Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers

4 reviews

the_reading_wren's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? No

4.75

This one is less adventure and more reflective than the previous books in this series, covering heavy themes. Chambers guides us through these topics with masterful writing, while enveloping us in a world so well developed it feels like a home from home.

I think it was a work of genius weaving the reader’s role of bearing witness into Sawyer’s storyline in such a profound way…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical content, and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Pregnancy

scifi_rat's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

3.25

Plot: 3.75★
Prose: 3★
Pace: 4★
Concept/Execution: 4★/4★
Characters: 3.25★
Worldbuilding: 4.5★
Ending: 3.25★

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Drug use, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cursing

andloveistoolong's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug use, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and War

novella42's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

In some ways, the darkest of the Wayfarer series, but also the most beautiful. The most human. The central themes of this book remind me of Alice Walker's short story, Everyday Use. What do we preserve? What do we carry with us, and why, and how? What matters most when we're grappling with our own mortality and purpose and connection to other people who live like we do, in frail, mortal bodies in fragile, finite spaces?

I agree with some reviews that this book is slower than the others, and that the teenage character can be hard to empathize with because he's struggling with boredom and purpose. But the payoff. For me, the payoff is everything. I cry throughout this book and feel so peaceful at the end. Like I'm a little bit closer to finding my own purpose. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Mental illness, and Vomit

Minor: Genocide, Racism, Sexual content, Death of parent, Colonisation, War, and Deportation

There's a prominent scene in the book that needs a tag but isn't among those content warnings listed. Car accident is technically the closest, and I think it could be triggering for someone who had experienced that. But it's more specific, so I'm putting a slightly more detailed one behind a spoiler.

The opening chapters of the book deal with a large-scale disaster that kills tens of thousands of people. It's handled with the gravity and respect it deserves, at times zoomed away and at times very close and high definition. I think anyone who had lived through a natural or manmade disaster, especially in an urban area, would be deeply affected by these themes. It's very well written and the book follows the mental and emotional healing of several different characters, but it's worth a tag.