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georgiaaaaa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Suicide attempt
maedelsdielesen's review against another edition
5.0
Ich habe bei diesem Buch teilweise nur noch geweint. Aber das soll dich jetzt überhaupt nicht abschrecken, denn ich fand es gleichzeitig wunderschön. Es geht um einen tragischen Verlust in der Vergangenheit, über den die Familie nie richtig hinweg gekommen ist. Zu lesen, wie die einzelnen Familienmitglieder mit der Situation umgegangen sind und wie sich das bis "heute" auswirkt, hat mir teilweise das Herz gebrochen. Lies dieses Buch! Aber vielleicht nicht, wenn du selbst gerade noch einen Verlust betrauerst.
katheastman's review against another edition
4.0
An excellent take on the effect that depression, grief, guilt and anger can have not only on those directly suffering from any or all of them but also on their family and friends.
kime's review against another edition
3.0
Having just finished this one, the truth is that I just don’t feel like writing a long detailed review. So, let me just say that this is a decent, if somewhat slow, story that deals with topics such as depression, suicide, death and the impact of these things on not only the person suffering but also on the rest of the family.
My feelings about this book are complicated. I was fascinated by the subject matter and I could appreciate the story, but I found the writing to be a little bit pedestrian and lacking in pizzazz. I found Part 1 and Part 3 to be on the slow and boring side, but I absolutely loved Part 2. I feel that the story came alive in Part 2 when Jamie starts writing to his father about his brother’s illness, and the night that he died. It was in fact this part of the story that saved the whole novel for me.
Without the letter writing, I would have given this book 2 stars as I didn’t find it very engaging.
Overall, this one was okay for me. I could take it or leave it. I don’t regret reading it, but I’m also fairly happy to be finished it so that I can move onto something a tad more gripping.
My feelings about this book are complicated. I was fascinated by the subject matter and I could appreciate the story, but I found the writing to be a little bit pedestrian and lacking in pizzazz. I found Part 1 and Part 3 to be on the slow and boring side, but I absolutely loved Part 2. I feel that the story came alive in Part 2 when Jamie starts writing to his father about his brother’s illness, and the night that he died. It was in fact this part of the story that saved the whole novel for me.
Without the letter writing, I would have given this book 2 stars as I didn’t find it very engaging.
Overall, this one was okay for me. I could take it or leave it. I don’t regret reading it, but I’m also fairly happy to be finished it so that I can move onto something a tad more gripping.
jiohz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
challenging topic but writing style was very easy to read.
this book got me emotional!!! will come back to do a better review soon.
this book got me emotional!!! will come back to do a better review soon.
alyxyla's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
faithella71's review against another edition
3.0
Emotive but felt as though it lacked something. Certain characters storylines felt unfinished (Alice and Mark in particular) and Emma's story felt rushed at the end with little explanation.
An interesting story but improvements could be made.
An interesting story but improvements could be made.
novelbloglover's review against another edition
2.0
Book review
Title: The view on the way down
Author: Rebecca Wait
Genre: family/ tragedy/ psychological
Rating: **
Review: Jamie’s estranged from his family but, despite his mother, father and sister living together, they almost seem estranged from one another as well. The reason? The death of Jamie’s brother, Kit, has created a huge rift. Grief, blame, and recriminations have pulled a grief stricken family further apart.
This is one of those reads where you know the book is leading up to something truly tragic and sad. There are hints throughout the book of what will happen and the tension is enhanced through letters and memories shared. The fact that you are quite sure you know what is going to happen and, in fact, the reality seems so much worse when you arrive makes this an incredibly emotive book. It was necessary for me to stop reading for 24 hours having cried almost an hour after reaching a particular section.
I cried because the events are sad but also because this book is so beautifully written and so accurately portrays some of the feelings I’ve had myself. Depression can be incredibly painful and isolating and no more so than because it is so misunderstood and so often seen as something we can easily fix ourselves. This beautiful betrayal of Jamie’s brother as struggling with the pain that takes over his whole life is so well written and one of the most eloquent narratives about life with severe depression that I have ever read.
There are those that may argue that this book does not offer enough hope, either for families dealing with depression or dealing with grief. However, this is not a book about giving up; this is a book about understanding about fighting as much as you can for as long as you can. It is a book with many questions about what is right, what is wrong, with who is left to make decisions, to pick up the pieces.
Mostly the overwhelming message for me was that depression is a disease. Like many diseases it can be fatal but unlike many diseases we – as a society – talk so little about it and have so little empathy towards the people suffering. This is by no means an easy read. So beautifully written and well paced, it would require a heart of stone not to be moved by the issues raised in this book.
The glimmer of light to me as someone who has suffered with severe depression on and off for over a decade was reading something that expresses how dark it can be in such beautiful and eloquent terms. This book does not make me want to give up. In fact, it gives me hope that this is finally a dialogue we may begin, to hope that we may finally understand that this is not just something that ‘chin up’, a cup of tea and ‘keep on smiling’ can address.
My personal experiences aside, this is an incredible work of fiction. The book’s title says it all: The View on the Way Down is dark and the simple eloquence of this title is echoed throughout the book. A must read… with tissues.
Title: The view on the way down
Author: Rebecca Wait
Genre: family/ tragedy/ psychological
Rating: **
Review: Jamie’s estranged from his family but, despite his mother, father and sister living together, they almost seem estranged from one another as well. The reason? The death of Jamie’s brother, Kit, has created a huge rift. Grief, blame, and recriminations have pulled a grief stricken family further apart.
This is one of those reads where you know the book is leading up to something truly tragic and sad. There are hints throughout the book of what will happen and the tension is enhanced through letters and memories shared. The fact that you are quite sure you know what is going to happen and, in fact, the reality seems so much worse when you arrive makes this an incredibly emotive book. It was necessary for me to stop reading for 24 hours having cried almost an hour after reaching a particular section.
I cried because the events are sad but also because this book is so beautifully written and so accurately portrays some of the feelings I’ve had myself. Depression can be incredibly painful and isolating and no more so than because it is so misunderstood and so often seen as something we can easily fix ourselves. This beautiful betrayal of Jamie’s brother as struggling with the pain that takes over his whole life is so well written and one of the most eloquent narratives about life with severe depression that I have ever read.
There are those that may argue that this book does not offer enough hope, either for families dealing with depression or dealing with grief. However, this is not a book about giving up; this is a book about understanding about fighting as much as you can for as long as you can. It is a book with many questions about what is right, what is wrong, with who is left to make decisions, to pick up the pieces.
Mostly the overwhelming message for me was that depression is a disease. Like many diseases it can be fatal but unlike many diseases we – as a society – talk so little about it and have so little empathy towards the people suffering. This is by no means an easy read. So beautifully written and well paced, it would require a heart of stone not to be moved by the issues raised in this book.
The glimmer of light to me as someone who has suffered with severe depression on and off for over a decade was reading something that expresses how dark it can be in such beautiful and eloquent terms. This book does not make me want to give up. In fact, it gives me hope that this is finally a dialogue we may begin, to hope that we may finally understand that this is not just something that ‘chin up’, a cup of tea and ‘keep on smiling’ can address.
My personal experiences aside, this is an incredible work of fiction. The book’s title says it all: The View on the Way Down is dark and the simple eloquence of this title is echoed throughout the book. A must read… with tissues.
nikitashe_spaces_0ut's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
v_nerdbooks's review against another edition
3.0
This was ok, I didn't see the end coming but it wasn't enough to bump my star rating up.
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