Reviews tagging 'Grief'

All's Well by Mona Awad

24 reviews

soggymcflurry's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-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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This authors writing style is very interesting and addicting. This book was slow and difficult to read at times. The parts of the book that are real representations of life are depressing and challenging. The parts that are creative and mysterious are disturbing enough to make you read on. There’s a lot to unpack and think about. 

Miranda’s descent includes a lot of stuff I didn’t care much about and struggled to connect to the story, and the end of the book was confusing at first. But overall a great read, especially for the chronically ill, the women filled with anger, people who have a small piece of them who desire revenge for the way the world has treated them, or fellow theater nerds.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship

Minor: Cursing

backpackbunny3's review against another edition

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It hit perfectly for me, but I’m  a disabled Shakespeare actor who loves magical realism so I’m about as close to the target audience as you can be. If it didn’t work for you that’s just how it goes, but I truly want everyone who reads this review to know that All’s Well is the most real depiction of chronic pain I’ve ever read. The only outlandish thing in these pages is the magic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Medical content, Medical trauma

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail

katikins's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 12%

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Maybe it would be good if I had the background familiarity with the play the MC keeps referencing, but honestly this was so hard to trudge through I didn’t feel it was worth continuing for 12 more hours.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail

cameron_esten's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I read this in one sitting and literally could not put it down—I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The best kind of fever dream!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Medical trauma, Alcohol

Moderate: Grief

pussylungs's review against another edition

3.0

dark emotional mysterious tense 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

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Reality blurs as this character slowly spirals in a pill-induced haze down the rabbit hole of her own failures. Addicts and disabled folx will identify with this story, theatre lovers will find it amusing, and no one will know what is real and what is not. This book was meant to convey how women go insane from not being believed about their pain. But it turned out to be more about how addiction/lack of therapy & proper medical care/delusions can lead to a downward spiral. But hey, all's well that ends well, right?

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail

cinnamonsweetpotatofries's review against another edition

3.5

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Alcohol

moxiereads's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail

chris_reads's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Grief, Gaslighting, Dysphoria

Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical trauma

Minor: Drug use, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Medical content, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail

rrrose's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Medical content, Medical trauma, Alcohol

Minor: Blood, Grief, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Abandonment

chrstnlvly's review against another edition

3.5

dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Although All's Well is classified as horror, similar to Bunny, but it could be more appropriately categorized under magical realism (or perhaps surrealism), just like Bunny. 

This book confirmed my suspicion that Mona Awad will be an auto-buy author for me. Awad has indeed made it to my list of favorite authors because I have an affinity for the peculiar. 

Articulating my thoughts on Awad's books is always a challenge, despite the excellence of her prose and storytelling. Rating All's Well was difficult as I found the ending slightly underwhelming. I sought more rage and a more unhinged narrative. 

While I rate Bunny higher (I wish I could read that book for the first time again), All's Well is still a good read. It's just so frustrating for me to still not know what Miranda's, the main character of All's Well, mental health issue is, unlike in Bunny when it was clearly schizophrenia. However, maybe I'm overanalyzing and All's Well is merely about the dismissal of women's pain coupled with misogyny, even from women themselves. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Sexual content