Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Meredith, Alone by Claire Alexander

15 reviews

mwhite0226's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Cancer, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Rape

okiecozyreader's review

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Interestingly, this book is similar to Burst, which I recently finished. Both are about a main character and her difficult relationship with her mother. They both deal with difficult topics and kind of end in somewhat similar ways.

This one however, also focuses on the relationship between sisters, in this complicated and kind of ugly family dynamic. Their mom is abusive and her sister is in a relationship with an abusive guy, who also abuses her. When that dynamic comes to an awful point, Meredith basically locks herself in her home, in which she hasn’t left for over 1000 days. Fortunately, she has a good friend who regularly checks on her. She is also curious about herself and her past, and is willing to make steps to move forward.

With found family and many likable characters, it makes this book with some difficult topics, very likable ones itself. It takes place in Glasgow and the area in which she lives is almost a character unto itself. I couldn’t stop thinking about Meredith. My mind would check on her throughout the day. She is a very unique and interesting character - likable even though she is living very much alone.

“Sometimes people don’t point out the obvious.” Day 1222

“…she manages to get a photo of me looking like a normal, fun-loving forty-year-old woman who might not be living her best life but is trying her hardest.” Day 1392

“Before we leave, I stare at her face, trying to find a tiny piece of love.” Day 1446

“I’ve always been interested in the distinction between loneliness and being alone.” Author Q&A

“To quote Virginia Woolf, “In solitude we give passionate attention to our lives, to our memories, to the details around us.” The Joy of Being Alone

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Rape, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Cancer

brittmcnull's review

emotional hopeful sad medium-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

5.0

I had no idea what to expect when picking up this book. I chose it because the cover was beautiful and it had a cat on it. 

Meredith, Alone is a dual timeline novel that features a lovable character with significant trauma, anxiety, and depression. I believe the author handles the book with care and puts people in Meredith’s life to support her as she processes her trauma. 

Meredith hasn’t left her apartment for three years, but wants that to change. This book is a testament to how therapy, good friends , and a cat, can help bring healing one moment at a time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Rape, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Cancer and Alcohol

sam_h's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Rape, and Mental illness

Moderate: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Self harm

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Suicide attempt

thebakerbookworm's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

Despite being an Eleanor Oliphant knock-off, this book was one I liked. It's not as good as Eleanor, but it still was a decent read that I would recommend. It's really hard to not compare it to Eleanor but I'm going to stop making the connections now so as not to do a disservice to this book!

If character-driven books are your jam, grab some bread and a knife and dig in. Meredith is instantly relatable—stuck at home with her cat (it'd be a dog for me lol) and her puzzles and her books and her online/remote job...except it's not Covid times and her seclusion is by choice. The story delves into why Meredith has chosen this life and how she slowly gets out of it. Flashbacks to her childhood are scattered throughout, and beware the content warnings because it does deal with past trauma. But at it's core, I think this is a hopeful book, one that looks forward instead of back. The friendships that Meredith manages to form, online and in person, are the heart of the story.

I definitely recommend the audio for this one—captivating and engaging, it was hard to put down!

Thanks to Libro.fm, Hachette Audio, and the author for my ALC.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Rape

Minor: Cancer

drraytay's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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

Graphic: Body shaming, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Rape, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, and Bullying

Moderate: Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse

Minor: Car accident and Cancer

cute_koala's review

emotional inspiring reflective medium-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

5.0

Quite honestly one of the largest emotional roller coasters I’ve ever been on. I felt seen by Meredith’s thoughts and experiences, and I loved that her support system stayed strong with her and kept her on her path, but let her move at her own pace.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Self harm, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Cancer, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Rape, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse

dracovulpini's review

dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Bullying, Death of parent, Cancer, Physical abuse, and Cursing

nataliebootlah's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This was a heavy read with mental health, sexual assault, child abuse, and self harm at the forefront of the story. But it was beautiful too. 

With online support groups, remote work, deliveries, her cat, jigsaw puzzles, and her best friend regularly popping in, Meredith has no reason to leave the comfort of her home. In fact, she hasn’t crossed the threshold of her front door in over three years. Through an alternating timeline of past and present, we see the abuse Meredith withstood as a child, how she became estranged from her mother and sister as a young adult, and the two friends she makes from the safety of her home in her late thirties. It’s a delicate look at what it takes to work through  trauma and finding a path towards recovery. 

This is quite the debut novel. And, thankfully, has nothing to do with covid.  

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the complimentary copy. ✨

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Rape, Self harm, and Child abuse

Moderate: Domestic abuse

Minor: Death of parent and Cancer

readingwithaddi's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

You have to be emotionally prepared for this book. There are a lot of triggers, but it is also beautifully written and well done. Meredith is one of the best main characters I've read lately, and I'm so lucky to be part of her journey.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Rape, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Miscarriage

Minor: Fatphobia, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Cancer