Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

Carson McCullers et moi by Jenn Shapland

6 reviews

teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

I think this is the first biography-memoir I have read, and I am not sure that resonated with me. The shorter chapters definitely helped it move along, but I also felt it jumped around a lot. I found it talked about a whole lot of things, but nothing particularly well, or in a positive light. The comparisons felt disjointed and out of place. There were definitely some interesting aspects, but I felt they were in the minority. I understand others will really like this one, but it just wasn't for me. Being a memoir, I do not rate it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, and Homophobia

Moderate: Addiction, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Outing

lanid's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Lesbophobia

Minor: Alcoholism and Chronic illness

lizzie_r's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, and Homophobia

Moderate: Addiction, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Alcohol

Minor: Suicide attempt

sjanke2's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective relaxing fast-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Outing

loz's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.75

 I bought this after reading an awful review in the garden. Rachel Cooke described it as "one note" and suggested that the focus on McCullers's sexuality was reductive. That's nonsense!

My Autobiography examines how queerness is warped and erased in the archive. Shepland challenges the heavy burden of proof that's placed on queerness. Her rejection of rigid definitions and heteronormative frameworks is deeply affirming. If you have any interest in memoir or biography as a genre, you'll get a lot from this book - even if lesbian history specifically isn't a major draw for you. If, however, it is, I think you'll appreciate the careful attention to how we express love, especially when we don't have the language or social circumstances to fully facilitate it. There was a detail about a ring that made me tear up (page 120, I think).

I was not surprised to see Carmen Maria Machado's endorsement on the cover - In the Dream House is similarly brilliant on these topics. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

4.75

✨MINI REVIEW✨

While working as an intern in the archives at the Harry Ransom Center, Jenn Shapland encounters the love letters of Carson McCullers and a woman named Annemarie―letters are that are tender, intimate, and unabashed in their feelings. Shapland recognizes herself in the letters’ language―but does not see Carson as history has portrayed her. (via Goodreads) 📚

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What I liked:

📚 Genre-bending memoir is one of my favorite types of book

📚 Thoughtful examination of how we make women prove they're gay in a way we don't make men

📚 Looks at McCullers’ chronic pain and illness and how that intersected with her relationships

📚 How many queer women of history might be hiding in plain sight and we refuse to see them?

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What I didn't like:

📚 The author seemed unable or unwilling to identify McCullers' husband as an abuser. There's a lot of pained ruminating on why she didn't leave him when she was clearly uninterested in him romantically, but frames his repeated threats of murder-suicide as "a cloud over her life" rather than "emotional abuse."

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Content warnings: homophobia, domestic abuse, attempted suicide, suicide, institutionalization, chronic illness. 📚

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization