Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

All's Well by Mona Awad

119 reviews

chris_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Dysphoria, Grief, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Medical trauma, Blood, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Medical content, and Sexual violence

amayakodi's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

"sometimes we wish or terrible things, things we deserve. how could we not wish for them when we deserve them? and sometimes the heavens hear us. something hears us. and our wishes come true. should we feel guilty? of course we shouldn't feel guilty, why guilty? why guilty when we deserve it, when maybe, just maybe it's a question of justice?"

medical misogyny will make you so much of a shell that vindication consumes you whole and you will do everything in your power to make them rue the day. pain must be performed to be taken seriously, but simultaneously, they will accuse you of overperformance, of putting on too much of a show. 

ending is ambiguous, but i think it deserves to be as such. it would not be a problem play without it. on the topic of problem plays, i think deeply about the representation of disability media, in which disabled peoples are relegated to tragic storylines for able bodied characters or as comic relief characters in which viewers are meant to laugh at their pain. forced into the binary of tragedy or comedy, awad asks us (through the conceit of the problem play) to criticize what we see and know of disabled peoples; that maybe, able bodied people need to get the fuck off the stage for once! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, and Body horror

r_o_s_e's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Gaslighting, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Medical content, Alcohol, Mental illness, Medical trauma, and Misogyny

Minor: Abandonment, Stalking, Blood, Grief, and Toxic friendship

oywiththepoodles's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content and Chronic illness

Moderate: Sexual content and Violence

lifeofchrstnlvly's review against another edition

dark tense 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

3.5

Although All's Well is classified as horror, similar to Bunny, but it could be more appropriately categorized under magical realism (or perhaps surrealism), just like Bunny. 

This book confirmed my suspicion that Mona Awad will be an auto-buy author for me. Awad has indeed made it to my list of favorite authors because I have an affinity for the peculiar. 

Articulating my thoughts on Awad's books is always a challenge, despite the excellence of her prose and storytelling. Rating All's Well was difficult as I found the ending slightly underwhelming. I sought more rage and a more unhinged narrative. 

While I rate Bunny higher (I wish I could read that book for the first time again), All's Well is still a good read. It's just so frustrating for me to still not know what Miranda's, the main character of All's Well, mental health issue is, unlike in Bunny when it was clearly schizophrenia. However, maybe I'm overanalyzing and All's Well is merely about the dismissal of women's pain coupled with misogyny, even from women themselves. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Misogyny, Drug abuse, Grief, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Mental illness

Minor: Sexual content

mylou's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Infertility

isabellakost's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

3.75

“All’s Well” by Mona Awad is an eerie, deeply unsettling novel (in the best way possible). Narrated by theatre professor Miranda Fitch, we experience her descent into madness and witness how she becomes increasingly frantic as unexplainable events unfold. Miranda isn’t a lovable character by any means, but she is certainly compelling. This book is perfect for theatre nerds, especially those with a soft spot for Shakespeare. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness

hazyskyys's review

dark emotional funny mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Medical trauma

talis_turner's review

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

There are sexual elements to this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Drug abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Chronic illness, Drug use, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Death, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Injury/Injury detail

geminireader's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

5.0

When I first read Bunny, I Ioved the prose but didn’t feel a strong connection to the message of the story. It was a crazy read though, so when I saw Mona Awad had another book All’s Well, I was excited to give it a try. This one I truly cannot praise enough. As someone who suffers from chronic conditions, I felt so seen by Miranda’s character. I really believe the backdrop of this story got the message across beautifully. It was so raw while also having mysterious magical elements and, true to Awad, all the characters were so unique and distinct which instantly makes them feel so alive from Page 1. I truly think everyone can gain perspective from this book; undoubtedly, it’s a must read. 

It is a bit slow moving in the beginning and then suddenly really picks it up. If you can get through the beginning, it’s worth it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness

Moderate: Ableism