Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

All's Well by Mona Awad

41 reviews

withlivjones's review against another edition

challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Holy hell, Mona Awad has done it again. This book as it all: trippy dream sequences, mysterious characters reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland, and overall a really powerful message about how women’s pain, especially if it’s invisible, is so often dismissed and erased. Part of me sympathises with and roots for Miranda as she gains the ability to take ownership of her chronic pain and punish those who have downplayed it, while part of me grows slightly more horrified as she descends further into insanity. This book, like Awad’s other writing, reads like an acid trip, and I am so here for it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Ableism, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, and Medical content

Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, and Alcohol

orlagal's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious medium-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? N/A

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Ableism, Death, Gaslighting, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Medical content, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Grief, and Sexual content

raitherabbit's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

4.5

As someone who does theatre, this book wrecked me. As someone who also has a degree in psychology, this book was fascinating and kept me asking for more. Watching the slow downfall of someone you supposedly root for is excruciating, but also satisfying. There was no way I would predict how any of this ended (both the play and the plot itself). I do think things will get better after this. In other news, female rage is a powerful thing and it was made more interesting by the intricate interpersonal relationships Ms. Fitch had with her students and coworkers. I rooted for everyone but also wished for their downfall. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Drug use, Alcohol, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Ableism, Blood, Cursing, Chronic illness, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Death

danidamico's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

4.5

Esta fue mi primera experiencia leyendo a Mona Awad y me encantó. All's Well me mantuvo entretenida y enganchada de principio a fin. La novela presenta la historia de Miranda, una actriz de teatro que ahora enseña en una universidad de medio pelo en Massachusetts. Años atrás, mientras interpretaba a Lady Macbeth, se cayó del escenario y desde entonces sufre de unos dolores crónicos intensos en todo el cuerpo. Awad construye minuciosamente el día a día de Miranda en un cuerpo que parece traicionarla hasta para lo que damos por sentado en nuestra vida cotidiana, caminar, manejar un auto, cocinarse algo, dar una clase, sentarse a mirar tele en el sillón. Los médicos y especialistas que consulta no logran comprenderla ni empatizar con ella, todos creen que finge o que su dolor existe en su cabeza, como si fuera un tema de voluntad. Además, Miranda quiere que sus estudiantes preparen una versión de All's Well That Ends Well, una obra menos reconocida de Shakespeare que tiene un gran significado personal para ella, pero los estudiantes no quieren saber nada al respecto, inclinándose por Macbeth. Todo empieza a cambiar tras el encuentro extraño de la protagonista con tres hombres en un bar que le ofrecen una bebida especial, un remedio dorado.

Esta novela tiene varios elementos que me gustan: una protagonista que está en una situación límite, o como se le dice ahora, unhinged woman; una narradora poco confiable, un elemento fantástico oscuro y perturbador que irrumpe en la realidad, humor tragicómico. El estilo de Awad me fascinó, tiene una cualidad hipnotizante que te mete por completo en ese estado de extrañamiento de la narración, como un limbo entre el sueño y el despertar. Por momentos tiene algo vertiginoso, vinculado al peligro de lo que en cualquier momento puede perder el control y explotar.

La única razón por la cual no llega a las cinco estrellas es que no me convenció del todo el final. Si bien parece un final redondito en el que cierra todo, para mí faltó impacto. Se desinfla, no se arriesga a mantener el tono del resto del libro. Creo que por ese motivo tampoco logró emocionarme tanto como habría podido. Pero como ya dije, de todos modos me encantó y tengo muchas ganas de leer Rouge, la próxima novela de Awad, y también Bunny, por qué no. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Ableism, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Suicidal thoughts

avciera7's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Similar to Bunny, the bones and the writing style are amazing, but the pieces don't quite come together in a satisfying way in the end. That being said, I flew through this book and really enjoyed the experience of reading it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, and Ableism

medini_l's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness and Gaslighting

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Bullying

Minor: Drug use and Death of parent

marissab's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma and Mental illness

Moderate: Alcohol, Chronic illness, Dysphoria, Medical content, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Ableism, Addiction, and Body horror

Minor: Blood, Grief, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders

bloomed's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical trauma, and Mental illness

Moderate: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, and Addiction

rionstorm's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

1.5

I did not like this book.
There were a few nice pieces of writing, like the description of chronic nerve pain as "red webs", but mostly the writing felt clumsy, messy, and melodramatic. It has the feel of an edgy teenager's fanfiction, but not in a good way.
The plot feels very cliche but also doesn't resolve in a way that feels satisfying. It seemed like it was going to go in an interesting direction a few times, but then consistently took the most obvious and least interesting path.
There is also a bunch of weird moral implications? Maybe I'm missing something but the main character really seemed to be portrayed as a bad person for being unwell and angry about it. It was also peppered with fatphobia, and had a similar misogynistic undercurrent to Bunny. 
Also similar to Bunny, the implied experience of madness/psychosis/delusions felt very much how someone without much actual information or sensitivity around the subject would write it. Gave me the vibe of, again, am edgy teenager RPing as a ~crazy~ character. 
Overall disappointing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, and Ableism

Moderate: Infertility, Mental illness, and Blood

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

4.75

All’s Well may be one of the weirdest book I have ever read, and I mean that in the best possible way. Any fan’s of the fever dream-esque atmosphere of Bunny will adore this novel, since the stream of consciousness writing amplified the feeling.
For any fans of character studies, Shakespeare, and darker stories, I would 100000% recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Medical content, Abandonment, Ableism, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail