Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

9 reviews

stormbringer52's review

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

4.5

This book is a really tough read and took me a long time to finish. However, it was worth it. It made me incredibly uncomfortable in some parts, but that was the point. Ruth Ozeki did a wonderful job of representing unsettling topics in a way that felt real and disturbing. I found myself nervous to turn the page at times, worried what would happen next.

Brief spoiler for the end, but
it didn't make a lot of sense to me. I liked it, but it did feel a little out of nowhere. Granted, there were slight magical elements throughout, like how things that Ruth saw online suddenly disappeared, or Naoko conversing with her deceased great uncle. I suppose the end of the book meant to sort of explain why things were happening, but it kind of lost me honestly.
However, I still thing the book was beautifully written, so this does not impact my opinion much :]

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lambclown's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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penofpossibilities's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.0


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kamikakushi's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5


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ka_cam's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I came across this book as part of Multnomah County's Everybody Reads event and what a great choice! I often like books that involve a light dose of magical realism, historical fiction, existential angst, quantum entanglement, general moodyness, and people connecting across time and space soooo it was kind of up my alley. I felt like the end petered out a bit and sometimes things were a bit on the nose, but all in all really enjoyed!

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ghoulette's review against another edition

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

4.25


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bra1nw4sh3d's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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saintmaud's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Nao's attempt at writing about her nun great grandmother was what caught my attention first and made me add this to my tbr, but I loved Ruth's parts equally, if not more. I loved the natural science parts as well as her relationship with Oliver and life on the island and the magic realism towards the second half was done well too. Will be thinking about this one for some time.

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rhubarb_the_herb's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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