Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

Maame by Jessica George

65 reviews

ablaine's review against another edition

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

5.0

If you can’t afford therapy, I would prescribe this book for anyone who wants to learn more about grief, depression, anxiety, intergenerational trauma and so much more. There are some really solid lessons the main character experiences in the course of reflecting on her role as “Maame” or “mother” in her family, even as the youngest daughter. Jessica George crafted excellent characters that are complex and believable. Reading this writing gave me the impression of effervescence, a bubbling up that was unexpected at times, but overall intriguing and pleasing. Can’t wait to read more from this author. 

I received a digital advance reader copy from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review. I also listened to the audiobook. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Hate crime, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Grief

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual assault

jenheitland's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Suicide

maregred's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Drug use and Toxic relationship

deelightfulreads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Suicide

khoala_tea's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

javafenn's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense 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

I did not want to put this book down! My heart felt so much for Maddy, nicknamed Maame by her overbearing but well meaning mother. She is 25 navigating a very unsheltered world following her unsheltered life when an unexpected expected event occurs rocking her entire world. You feel all her curiosity and all of her grief. You can comprehend all her mid 20’s questions about life and how much she is unsure of herself. This book was so beautifully written and not focused on just the trauma of being a Black woman while also acknowledging life as a Black woman in todays age. I will definitely be buying the print version and reading again. Oh and the narrator was awesome!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

Moderate: Chronic illness, Medical content, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Biphobia, Body shaming, Cursing, Drug use, Suicide, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

drraytay's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Biphobia, Eating disorder, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

katiejohns's review against another edition

emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Racism, and Death of parent

nicmedia123's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Death of parent

bookswithbront's review against another edition

emotional funny 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? Yes

4.0

This book manages to toe an incredibly difficult line: being both incredibly charming and completely gut wrenching. It tells the story of Maddie, a 25-year-old Ghanaian woman living in London, who's the primary caretaker for her father who has Parkinson's. 

Maddie is an incredibly well-written, real-feeling character: at times to the point of being infuriating to read. Her naïveté is understandable — she's grown up incredibly sheltered and is just learning to make her own decisions for the first time at 25 — but can be frustrating as a reader, when you can see situations more clearly than she can and have to wait for her to realize she's being mistreated or taken advantage of. Because the book is written solely from Maddie's perspective, however, it did leave many of the other characters feeling one-dimensional. And when Maddie finally realizes at the end of the book that "my actions can affect other people," it feels like too little, too late.

When thinking about what I liked most about this book, I feel drawn to its two emotional extremes. On one hand, I appreciated the raw, realistic depiction of what grief can do to a person, especially when that grief is complicated with feelings of regret. On the other, I most enjoyed the lighthearted scenes when Maddie was experiencing things like flirting, dancing in a club, or getting high for the first time. The "in betweens" of these two ends of the spectrum — tended to drag on for me, but they also made the story feel incredibly true to life, so I understand their purpose.

All in all, this is a stunning debut from Jessica George. Even more than the story itself, I appreciated her voice, her humor, and her writing style, and I'll gladly read whatever she publishes next. 

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Sexual content

Minor: Biphobia and Suicide