Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton

10 reviews

my_a's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Drug abuse, Death, Death of parent, Racism, Violence, Terminal illness, Hate crime, and Racial slurs

saara_ilona_muu's review against another edition

challenging inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Alcoholism, Drug use, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, and Violence

bealittlebrave's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, Infidelity, and Hate crime

Moderate: Rape, Drug abuse, Police brutality, Grief, and Misogyny

katewhite77's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I really recommend consuming this novel via audio if at all possible as I should imagine it's the best way to differentiate between all the different colourful characters featured. 

On one level this is very entertaining and upsetting in equal measure spoof aural history of a spoof of a 1970s Anglo American pop duo and on another it says something important about racism sexism and capitalism on both sides of the Atlantic. 

I think fans of Daisy Jones and the Six would really like this as they are  similar in both Audio and print. I would say The Final Rival of Opal And New has another strand to it though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Sexism

kimveach's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book was amazing!  I loved it.   Please listen to it.  I'm sure it's good in print, but the full-cast audio makes this a performance.   The book is in a similar documentary style as Daisy Jones & The Six, but it's also different in so many ways.  I loved this one a little more.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Violence, Death, Drug use, Medical content, Cursing, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Addiction, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Grief, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Medical trauma, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

sarah984's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This was such a good read for me. The themes are handled really deftly and the characters and situations feel true to life. The characters and their moment in time are integrated into the real historical context in a way that feels organic. I'd wondered how interesting the book would be to read when it's leading up to an event you already know will happen but it really works. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Misogyny, Addiction, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Grief, Terminal illness, Violence, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Police brutality

Minor: Body shaming, Homophobia, Rape, Religious bigotry, Slavery, and War

amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Racial slurs, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Addiction, Gore, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Blood, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Racism, Sexism, Drug abuse, and Hate crime

Moderate: Homophobia and Pregnancy

prettycloud's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

This book is so compelling. So concise and yet with such gorgeous visuals and descriptions of music, so focused and yet so devoted to the nuances of the story and the supporting cast. It reads like a book written by a journalist, asking important questions and pushing the reader to think critically, but never dragging the way more self-indulgent literary books do. It focuses on racism, sexism, misogynoir, and the far-reaching effects of structural inequality and subcultural resistance, and yet it comes off emotionally real rather than preachy. If you liked "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo," you're likely to get a lot out of this one too.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Police brutality, Sexism, Violence, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Blood, Cursing, and Addiction

Minor: Abortion, Car accident, Medical content, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Sexual harassment

This book is ultimately more adventurous than dark in tone, so though it shows racist violence and bigoted attitudes, it lingers more on subcultural connection, healing, and inspiration. The book centers around the death of the narrator's Black father during the riot that launched the eponymous band to stardom, and the narrator's ongoing quest to learn more about that night and its key players. One of the key players is at the time of narration dying of cancer. There is a twist related to that night, but no surprise violence or illness or anything.

ellaensorcelee's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Death

Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Addiction, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Minor: Body shaming, Car accident, Police brutality, and Pregnancy

joinreallife's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Woof. This book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Abortion, Cancer, and Terminal illness