Reviews tagging 'Pandemic/Epidemic'

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

29 reviews

coffeekitaab's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

Writing this in 2024, it is so strange to have relived Covid-19 through this book. A nostalgia when reading about how life generally, the way we lived it - even if we did not contract the virus itself - and the varying attitudes around the virus around the world, the medical staff who saved us, the loved ones we lost - it was a definite struggle and very difficult to carry on at times (only because of Picoult being a favourite author did I persevere). As always, this one packed a punch. There is a description towards the end, describing life during covid and how it felt everyone was holding their breath - a desperate need for a gasp - which no one released which felt/feels very true in hindsight. I'm not sure if reading this 2-3 years ago would have changed the experience I had today (and in what sense that would be) but in a way, I am glad it has been catalogued by Picoult. It is so easy to forget the time the world shutdown, especially as we are creatures of nature, rushing back to the slog and race of working life, trains now running and borders are now open, the time you spend an hour working overtime is an hour lost spending time with loved ones -  the small print should always be highlighted - remember what matters. My love for JP continues to grow with each book I read. Please do check trigger warnings before picking this up. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Medical content, Dementia, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

thatsssorachael's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious relaxing 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness and Pandemic/Epidemic

hay_keasling5's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, and Pandemic/Epidemic

leahrreads's review against another edition

I couldn't finish, I read a few chapters and honestly found it boring and rambling and found myself skipping ahead. The "twist" in my opinion ruins the story for me.
The content of certain things were bothersome to me. Not sure I'm ready to go back and re-live Pandemic-era life.
The main character was also boring, shallow, and came across privileged. Maybe she changes towards the end but I wouldn't know, I couldn't finish it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic

_david_'s review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

1.5

I think I'm just not a fan of books in which the covid pandemic plays a big role. Nearly everyone currently alive has lived through it and witnessed its horrors or conspired that it wasn't that bad, but this book will not convince them otherwise. The plot twist was well written, but I still didn't like the story after. If you do not like the first half of the book, you will not enjoy the second.  

To me personally, the main character was very self-centered and spoiled. A big theme in the book is that she "evolved" on the island to fit in better. She barely did though. She just got lucky with some villagers. The only moments I enjoyed was her making art with Belize, but the rest of the book made my eyes roll. 

I think there was still a big clash of what the main character and I find important in life. I would have done the exact opposite of each choise she made in the end, except for perhaps the career choice.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Medical content, Dementia, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Infertility, Vomit, War, and Classism

emmmillly's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Pandemic/Epidemic

cveeders's review against another edition

challenging reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

I struggled a bit with this book, both to get into it and to accept certain parts of it. I was able to call plot points before they happened:

Beatriz being gay, Diane cheating on Finn

although I didn't see the big twist coming. It was also hard to sympathize with Diane at places, though cool to look back through the first part knowing what happens in the second. Not a favorite of Picoult's work but not the worst either

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Self harm

clairedemiles's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Blood, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Alcohol

evelynritzi's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

4.5

I love just about anything Jodie Picoult writes and this is no exception. She has a way of taking current issues and topics and examining them from such interesting POVs. I can’t believe how quickly she wrote this book and how well-researched it was.

And the TWIST! I almost threw the book across the room.

 

Highly recommended this one! 💜 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Self harm, Dementia, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic

jennipea382's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Mental illness, Sexual content, Grief, and Alcohol