Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Wellness by Nathan Hill

17 reviews

shankarhere's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Cancer, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

aileron's review against another edition

emotional funny 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Cancer, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Self harm and Animal death

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

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

mercerhanau's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective tense 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

Moderate: Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Chronic illness, Toxic friendship, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Addiction, Pandemic/Epidemic, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Death of parent, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Abortion, Alcohol, Cancer, Animal cruelty, Grief, and Pregnancy

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

e11en's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Cancer

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

kelsylee's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm

Moderate: Child death and Child abuse

Minor: Animal death and Cancer

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