Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

Cleópatra e Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

88 reviews

danaaliyalevinson's review against another edition

5.0

challenging 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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This book did things to me. An impulsive marriage is a star at the center of a galaxy orbited by friends and family. And when that star simmers and explodes, everyone feels the aftershocks.

I forget exactly when, but at one point midway through the book I noticed the structure of the narrative. Not in a bad way. In a 'fellow writer albeit in another medium appreciating form' way. And I was struck by how complicated it is to pull off a multidimensional ensemble story like this, and yet how effortless the author made it all feel. Not to mention the emotional pay off. 

That is real skill.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, Dysphoria

prianka_g's review against another edition

4.75

challenging emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Blood, Dementia, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt

lucykateburns's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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: Sexual content, Suicide attempt

Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship

Minor: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Death of parent, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

neevechristine's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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

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This took me longer to read than the average book, but the final 100 pages I read in one sitting. In the final 10 pages I was crying and banging the book against my head. It’s gorgeous and heartbreaking and raw. It filled a void I didn’t know existed 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship

bethanstanleyy's review against another edition

4.75

emotional 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: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol

lilysaddler's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional funny reflective medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Blood, Dementia, Death of parent, Toxic friendship

Minor: Pregnancy

harleysmiller's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional medium-paced

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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This book very easily entered my top 5 favorite books of all time when I was only about 30 pages into it. It is devastating and hopeful and brutal and REAL. You hate every character and love them so deeply. It felt like reading about a little slice of someone’s life like I was being let in on a secret. Every character was so well developed and complex. I would recommend this a million times over. It has the vibe of Conversations with Friends while being completely original and unique. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so strongly about a book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol

cosycourtney's review against another edition

3.75

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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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This book felt very smart to me? I’m not sure if that will make sense to others but Coco Mellors is clearly an incredible writer who can write a bloody book. It was so digestible but also packed SO much culture and life. I really enjoyed reading it and I was very invested in the lives of Cleo and Frank but I feel like because I read it so quickly I missed the cherry on top of the charm ice cream. That is simply my own fault and my own tastes and no criticism on the book itself truthfully. The way Mellors wrote her characters was really magical. I pictured them SO easily. Frank IS Berlin from Money Heist and after a little stalk I think Cleo is Coco (in the sense that she is ethereally beautiful). The book was so nuanced that if you aren’t reading closely (which as times perhaps I wasn’t) you miss things. I’d be 3 pages into a chapter and think WAIT I missed something and I had to flick back. I think that readers might take issue with that but I sometimes enjoy when books are so good beyond what my brain is capable of recognizing at a time. I found the start and the end the strongest and I really enjoyed Eleanor’s chapters. The way the form changed was a great writing device to separate her from the rest of the group. This IS a book of the moment; one to be read while on the hype train. You should read it now or you’ll get FOMO for sure. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Dementia, Suicide attempt