Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa

15 reviews

yourbookishbff's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, War, Torture, Grief, Abortion, Toxic friendship, Confinement, Colonisation, Violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Death, and Trafficking

Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Cancer, Misogyny, and Deportation

beanypole's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia, Confinement, Sexual violence, Racism, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Colonisation, War, Sexual assault, Rape, and Violence

Moderate: Infertility, Torture, and Pregnancy

Minor: Dementia, Death, and Cancer

ka_cam's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.75

Ooph, an intense read. Nahr’s rage and numbness at the violence she experiences and witnesses are at time visceral in this reflective navigation of a Palestinian woman in Istraeli solitary confinement reflecting on her life in Kuwait, Jordan, and Palestine. Doesn’t shy away from sexual, structural, and interpersonal violence so please mind the content warnings. I felt the Palestinian characters could have been a bit less rosy/more complex, but with the narrator’s shifting mental state what lacks in the story can be excused for the narrator. Compellingly and sometimes beautifully written esp for such heavy subjects. Highly, highly recommend

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Hate crime, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Genocide, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Sexism, and Sexual assault

Moderate: War and Abortion

Minor: Child death, Medical content, Racial slurs, Cancer, Ableism, Addiction, and Animal death

rachelsbookishlife's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Death, Sexual harassment, War, Physical abuse, Rape, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Abortion, Death of parent, Cancer, and Death

Minor: Drug use

marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Titled with the words of James Baldwin, Against the Loveless World is a novel of love and rebellion amidst the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Its heroine, Nahr, is a daring, sarcastic displaced Palestinian who writes the story of her life from solitary confinement, the timeline leaping between her present imprisonment and the years that led up to it.  In Kuwait, Jordan, Palestine, she survives as a sex worker, beautician, daughter, sister, wife, divorcee.  But every step she takes leads her to the man with whom she shares a powerful love, and that makes it all worth it.  This book offers readers a glimpse of human experience beneath an ongoing political crisis.  I especially appreciated the discussion of sexual trauma within the context of such a conservative culture.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation and Confinement

Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Trafficking, Sexual violence, War, Blood, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Murder, Police brutality, Antisemitism, and Sexism

Minor: Pregnancy, Child death, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Cancer

hilarylouise's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Sexism, Murder, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Death, Colonisation, Sexual assault, War, Sexual harassment, Rape, Confinement, Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Violence, Sexual content, and Mental illness

Moderate: Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Drug use

Minor: Cancer

sawyertaylor's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Colonisation

Moderate: Sexual assault and Abortion

Minor: Cancer

jeanniea's review

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

A bit slow in the beginning, but it picks up towards the end. Love the strength that the mc shares and the growth she goes thru. Love the messages of the story. The ending felt fulfilling in an open way.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, and Colonisation

Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, Body shaming, Cancer, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Homophobia, Infertility, Rape, and Torture

candournat's review

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, War, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Terminal illness, Cancer, Violence, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Outing, Murder, Misogyny, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Infidelity, Homophobia, Drug use, Colonisation, and Abortion

kirstenf's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Police brutality, Abortion, Death, Torture, Miscarriage, War, Antisemitism, Child death, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Murder, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Medical content, Infidelity, and Cancer

Minor: Pregnancy, Sexism, and Drug use