with an undiagnosed/misdiagnosed mental illness, but the effects on those around you. I loved this. The sister dynamic was so real and made me realise I’m the sister with the annoying kids in the background of every phone call
sooo close to being a five star read, but something near the end just didn't feel entirely believable to me. other than that though, such an amazing and incredible read, with some of the best writing i've had the pleasure of reading in a long time.
I felt the full range of emotions with this one - i was laughing and tearing up and falling in love with patrick alongside martha and feeling lost with her as well. meg mason’s writing was so simple yet filled with so much emotion. i adored the writing - i felt like meg mason succeeded in putting so many of my own thoughts and feelings into these sentences that i found myself rereading again and again.
this one is well loved, and for good reason. the book delves into a lot of heavy topics, but does so in a way that is honest and believable.
mental illness is a difficult, daily struggle, and it doesn’t just miraculously goes away one day. but considering the slightly depressing title, meg mason’s novel gives me hope that the dark episodes will pass, and it’s possible to find that somebody that will stick by you through the good and the bad - whether it’s your parents, your sister, or a significant other.
I felt the full range of emotions with this one - i was laughing and tearing up and falling in love with patrick alongside martha and feeling lost with her as well. meg mason’s writing was so simple yet filled with so much emotion. i adored the writing - i felt like meg mason succeeded in putting so many of my own thoughts and feelings into these sentences that i found myself rereading again and again.
this one is well loved, and for good reason. the book delves into a lot of heavy topics, but does so in a way that is honest and believable.
mental illness is a difficult, daily struggle, and it doesn’t just miraculously goes away one day. but considering the slightly depressing title, meg mason’s novel gives me hope that the dark episodes will pass, and it’s possible to find that somebody that will stick by you through the good and the bad - whether it’s your parents, your sister, or a significant other.