Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Wellness by Nathan Hill

8 reviews

bookishcookiemonster's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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

3.75

Great exploration of humans, couples, and how each person's baggage doesn't just go away magically. 
Definitely had me reflecting a lot about my own life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Blood, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Ableism, Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Animal death, Classism, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Abortion

smaravetz's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative sad tense 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

Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, Grief, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Bullying

jennipea382's review

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Death of parent, Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Bullying, and Infidelity

hdunscombe's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Gaslighting, Blood, Child abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Child death, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent

Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content

erikagibson126's review

challenging dark funny reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Child abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Death of parent, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Cancer, Animal death, Physical abuse, Bullying, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Medical content, and Suicide attempt

thecriticalreader's review

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

4.75

Context: 

I picked Wellness by Nathan Hill as my October 2023 Book of the Month.

 

Review:

I had few expectations (good or bad) going into Wellness, but I was pleasantly surprised when I tore through all 600-plus pages in a couple of days! I am someone who appreciates a compulsively readable story with interesting characters and a punchy plotline. I also appreciate deeply philosophical works that unabashedly discuss nuances of human nature and modern living. I very rarely get to read a book that does both—and does them well—but Wellness is one of those rare books.
 

The book switches perspectives a fair bit, and sometimes I worried that I would find a particular portion or POV to be a slog. I needn’t have worried, as Hill managed to hook me in every single time. He also has a gift for delivering delicious, surprising, and satisfying ‘twists’ so that each section of the novel sticks the landing. I would happily read 600 more pages of his writing, especially when it comes to his discussions on algorithms and the human tendency toward self-deception.

As much as I love Wellness, I do not think it is a perfect book. Hill tends to overindulge in his penchant for melodrama toward the end of the book, and one of the plotlines in particular struck me as too “Hollywood” for my liking. Similarly, Hill chose a more splashy, almost rom-com-esque conclusion instead of allowing the main characters, Elizabeth and Jack, to talk out their issues realistically and constructively. I also wish that Elizabeth received some sort of consequences for her egregious violation of research ethics in the Wellness organization. None of these imperfections dampened my love for the book as a whole, however, and I am so incredibly glad that I chose Wellness to start off my year. 

 

The Run-Down: 

You will probably like Wellness if . . . 

·      If you’re looking for a book that has “a little bit of everything” 

·      If you want a book that combines the heart of a romance novel, the philosophical musings of a classic, the gripping nature of a thriller, and the reflections on everyday life of a work of contemporary literary fiction

·      If you want help working through your vague feeling of malaise in living in modern America

 

You might not like Wellness if . . . 

·      You dislike multi-POV stories or books that move back and forth in time

·      You don’t want to read about slightly pretentious white liberal characters

·      You want to read a book that is concise and sticks to the plot

 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, and Alcohol

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

2.0

The best part of this book was the ending for two reasons: 1) it was finally over and 2) it was truly the only part of the story I thought was well told. For the ray of the time, I kept wondering why this book was so damned long.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Drug use, Cancer, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Bullying, and Fire/Fire injury

caseythereader's review

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

Thanks to AA Knopf for the free copy of this book.

 - WELLNESS is a book that is so sprawling and layered that I am having a hard time collecting my thoughts about it.
- Hill is such a master of slowly unspooling a story, giving us each piece of a character's life at the exact moment it's needed, which somehow makes a slow, character-based novel feel like a page turner.
- It's possibly I simply connect too deeply to this book, given that I'm someone who thought she'd be an artist of some kind who is now married in the suburbs...but I think even if you don't identify with that particular part of the story, there will be something in Jack and Elizabeth's lives that rings true to you.
- The more I think about this book, the more sure I am that I can't condense it into an Instagram caption. Consider this an open invitation to come chat with me about it if you've read it! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, and Sexual content