Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

10 reviews

lorenag5's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Bullying, Dementia, Mental illness, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

roseblossom999's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, War, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Death, Body shaming, Body horror, Animal death, Suicide attempt, Rape, Mental illness, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Emotional abuse, Suicide, and Violence

yasmin_raev's review against another edition

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Violence, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and War

Moderate: Vomit, Death of parent, and Rape

penofpossibilities's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Torture, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, and Hate crime

Moderate: Death of parent and Alcohol

Minor: Terminal illness, Cancer, Lesbophobia, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, and Genocide

imnotarke's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

i adored nao's story. it was so compelling and tug at my heart strings hearing from the perspective of a teenage girl. the magical realism was well-developed and fascinating to follow. i found ruth's story lacked that same attachment as nao's, but she was an essential element so i understand her placement - i just wish her story was as exciting to read as we have her for almost half of the novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Trafficking, Pedophilia, and Rape

Minor: Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, War, and Vomit

jameslyons's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Sexual violence, Bullying, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Gun violence, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Death of parent, and Gore

amelianotthepilot's review against another edition

mysterious sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

strange surrealist story about a woman in Canada reading a Japanese girl’s diary she found washed up on the beach 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Dementia, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Trafficking

chloebethx_'s review

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

A very moving and thought provoking story on what it means to be alive and the bonds of family.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Bullying

Moderate: Rape, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Adult/minor relationship, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

miraculousmeatball's review

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Terminal illness, Rape, Mental illness, Death, and Bullying

thebacklistborrower's review

emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

This book became a favourite after my first time reading it, so when I heard that Ozeki’s next book, The Book of Form and Emptiness, was going to be a companion novel, I had to reread it. I had forgotten how unique of a read it is. I honestly can’t tell you if this book is literary fiction, scifi, fantasy realism, or a thriller. It depends on how you read and interpret its story. It might be all of those or just some of them. 

Cw: suicide

The book is about Ruth, a writer on a remote BC island, who finds a Hello Kitty lunchbox on the shoreline. Inside are letters written in French, a wristwatch, and a diary in Japanese written by Nao, a Japanese teenager who wants to write the life story of her 104-year-old feminist buddhist nun grandmother, then commmit suicide. As Ruth reads the journal she starts to question and examine her own life and identity, occasionally becoming disconnected with time and reality. 

As a reader, I become as connected and concerned for Nao as Ruth does. Entry by entry, we learn about the hardship she and her family have experienced, but we also see glimpses of a joyful, funny, teenager. Nao is committed to telling her grandmother’s story, but can’t see her value continuing the world after that. Between school bullying, but tender scenes at her grandmother’s temple, my emotions ran the gamut reading Nao’s entries. Ruth, on the other hand, I felt connected to but differently. She is struggling with her identity and her sense of connection to the world. I felt like she was easy to slip into as a reader, acting almost as my avatar in the story. She forgets that what she’s reading is in the past-- but, really, don’t we all feel like that when a story captures us? Through her, the relationship between the writer and reader is brought to light.

I love this book, and eagerly await The Book of Form and Emptiness (easter egg: form and emptiness are discussed in the Time Being :) Give it a read if you’re looking for something you can’t quite explain to the people who ask “what are you reading?”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Dementia

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Terminal illness