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goosemixtapes's review against another edition
2.0
3 stars on a technical level, knocked down to 2 for personal enjoyment.
this book is full of absolutely gorgeous prose and it absolutely did not do it for me. if i had to guess why - i don’t think i ever connected to any of these characters the way i was meant to. i had sympathy for all of them and i never openly disliked anyone! but i also didn’t… like them? and i don’t know; oftentimes, despite the periods of time when we see lucia mentally stable, it still kind of felt like she was mostly seen in the context of her illness. i know as the book progressed there was an emphasis on the question of how much is her illness versus how much is HER, and while i think that’s a complex topic that needs exploration, it just fell flat for me personally because i did not… see a lucia outside of her illness. even the periods on-page when we see her “stable” are colored by the way everyone treats her and the sense that she’s a ticking time bomb, and i get that the author did this purposefully but i still think it didn’t go deep enough.
that said, there’s a chance i am just inherently biased against this book based on [major spoilers]
tl;dr: very well written book. not for me, though, and i am conflicted about it.
this book is full of absolutely gorgeous prose and it absolutely did not do it for me. if i had to guess why - i don’t think i ever connected to any of these characters the way i was meant to. i had sympathy for all of them and i never openly disliked anyone! but i also didn’t… like them? and i don’t know; oftentimes, despite the periods of time when we see lucia mentally stable, it still kind of felt like she was mostly seen in the context of her illness. i know as the book progressed there was an emphasis on the question of how much is her illness versus how much is HER, and while i think that’s a complex topic that needs exploration, it just fell flat for me personally because i did not… see a lucia outside of her illness. even the periods on-page when we see her “stable” are colored by the way everyone treats her and the sense that she’s a ticking time bomb, and i get that the author did this purposefully but i still think it didn’t go deep enough.
that said, there’s a chance i am just inherently biased against this book based on [major spoilers]
Spoiler
the ending alone. yes this book was a complex layered compassionate look at a family struggling with mental illness & etc etc etc but GOD i am so tired of Mental Illness Books where the mentally ill person dies. and describing her place of death as “beautiful,” saying she went out “looking for something beautiful…” again, i GET what the author was going for but it tasted bad. i hate to judge one book and its unique story based on a larger trend of many books, but, like. when i realized lucia had died my gut reaction was a sigh and an “of course” so. there we are.tl;dr: very well written book. not for me, though, and i am conflicted about it.
gottarun31's review against another edition
5.0
Everything Here is Beautiful is heartbreaking. A story of a beautiful soul, Lucia, who suffers from schizophrenia or bipolar disease or something on the spectrum that makes her life difficult in unfathomable and scary ways. Her story is told from various perspectives- her sister Jie, her boyfriend Manny, her husband Yonah, and Lucia herself- all of their lives so deeply intertwined with Lucia, her illness, and their love (in whatever form) of her.
There was a line in the book during one of Lucia's sections that talks about when she was first diagnosed. At the age of 27, they gave her a 20% chance of holding a steady job and like a 40% chance of living until an old age (I'm butchering the stats since I dropped the book off at the library). Those stats are terrifying and to see Lucia when she's good, but have those numbers in the background, my heart broke for her. Completely foreshadows the struggles and the ending.
There was a line in the book during one of Lucia's sections that talks about when she was first diagnosed. At the age of 27, they gave her a 20% chance of holding a steady job and like a 40% chance of living until an old age (I'm butchering the stats since I dropped the book off at the library). Those stats are terrifying and to see Lucia when she's good, but have those numbers in the background, my heart broke for her. Completely foreshadows the struggles and the ending.
kkrato's review against another edition
5.0
4.5. Characters are well developed, the relationships between them are what make this book special.
hellomadalyn's review against another edition
Though there were moments I enjoyed in this book, overall I found it, um... pretty upsetting. I really don’t know how to rate this. I’ll update this review eventually with more coherent thoughts, when I’m not tired and emotionally exhausted.
mesy_mark's review against another edition
4.0
Lucia has schizoaffective or just schizophrenia or just bipolar. It's never confirmed which diagnoses other than that she has a major mental illness that will need treatment in regards to medications. Marinda, Jie, is her sister and is lucky to not have the condition. And she takes care of her the best she can. Whether that be dropping everything and flying all over to make sure she is admitted to the hospital or just trying to guide her in the right direction to take medication. But the strain is there.
Lucia meets Yoni. Marries and lives with him. Eventually, he sees one of her breaks from reality and so begins Lucia and her flighty nature. Flighty not in due to disorder but flighty because that is her nature,
This book is all over in some areas. First, 2nd or 3rd person is used in the same chapters of the same character POV. I didn't mind it because it worked with the fact that schizophrenia is a disorder of (or can be) disorganized though and by having the 1st/2nd/3rd person usage mixed around thought it was a nice touch. Granted if at any point it should have been kept with just Lucia.
The relationship of the characters is interwoven in complexities and conventions that are not in a traditional way yet at the same time just like a quote on quote traditional family. Time passes throughout this short in a remarkable slow and fast aspect. Always moving forward just like real-time where some moments seem to go on forever while others flash by. I loved the way it played out. The cast of characters was great, interesting, and realistic and even a touch of making me mad.
Everything Here Is Beautiful cover a beautiful aspect of love and care for someone with a mental illness. Sympathy for the person with and those who live around the person with the condition.
Lucia meets Yoni. Marries and lives with him. Eventually, he sees one of her breaks from reality and so begins Lucia and her flighty nature. Flighty not in due to disorder but flighty because that is her nature,
This book is all over in some areas. First, 2nd or 3rd person is used in the same chapters of the same character POV. I didn't mind it because it worked with the fact that schizophrenia is a disorder of (or can be) disorganized though and by having the 1st/2nd/3rd person usage mixed around thought it was a nice touch. Granted if at any point it should have been kept with just Lucia.
The relationship of the characters is interwoven in complexities and conventions that are not in a traditional way yet at the same time just like a quote on quote traditional family. Time passes throughout this short in a remarkable slow and fast aspect. Always moving forward just like real-time where some moments seem to go on forever while others flash by. I loved the way it played out. The cast of characters was great, interesting, and realistic and even a touch of making me mad.
Everything Here Is Beautiful cover a beautiful aspect of love and care for someone with a mental illness. Sympathy for the person with and those who live around the person with the condition.
akeely's review against another edition
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
5.0
sittingwishingreading's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
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
3.0
imworthyandenough's review against another edition
3.0
3.5⭐️ - it was good, and I enjoyed it. But I was expecting more…
annetjeberg's review against another edition
4.0
This book was great, I really enjoyed the writing and it touched on so many different topics, that are so relevant today. But still something was lacking, and I just cannot express it in words. Nevertheless I would recommend it.