Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

All's Well by Mona Awad

61 reviews

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

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challenging funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I enjoyed the story writing and the story itself. The way she talks about pain and how the doctors and people around her treat her is very real. Doctors dismiss and don't really listen to their patients. They all have their own idea of chronic pain that is flawed and treat their patients horribly in different ways wheather they mean to or not. I have chronic apin and I related to doctors/ physical therapists not really understanding or not having the knowledge to help me. There were many lines that's struck me. 

 I loved the magic and dream sequences. It felt like a thriller, comedy, drama and realistic fiction all at once. I love the different genres combined

All's well really captures chronic pain and how ignored and overlooked it is by everyone around you even family. 

Spoiler...

 I love the character development even if it was small with most of the characters like Briana and how Grace apologized  Miranda grew as a character as well. 

This review is not well written, but I loved it overall

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challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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dark mysterious 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

Had high hopes for this as it has all the ingredients that sounded perfectly up my street. The concept was intriguing and I can’t lie, as a chronic pain sufferer myself, I found moments extremely cathartic. But the writing style really let it down for me; for the most part, it felt heavy-handed and lacking in the kind of subtle exploration I was hoping for.

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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dark mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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beccam22's profile picture

beccam22's review

5.0
challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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: Yes

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hazmatz's review

3.5
challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Look, I read this over two days so it clearly got me. I can't fully say I understood it through and through.  Reminds me of the Pisces in it's protagonist. Miserable (justifiably so?) and resentful of the world and it's people. 

At best I found her understandable. At worst absolutely contemptable. Which I think I would have liked more if there was a little more catharsis towards the end. Anti-climatic for me (which is mentioned in the book? An intentional lampshade?) 

You definitely feel this book. You feel the frustration of no one believing you, of diminishing your suffering. But Miranda turns that pain into...just absolutely thinking so little of the woman around her, either by infantilizing or villainizing. Can't fully tell if this was on purpose though, and had the same struggle with Bunny. 

Overall will keep returning to this author I think. 

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challenging dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I was really loving this, but the ending wasn’t my favourite. However, Miranda and this story will stick with me for the rest of my life. As someone who deals with chronic pain and chronic illness, this book really left a mark on me. I also don’t think I’ve ever experienced the simultaneous delight and hatred for characters like I did while reading this. What a story.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings