Reviews tagging 'Grief'

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

44 reviews

bra1nw4sh3d's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Bullying, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, and War

Moderate: Blood, Dementia, Cancer, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Vomit, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault

Minor: Trafficking

jameslyons's review

adventurous funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Sexual violence, Bullying, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Gun violence, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Death of parent, and Gore

amelianotthepilot's review against another edition

mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.0

strange surrealist story about a woman in Canada reading a Japanese girl’s diary she found washed up on the beach 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Dementia, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Trafficking

waybeyondblue's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Body shaming, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Racism, Animal death, Violence, War, Grief, and Child death

Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Blood

nikkkimarrry's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: War

bugcollector's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, and War

unknown_reader's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• 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

3.5

3.5/5

I’m confused but…in a good way I guess. I can confidently say that this novel’s intended message reached to me despite the kind of open ending (not really) and some unanswered questions (though I have a LOT of theories).

Let me first get the complaints out of the way before I say the good…
 
Now, the first thing first and the real reason I reduced the stars is the writing…it’s not bad but I bet that I could have reduced this novel by more than 1/4th and it still wouldn’t have affected the book at all. In fact, I did…I skimmed and skipped a lot and still wasn’t left behind.

Next, is the false expectations this story leaves…ok this might be just me but at the beginning of the story..

I thought it was about her great-grandma and the main mystery of what happened to her. Both which we will be provided. Plus I thought Ruth was connected somehow, she was but not in the way I was expecting. Basically lot of questions which we thought we’ll get answer to.. we didn’t 

At last…is the long, descriptive and sometimes unnecessary storytelling which often stray away from the main point. At lot of times, I was left frustrated with how Nao just kept describing every single detail. Though, to her defense…she’s writing a journal and that’s what how you write one.
Unfortunately, not what I wanted to read.

Now for the good…

First of all, the novel does an excellent job of connecting with the characters. I cared about Nao and Ruth…I cared about their thoughts and what is gonna happen to them. I was genuinely distressed for them at times and also touched and emotional for them.
And that’s what kept me going (despite how LONG this novel is)

Next is the use of dual POV. It’s genius. At one point, we’re going forward with nao and seeing her experiences while feeling like she’s directly talking to us. And at other side, we’re with Ruth…connected with someone completely random and otherwise insignificant. We’re solving mystery of nao with her, concerned about what actually happen to her.

At last, the way everything just come together at the end leaving us with the message the novel intended. While we’re also left pondering over the unanswered questions and making conclusions of our own.

I do have one theory…

I think the last pages of nao’s diary are actually still empty and filled by Ruth itself who couldn’t bear the thought of nao’s dying. Maybe she wrote the conclusion herself just like how her husband told her. Therefore, nao is in fact dead.

 

And that’s it. I won’t recommend it to anyone unless they’re able to bear through a very very slow paced novel with overly descriptive writing.
However, if you’re interesting in the concept of living and what it means to people…then maybe try it ?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Sexual assault and Violence

Minor: War

courtsbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Genocide, Medical trauma, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Vomit, War, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence

Moderate: Islamophobia, Animal death, and Dementia

owleyes's review

emotional reflective slow-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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, Grief, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Blood and Dementia

teacupsandfirereads's review

challenging reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

There is such conflict in this book, in many ways. But it was a book that made you think and pay attention. For me, it was quite a unique read. How the interaction between the two main characters unfolds shows great thought om the author's behalf. I also appreciate greatly the research that went into this book as well and the detailed foot notes that helps the reader to understand. I found this book a challenge at times and it felt dense for where my head was at at the time, but I see and acknowledge that many have loved it. I would like to say that the rating is on me and does not truly reflect the book. But that it was I love, that readers see it differently. This book is full of struggles the characters face, but I found that Nao's thoughts were very developed for her age. The atmosphere the author created made the book engaging in a whole different way. The book was a mix of slow and speedy and often times, I wanted it the other way. For this, I felt lost at times. 

This review feel a bit like a brain dump, but I feel I have a lot to get out about it. There were ups and downs to this book and currently, I am not sure where I stand on my thoughts of what weighed out. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Violence

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, and Mental illness