Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

The Candy House by Jennifer Egan

14 reviews

asodl123's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

I've been a fan of Egan since being assigned A Visit from the Goon Squad in my college American Lit course for reasons beyond my comprehension. Her way with language and plays with time and genre fascinate me immensely, and The Candy House is no exception. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Emotional abuse, Addiction, Cursing, Grief, Suicide, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Death, and Sexual content

cwerber's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

An interesting book. I picked it up because I wanted something to read while sitting with my dad in his hospital room. I didn't know it was a sequel but from what reviews I read, I didn't need to. 

But I think I miss out on something about some of the characters in the book and will, most likely, read the first book. 

Anyway, there is a loose plot to the book with the stories jumping perspectives and timelines but always somehow tangentially related. It was an interesting read and I will be thinking about it for a while. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Abandonment, Alcohol, Cancer, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Death, Drug abuse, Addiction, Death of parent, Drug use, and Terminal illness

minkkmuse's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

 this book is so outstanding. obsessed with the intricate worlds egan weaves and the meandering paths between characters she traces. sharp, smart, incredibly funny, and deeply profound.  the full cast audiobook is particularly immersive. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, and Death

rachaelwho's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.0

Good. Would have liked a little more story from a little fewer characters. Lulu's excellent passage felt a little lifted from Carmen Maria Machado, which feels like an odd thing to say about Jennifer Egan so maybe I'm mistaken but...

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship

lexistwick's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective medium-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

4.0

It’s been a while since I finished a book that’s capital-L “Literature,” but having to re-read dense sentences was well worth the pay-off. The character development is intricate and imaginative, and this vignette of interconnected characters is a really creative projection of life in an only slight-different future. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, especially in the Alfred section. It wasn’t until the end that I realized these characters were a continuation of the “Goon Squad” ones, which I read many years ago. I didn’t suffer from not remembering it very well, but I’m sure it would have enriched it significantly.

The author presents vignettes in many different styles/formats, and one of my favorites was Lulu’s field notes and the email correspondence about the speed boats interview, etc. Egan makes exploration within these wild parameters look easy, and feel very fun to live within during the read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Drug abuse

beccasherman's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Addiction, Toxic friendship, Rape, Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Death of parent

bethtuba's review against another edition

challenging funny hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Infidelity and Suicide

alysereadsbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.25

Really enjoyed this book and reminded me why I love literary fiction. The whole premise of downloading and externalizing your consciousness was so intriguing, and felt realistic in a jarring way. The switching of the narration and overall tone of the book was difficult to follow at times, but allowed deeper exploration into the ethical consequences of such technological advancement. Had me thinking for a long time after and may reread.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Death, and Drug use

Minor: Suicide

htaub23's review against another edition

dark 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Alcohol

hinkleh's review against another edition

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt and Drug abuse