Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Cleópatra e Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

300 reviews

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad 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

A beautifully-written book starring the most insufferable collection of characters I’ve ever read about. Watching them make their mistakes, break apart, hurt each other, leave, grow, change, and become themselves was an experience that I practically inhaled by the end of the book. Bonus star for the prose, which is simply gorgeous. 

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dark 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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challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

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dark emotional reflective fast-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

A gripping and gorgeous read, Coco Mellors’ writing style is beautifully descriptive. As others have said, Frank and Cleo’s actions are irritating and I sometimes found myself gobsmacked — but I believe this is the point of this book. My only complaint is that the wild, substance abusing NYC lifestyle felt unrealistic and fantastical which slightly took away from the otherwise relatable characters.

As I got towards the end I wasn’t sure whether there would be a second ‘plot’ - ultimately, I was glad there wasn’t.

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emotional funny 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

So emotional but a cozy read. Definite trigger warnings to consider but overall I resonated with the experiences Cleo was going through. I really understand why Mellors took so long to write this - she took her time to ace perfection and understanding of everyday people's experiences.   

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Honestly, it’s a very interesting take on every day life. I think it shows how “Cleopatra” and “Frankenstein“ are both monsters and victims.  It shows that no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you love each other, sometimes relationships are sometimes bad or toxic. It makes you think about how you view or judge people and reflect on where the problem truly lies. Definitely worth a read. The book does drag on sometimes, but that’s just part of its charm. 

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dark emotional funny hopeful 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

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dark emotional tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I didn’t like the start of the book; it felt self indulgent and a little too heavy handed in the romanticizing of the starving artist in New York trope. As they introduced more narrators, I really started to get into the story. It was great to hear characters like Eleanor and Zoe have a bit more of the main stage, but there were so many threads just abandoned when they could have been so interesting. 

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challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad 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

while at times it felt a little long and the characters were a little annoying, it was overall a great read that gripped my heart. it leads you on a journey of two people with so much love for each other, but are dealing with their own demons so intensely that it causes a fissure between them. or maybe they were always doomed from the start. but i guess it follows the question of whether or not a love so deep is worth the immense hurt afterwards. cleo and frank's tumultuous relationship is an overwhelming rollercoaster ride at times. i also didn't really care for eleanor's chapters; i think it either should've been developed more or cut shorter. but man that last chapter alone bumped it up from a 4.25 to 4.5. a very devastating but fitting ending in my opinion that felt like it was written with rainbows and shimmering gold. probably one of the most touching final chapters i've ever read.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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