Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

65 reviews

meg_elyse's review

adventurous challenging dark hopeful informative inspiring sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Animal death, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual harassment, Cancer, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Alcohol, Car accident, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Sexism, Stalking, and Vomit

angelfireeast24's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Chronic illness, Grief, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Cursing, Ableism, and Terminal illness

pershie13's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book came into my life at the perfect time when I didn't know just how much I needed it. Matt Haig wrote this book beautifully, creating a compelling story full of philosophy, emotion, and color while teaching me lessons about myself and others. Nora Seed is unhappy in her life, so unhappy that she wants to leave her life behind. But in the Midnight Library, she has the chance to undo any regrets from her past and try to find her "perfect life." Through numerous trials and existences, Nora begins to understand pieces of herself and develop a different view of her life. I see myself as Nora sometimes. I see myself as someone who tends to question the decisions I've made and regret things I have or have not done in my life. Life is messy, but there is also beauty among the mess. Despite regrets and mistakes, as Mrs. Elm says to Nora in the Midnight Library, "Sometimes the only way to learn is to live."

This book teaches lesson after lesson through philosophy, empathy, and emotion. It has both dark and light themes attached, and it makes you feel for Nora and the characters while making you question the way you are living your own life. I have not read a book that made me think this much in a long time, and I think I will take many lessons from this book and use them as reminders to live life with no regrets, lead a life full of compassion, and to use my perspective to consider all the possibilities that life brings. The Midnight Library is a book that I hope to come back to over and over again, and I believe it could be life changing for people in all walks of life. This is an automatic five stars as one of the best books I have ever read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Mental illness

Moderate: Suicide, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Cancer, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

saraverboom's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Fantastic read. I was afraid it was going to be depressing but it was anything but! It’s a very inspirational and uplifting story, despite the heavy topics of suicide, self-harm, depression, illness, and addiction.

This book teaches us that there is always hope and as long as there is life, there is possibility.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Alcoholism, Animal death, Chronic illness, and Death

kampbellia's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Self harm, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicide, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, and Death of parent

nkazi's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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: Suicide attempt, Grief, Mental illness, Animal death, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Death of parent, and Animal death

Minor: Chronic illness, Drug use, Homophobia, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Vomit, Cancer, and Misogyny

vii_412's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

"And that sadness is intrinsically part of the fabric of happiness. You can’t have one without the other. Of course, they come in different degrees and quantities. But there is no life where you can be in a state of sheer happiness for ever. And imagining there is just breeds more unhappiness in the life you’re in."

Me gustó el libro? Sí 
Lo disfruté? Sí 
Pero por alguna razón se sintió vacío, este es un libro de autoayuda, y entiendo porque a mucha gente no le gustó, sin embargo, ese es el propósito del libro, el dar una perspectiva optimista sobre la vida, el cómo nosotros decidimos sobre nuestro destino y el lugar en el que estamos, sin embargo, hay que tener en cuenta que la depresión es un tema MUY COMPLEJO, las personas no experimentan el mismo grado de depresión y estoy segura que sí hay personas que han llegado a la misma conclusión que Nora. 

Sí me parecieron algunas partes un poco lentas y aburridas, pero en general me gustó, me sentí un poco identificada con Norma, yo también perdí a una de mis gatita y sentí que el mundo se me iba de las manos, me siento en una posición en la que no sé qué hago con mi vida y que estoy estancada, y por supuesto que me gustaría saber cómo son las vidas de mis otros yo, pero eso sólo quedaría en mi imaginación. 

Sí te gusta este hype por los multiversos y quieres una historia optimista sobre la vida y la muerte, tal vez te guste este libro. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Cancer, Gaslighting, Medical content, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Suicide, and Vomit

Minor: Alcoholism, Addiction, Stalking, Animal cruelty, Car accident, Abandonment, and Alcohol

nadiamarjolein's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Lovely book on healing from depression 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This is a really interesting concept, and I think it does a good job being honest that life is hard, and no matter what choices you make, it will be hard in different ways. But you have to choose where to find your joy (and also get the mental health help that you need!). I liked this book for an easy read because it was a tad formulaic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Animal death, Death, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Alcoholism, Car accident, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Alcohol, Cancer, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, and Terminal illness

Minor: Abandonment and Medical content

jessiejessj's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book surprised me in the emotional journey it took me through. Considering how serious the book started (and frankly how depressingly), I would not have expected how much I would have liked it. I think I am at a point in my life where I don’t know what I want, or what the future holds, and I spend so much of my life living in my head thinking about all the what if’s instead of actually going out there and making changes to pursue any of the possible paths. And so reading this book feels like it came at a really crucial point in my life and I know for a fact it’s going to stay with me for a really long time. Don’t go into this if you are in a bad mental way as it can be quite heavy, but it’s hopeful too as weird as that sounds, and I resonated a lot with it. A definite recommend if you are in the right headspace with which to read it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Chronic illness, and Suicidal thoughts