Reviews tagging 'War'

When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut

25 reviews

madatmyshelf's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: War, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, and Genocide

gunnarvon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Child abuse, Mental illness, and War

jessi_c's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I’ll be content in never knowing where fiction stops and history/biography begins. It was, all-in-all, a worthy journey into obsession and life. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Body horror, Mental illness, Excrement, and Vomit

Minor: Medical content, Cancer, and Adult/minor relationship

aweekinthelife's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

 fiction that reads like a memoir, except these are stories of scientists who have changed the trajectory of our world and there’s no possible way the author could know anything about some of the moments described. the book makes you contemplate the human costs of progress and scientific achievement/progress. a brilliant work that is unsettling at times. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Pedophilia, and War

Moderate: Suicide

benthewriter's review against another edition

dark informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, War, and Death

othersociologist's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War and Genocide

Minor: Suicide and Adult/minor relationship

arielamandah's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

What in the world did I just read? This is a strange, ambitious novel that’s part philosophy, part historical science, and part terrifying walk through the horrors of the modern world. And some very odd sexual scenes, to boot.  It feels like there’s a lot of mixing fiction and science here - blurring those lines. And, truly, it was very dark, violent, and explicit about the horrors of war and chemistry, and the scary parts of math and science. (It didn’t make me walk away from it feeling very good - mostly just sad, disgusted, and a little WTF.)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Mental illness, Dysphoria, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, War, Violence, Torture, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Racism, Racial slurs, and Physical abuse

matcha_pages's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

I didn't fully understand the mathematical and scientific concepts in the book, but you don't really need to. It's the scientist's descent into madness, obsession, and destruction that's really gripping. It also really helped that the last chapter really tied everything together. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War

Moderate: Pedophilia

theabee's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and War

Moderate: Excrement, War, Genocide, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Addiction, Death, Self harm, and Grief

Minor: Suicide

sshabein's review against another edition

challenging dark informative slow-paced

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

3.0

I didn't love this, but it was definitely an interesting hybrid of a science history book and a novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Injury/Injury detail