Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

12 reviews

asienerbrown's review

challenging emotional informative 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Grief, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Death, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Hate crime, Sexual content, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Police brutality

garbage_mcsmutly's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I cried so much throughout this book lol

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Infidelity, Medical content, Grief, Terminal illness, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Pregnancy, Police brutality, Drug use, and Abandonment

A pet is imperilled but survives

m2b2's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This book was so (so) sad, but really beautiful. There were entire sections where I felt like I was gasping for air as I read because I was so pained by the story telling. As a Chicagoan, who lived in Boystown for years, I was especially enamored. I felt like some aspects (e.g., Claire joining a cult) didn’t add much to the story, but this is the best book I’ve read in a long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Infidelity, Drug use, Terminal illness, Grief, Police brutality, and Drug abuse

ariana3's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.0

This took me longer to read than I wanted it to, it was longer than I think it should have been. It basically describes the AIDS epidemic in Chicago in the early 80s from the general viewpoint of 1 main character

(who eventually gets it from a casual fling- after being so careful with his then-longtime bf who cheated, got it, and thought he got it from him but didn't-and ultimately dies).

It alternates chapter-by-chapter with that and one of their female friends in the future in 2015.

Her brother was one of the first in this friend group to die, so she was always around these men. In the future, she's trying to find her estranged daughter and make amends. It ends a little bittersweet, as Yale (the main character) does indeed die and it describes his slow-ish decline. But Fiona (the girl) finds her daughter and they seem to slowly be repairing/building back their relationship

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Infidelity, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Hate crime, and Homophobia

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Excrement, Abandonment, and Mental illness

kaela_arcuri's review

emotional sad 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Addiction, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Pandemic/Epidemic, Drug use, Grief, Hate crime, Abandonment, and Medical content

kimveach's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-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

3.5

I wanted to like this book more than I did.  The dual timelines broke up the story too much for me.  I preferred the story set in 1980s Chicago to the one in the present day.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Cancer, Classism, Hate crime, Police brutality, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Ableism, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Violence, Vomit, Cursing, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gore, Toxic relationship, Grief, Outing, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, Blood, Body shaming, Dementia, Drug use, Excrement, Medical content, and Abandonment

eas2's review

emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Homophobia, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Drug use and Suicidal thoughts

and_abigail's review

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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

5.0

sobbing screaming throwing up etc

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Cursing

Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy

Minor: Drug abuse

samarakroeger's review

challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

it took me a minute to become ensconced in the story and then I couldn't put it down.  I stayed up until 2 AM crocheting and listening to this audiobook get sadder and sadder and before I knew it, the book was over.  this is one I need to sit with for a bit, but color me impressed.

if you liked Still Life by Sarah Winman, you'll love this.  very similar books in many ways (with different settings and plots, obviously).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Medical content, Police brutality, Terminal illness, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

scarlett4's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Death, and Sexual content

Moderate: Drug abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Cursing, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship