Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle

7 reviews

lizziaha's review against another edition

4.0

Group of lonely misfits turned found family waged war against loneliness and Hubert Bird comes to grips with his past. I really enjoyed the beginning half of the book, but the ending fell a little flat for me. The main conflict of the book was not exactly resolved, it was sort of dissolved, which meant there was no payoff for the tension, which didn’t work for me. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Racism

Moderate: Addiction, Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Dementia, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Fatphobia

leanneymu's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

4.0

A gentle, sweet book, that went to some surprisingly dark places, but was ultimately very uplifting. Just what I needed after reading a few hard-hittin  recently.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Vomit, Xenophobia, Child death, Death of parent, Drug use, Suicide, and Racism

ashenlar's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-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

A quick, fun read with book club. Probably not something I would've picked up in terms of writing style, but I'm glad to have read it for the hopeful and positive message overall, and very diverse characters.

I do think generally everything things either a bit too easy or obvious for plot progression (eg the first woman Hubert really meets ends up being the love of his life with a pretty blandly perfect relationship) - or twists that come too out of nowhere and don't really feel convincing (Rose's death)

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Dementia, Addiction, Mental illness, Racism, Grief, Racial slurs, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Death, and Drug use

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

4.0

this was very very similar to a man called ove, but with a twist. unsurprisingly, i loved it. it was a total cheese fest but if you’re okay with that, it’s really enjoyable and wholesome. there are also some darker themes which gives the book more substance 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Car accident, Chronic illness, Grief, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Mental illness, Racism, Terminal illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts

sandysmith's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

4.5

It's a great book that reminds me of Ove, which I've read previously. Loads of interesting concepts, love, family, loneliness, race, friendships, dementia, and old age, community, and very thought-provoking. The story centres around Hubert Bird in his 80s, which alternates between now and flashback memories starting in 1957 when he came to England from Jamaica as part of the Windrush generation. He falls in love with Joyce, and the book details some of the prejudices this lovely interracial couple faces. All the characters in the book, including Hubert, are well developed, credible, and lovable. A touching, warm, moving, uplifting gem of a book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Drug use, and Racism

akshade's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Terminal illness, Classism, Drug use, Death, Racism, and Addiction

Minor: Car accident

quiet_vulture's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Drug use