Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

The Overstory by Richard Powers

8 reviews

bazer63's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Reading through this book is a bit of work but it is worth the effort. The way the plot threads weave together into a tragedy both fantastical and utterly mundane is wonderful. I have never read another book like it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Police brutality

Minor: Child abuse and Blood

pedanther's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Excrement, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Terminal illness, Infertility, Police brutality, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, Dementia, Misogyny, Racism, Ableism, and Bullying

Minor: Drug use, Colonisation, Vomit, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Child death

anton13's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

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

5.0

I really enjoyed this book. I found there to be many povs which made it slightly hard for me to follow who’s story was who’s but in the end I couldn’t tell you that any of the povs should be taken out. They all have their own way of showing you why trees are important and I really liked that. There’s not a lot I can say about it cause it has left me without words. These people feel so real to me that I can’t believe it’s all fictional. I would love to reread it in the future. And in the words of Obama “it has made me look at trees differently”

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Death, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Body horror, Grief, and Murder

rachel17's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I have so many thoughts. My climate friends recommended this book to me, saying, “I didn’t really enjoy it, but it’s important.” I kind of agree. Mostly, I thought this was a beautifully-written, piercing set of stories about our relationship with the natural world. But that doesn’t quite encompass all the layers. Some parts were flowery and soothing, other parts: caustic and disturbing. Generally, I think this is a Good Book.™ 

But I’ve a few criticisms. I continue to be frustrated by white male authors. While I appreciated the diversity of the characters, some of the “broken English” parts made me cringe, particularly the parts that were referenced repeatedly. I also thought this book was sorely lacking Indigenous Knowledge attributions, which he sort of touched on in the very end, but barely. And to any male authors out there who may still somehow be unsure: You Don’t Need To Write About Women’s Chests. Though, slightly ironically, I had a hard time keeping the white dudes straight.

I’ve got a lot more opinions about other things in this book, but I think that might make this review into a novella.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Police brutality, Gore, and Death

m4rtt4's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

3.75

I really loved the first part, and had the rest of the book been like it, I'd probably have given this at least 4.5 stars. Still not bad, all the nature stuff was mind-blowingly incredible, but some of the (POC) characters were pretty stereotypical and I didn't really like how all their stories intertwined in the second half.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Police brutality, Violence, Ableism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide

Moderate: Cancer, Racism, Sexual content, Infertility, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

aelunny's review

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

If I'm honest, I would've liked this book a lot more of I read it before I read Braiding Sweetgrass. I like the unique format of the book, and I understand it's charge, but I feel like my view on nature was already connected to the slow and deep way this book portrays it, and therefore I don't know if it hit as much as it did for all of the other people who are singing it's praises. Maybe I'm being harsh because it was really well written, but this is my review so it stands as is.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, and Death

Moderate: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Blood

Minor: Sexual assault and Miscarriage

amelianotthepilot's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

2.5

this book is sooo longgg

talking about a bunch of different people all connected eventually through their love of trees

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Suicide attempt, Grief, Police brutality, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Medical content

lenoradavis's review

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Currently my favorite book I have ever read. Many of the characters resonated with my identity as a scientist, environmentalist, and nature and tree lover. I enjoyed the way the stories start as separate and then intertwine together. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Violence, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Terminal illness