Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

43 reviews

kajoreads's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

The beginning felt slow and dragged out. Luckily it picked up some pace towards the end. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Dementia, Murder, Fatphobia, Grief, Suicide, Death, and Body shaming

Minor: Gun violence, Terminal illness, Cancer, Pregnancy, Violence, Chronic illness, Drug use, Medical content, and Sexism

lewbug's review against another edition

funny mysterious medium-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? No

4.5

For a book set in a retirement community, this was so much fun. I loved how well developed and unique each character was. I also didn’t guess the killer which is unusual for me and I really appreciated that! I can’t wait to pick up the next book in the series. However, please check the content warnings because there was a scene I didn’t see coming and hit me kind of hard. I think it was written well and manageable for me but make sure you can handle it before deciding to read this

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Murder, Violence, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Suicide, and Chronic illness

thoseoldcrows23's review

emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-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

This book kept me swinging between amusement and heartache the whole time. It was pitched to me as a fun, funny mystery novel, and it is that, but it grapples with some really heavy topics and it handles them with a grace I didn't expect. So much of this book is about grief of every kind. You sit with these characters, who you can't help but love, as they grieve for lost love, lost friends, spent youth, and things that never were but should have been, and it just breaks your heart. Even in the face of that though this remains an incredibly hopeful book that made me laugh just as much as it made me cry. I'm so very glad I picked this up, and I'm excited to read more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicide, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Dementia, Medical content, Violence, Chronic illness, Child death, and Terminal illness

ndpmclean's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

What a fun story! It's certainly had some agatha Christie Miss Marple vibes going on, and it was interesting how everything was wrapped up. I feel like the sequel will continue off some of this story. I will seek out the sequel this year for sure.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcohol, Dementia, Grief, Suicide, Murder, Chronic illness, and Child death

abicaro17's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

Its ok. The characters are underdeveloped and boring. The plot only makes sense like half the time. There are some funny/cute moments but they're generally overshadowed by shitty plot or bad character arcs. This book had potential but its kinda a flop. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Blood, Murder, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Classism, Death, Dementia, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Stalking, Suicide, and Violence

ms_elchert's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Grief, Murder, Chronic illness, Death, and Medical content

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

wickedgrumpy's review

emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

The characters were lovely.  I imagine I will pick up the next in the series at some point because I thought it was a charming read, even though it wasn't my usual cup of tea.

Also, I know it's a murder mystery but I wasn't expecting so much casual death.  Was a bit grim at times.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Bullying, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Infidelity, Murder, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Trafficking, Alcohol, Animal death, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Sexism, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Chronic illness, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Police brutality, and Suicide

luciferin's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

PLEASE read and heed the trigger warnings for this book. I didn’t, and I can only tell you that if I had, I probably would’ve hesitated reading it, because that one specific warning TRIGGER WARNING 

suicide

isn’t just something mentioned in passing in the book, MILD SPOILER WITHOUT SPOILING MUCH

it happens, repeatedly, and more or less graphically.

 

Anyhow. This book made me laugh, then cry, then laugh again, then stare melancholically into the distance, then cry again. It made me gasp and question the whole plot I just read, it made me root for people I maybe shouldn’t root for (but always will, because I LOVE. MORALLY GREY CHARACTERS. Always have, always will. Because life is fucking morally grey. And I both LOVE the ending and dread its implications.) I really like all of the characters and I cannot wait to see where their paths will take them. 

The dialogues are incredibly funny and so very British, the pop culture references were so good and there were quite a few plot twists (both storywise and in the development of one character or another) that I didn’t see coming, which rarely happens. It was a very enjoyable read, and a mystery slash crime that didn’t try the absolute hardest (while failing) to be sooo inventive and new and what have you. But it still manages exactly that. It’s a fresh-ish view (sometimes it kinda feels like visiting all of Agatha C‘s figures in the retirement home they live in together, but in a nice, old memories way, not in the way of plagiarism) of crime solving with a group of people that have seemingly lived their lives with spouses and children and careers and such, who now still have just as much fun in using their different abilities (I love Ibbsy and Joyce and Bogdan especially) to solve murderous puzzles. 
I also like how it alludes to things they have done before coming to CC and I‘m really excited to learn more about Elizabeth‘s past at some point, even though I have a hunch about her vocation. I like how the author often sets us on wrong tracks until we suddenly understand what exactly is happening or who is involved; it often made me notice that I am still, unfortunately, thinking in a very socially normative (not to say heteronormative, able-bodied, ageist kind of way, because I pride myself on AT THE VERY LEAST noticing if I do and correcting myself; so rather in a pop culturally normalised) way, MILD UNSPOILERY

for example with Donna and Chris. I never would have thought of THAT. And I LOVE IT.

I love when books do that. 

Also, please be aware that while this IS indeed a book about murder old and new, it also talks about lot about transience in life, loss, the pain of living itself, loneliness, estrangement from family members and or friends or lovers, the impact of being oneself on the life one gets to live. Characters are desperate, lonely, tired of living, ill, slowly slipping from their loved ones‘ grasp. It is FULL of heavy topics, so if these things are not something you want with your lighthearted crime solving, skip this. And again, HEED THE TRIGGER WARNINGS. 

Still, even though none of these are topics I actively seek out and or enjoy or usually read willingly if I can avoid them, the descriptions of the TMC‘s members‘ lives actually weirdly give me hope. I am not scared of aging: it is very much a privilege which only few of us get to enjoy. But seeing those wonderful elderly people with all of their pasts and aches and losses just having fun with their friends, accomodating their lives to what they can do and how, and joking about it. I want to be like that later on. 

So yeah, I am very much looking forward to reading the next installment in this series. 
Oh and also, Joyce and Donna teaching Elizabeth how to be modern and and correct and inclusive in her way of speaking? Love. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Grief, Murder, Death, Dementia, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Alcohol, Body shaming, and Fatphobia

Minor: Animal death

aphraclare's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Murder, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Violence, Gun violence, Chronic illness, Grief, Death, Cancer, Child death, Blood, Dementia, and Suicide

klj1236's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicide, Grief, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Dementia, Death, and Murder