Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Hummingbird by Sandro Veronesi

2 reviews

ronanmcd's review against another edition

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emotional 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? Yes

4.25

While there were sections of this book that seemed incredibly slow, due to the fractured narrative style, mostly it was a deep emotional dive. I don't think the end of a book has moved me so much.
The book follows the life of a man who tries to be a constant, an anchor to those around him. Mostly it seems to fail, but not always. Anyway the structure builds a rich range of rounded characters whom we get to know well.
<Spoiler>The writer's anger is evident in the section describing the near future. A polarised political landscape has led to war, hinted between the older conservative values of a ruined past and the progressive values of an enlightened future of youth. Self-euthanising is becoming almost acceptable by the end of the book, set 7 years from when I'm reading it. It's a beautifully written moment.

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cami7's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5


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