Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Cleópatra e Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

724 reviews

ptrshr's review against another edition

4.25

reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Hit me harder than I anticipated. Not because I’ve lived anything like the characters’ lives (I haven’t), but because it gets at how life can be an absolute chaotic mess, which I resonated with. 

 

That said, the book goes deep into a lot of characters’ lives, only for the ending to feel kind of rushed. Like, it spends time setting up things like drug abuse and messy relationships, and then just… doesn’t follow through on all of them. Maybe that’s the point—life doesn’t tie itself up neatly, and not everyone gets a happy ending. I get it. But still, it left me wanting a little more. 

 

I will say, though, it made me feel. Like, I was emotional at several points, and yes, I cried. It got to me. 

 

Overall, it left me thoughtful but also a little conflicted, which I’m guessing was the goal.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt

luc_as's review against another edition

4.0

emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt

ana_aaa's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Death of parent

random19379's review against another edition

3.25

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship

Moderate: Animal death, Suicide, Medical content

Minor: Homophobia, Racism

maggier31's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt

juhmeejohns's review against another edition

2.0

dark emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I hate this book. It’s like fleabag but less smart. I dont think

its fair that Frank gets to live a happy changed life and we get stuck with not knowing what happens with Cleo. I think its a disservice to not give an inkling of hope that she can be better. I don’t think Frank was redeemed. Santiago was the only one with a happy ending. The emotional and physical violence thats described to happen only to Cleo was devastating. No one got what they deserved, it was deeply disturbing and unsatisfying. 

Upon reflection i hate this book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol

yayrhianna's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

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: Suicide attempt

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Toxic friendship

abihainsworthh's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional 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

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The character development in this book made me feel truly wrapped up in the story, one in which I felt as though I was in the centre of it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Self harm, Grief

mvriew's review against another edition

2.0

dark tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I felt like this book was written with the intention of describing a relationship that couldn’t be more depressing and cruel. All of the characters are suffering to an extent that felt unnecessarily horrible and thus unauthentic and almost stereotypical at some point while reading. Many passages were too lengthy without any development in the plot, leaving me mostly confused as to what is actually happening and what I am supposed to feel as a reader. At the same time, I didn’t really enjoy the writing style of Mellers, as I got confused in her constant change between blunt dialogues and sudden almost poetic passages. I think overall the writing was too cliché for me, making the dialogues predictable and simply frustrating.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Self harm, Suicide attempt

m3lly's review against another edition

3.0

dark emotional sad tense

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Love the writing style of Coco Mellors, but sometimes a story is just not meant to be for everyone. I started reading „Cleopatra & Frankenstein“ with the intention of reading about their love story.

That’s not what happened

Half way through, I thought I could never recommend this book to anyone. Too much trauma. But now that I’ve finished it, it kinda grew on me. They, Frank and Cleo, grew on me. Reading about their relationship, their ups and downs, mainly their downs, did something to me I can’t pinpoint yet. But coming back to my statement from the beginning. Do I think this story was „meant“ for me? No. Does that mean it’s a bad written story? No. It was fun getting to know Frank and Cleo, but I’m happy to say goodbye to them as well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent