Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '

Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers

23 reviews

swaino's review

mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

This book gave me mixed emotions. The writing style was flawless, I thoroughly enjoyed reading these perfectly curated sentences and chapters. 

It’s the plot that has given me the mixed feelings. I regret to say that I believed it to be quite predictable, with the origins of the virgin birth being what I had expected from the very beginning. The ending was also quite unnecessary and, if I dare say, almost ruined the book for me (whether that was out of heartbreak for the main character or a somewhat lazy plot, I am not so sure). 

Before the end, I wanted to give this book 4/5 stars, but the ending took me back. Perhaps after a few days of ruminating over this book I may change my mind. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Chronic illness, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Grief, Mental illness, Rape, and Sexism

mpeach's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Abortion, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cancer, Rape, and Sexual assault

amberrenfrey's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Infertility, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abortion, Pregnancy, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Sexual assault, Vomit, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, and Rape

jackbifrost's review

hopeful mysterious relaxing sad fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Infidelity, Dementia, Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Medical content

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Terminal illness, Abortion, and Rape

Minor: War and Death of parent

merrynthomas's review

challenging emotional lighthearted mysterious relaxing sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical content, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, and Mental illness

Minor: Sexual assault and Rape

laurennicole98's review against another edition

emotional informative mysterious 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion

Moderate: Death, Grief, and Confinement

Minor: Cancer, Dementia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, and Mental illness

princessemily's review

emotional mysterious reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

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

5.0

Beautiful story that evokes powerful emotion from the start to end. The 1950s setting takes you immediately to that period without forcing a pair of rose tinted glasses on first. The characters are realistic and it’s easy to take to them as though they were old friends of mine. 

I have already recommended this to several friends.

Contrary to everyone’s belief that the ending was unnecessary I thought it further demonstrated the importance of taking the time to enjoy the “small pleasures” of life when you can. I was thankful that there was some ambiguity and we were not forced to witness the reaction of Jean, Gretchen and Margaret when they receive the news. The ending absolutely devastated me and I certainly needed some recovery time to stop crying but given the entire book is rooted in the reality of mundane and empathic life I found the ending to be equally realistic and a better fit than a “happily ever after”.

 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Homophobia, and Rape

sundaybookclub's review

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Infidelity, Death, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Terminal illness, Confinement, Pregnancy, and Rape

Minor: Cancer

skudiklier's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

I'm worried I'm too emotionally invested at the moment to be writing this review; I don't know how to write about how this book made me feel without writing about the ending. I'll spoiler warning it at the end here, but just know that all spoilers in it are very vague.

Overall I liked this book. I knew absolutely nothing about it going in--not the premise, not the genre, nothing. I picked it solely based on the cover. Throughout the first half of it I just felt a sort of rising tension, as I waited for the shoe to drop. This book was well-written and while the ending devastated me, I don't think it should have been changed. 

This book makes me want to read more by this author, because I really liked how well it showed tiny social things that feel hard to capture/explain but can make a real impact on how a situation feels or a relationship progresses. Small things that Jean worries over momentarily, that just felt really well-done. 

Honestly the ending just is so sad. I wasn't prepared. I wish I'd paid more attention to the dates so that I could have seen it coming. It makes sense as a story but I'm just too close to these characters right now, I feel too sad for them. It made it so I couldn't give this book five stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Abortion, Death, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Dementia, Infidelity, Medical content, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual content

Minor: Lesbophobia, Cancer, and Incest

train accident

biareads100's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

I'm so mad at this book. I hate it and love it at the same time. First of all the experience of reading this book was painful, the predictable plot, the pace how dark it was. But if you asked me to talk about this book now that I finished it i could talk for hours. I love the way it presented all the issues it raised. It truly made me think. Life comes with good things and bad things and we are here for the ride.

it talks about being a spinster, having the perfect societal life that you hate vs not having the perfect societal life and hating your life, having to take care of your parents more than they did of you( and the mother the real villain of the story egoism, being lonely yet never being free, being loved but never being able to love back, amazing amazing. We need to talk about the ending. Based on the dark ending of the miracle birth we can assume Howard's story took the darkest route. They did leave the Gretchen story open ended, as that guy was never sure to be the father so Howard could be injured or one of the survivers but again the book doesn't shy away from pain. Still i would've hoped after such a biter sweet book not to get the literal worst ending. Also nice nod to the fact he felt old like it's a bad thing when some people arent blessed to get to that age.

i can talk volumes about this book but the ending and the pacing would make me not recommend it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Chronic illness, Confinement, Car accident, and Grief

Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Dementia

Minor: Rape