Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

6 reviews

savvyrosereads's review against another edition

emotional funny 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? Yes

4.5

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Literary fiction about the Stocktons, a wealthy New York family, as they grapple with their identities and issues of class and personal happiness.

What you have to understand about this book is basically nothing happens. It’s slow and character driven and heavily focused on rich people’s problems. If you don’t like those vibes, you probably won’t enjoy the book.

But if you DO like those vibes (and I very much do), then you might LOVE this one (and I did). The audio narration, by the incomparable Marin Ireland, was outstanding, and I was so entertained the entire time. The characters really grew on me, and I’m actually sad that I’ve finished the book and I can’t just go and check in on them. If you want a slower moving, but deeply engaging, character driven read, then this is definitely one to pick up.

CW: Death/grief; mental health; drug/alcohol use

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, and Grief

Moderate: Drug use, Mental illness, and Alcohol

ariana3's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

I really liked this! Even though it wasn't a complex or deep read (I guess that would be a "beach read"?), I found it to be entertaining and I enjoyed reading it! About a rich family of 5 and the dynamics each family member has with others (family, friends, etc.). Each chapter is told by a different member of the family, and how wealth plays into it also.

I hated Georgiana as a character at first, but she came around towards the end. I always liked Darley and Sasha!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming and Death

bella_cavicchi's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I love a story about rich people. That said, I think the characterisation gets lost in the author's (earnest!) effort to make a point. I found myself comparing it to Christopher Beha's The Index of Self-Destructive Acts and craving more of the nuance Beha strikes there.

But as I said: sometimes simply reading about the lives of the ultra-wealthy is very fun!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Racism

c_dmckinney's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Body shaming, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

emmehooks's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

I *hated* the snobby, rich Stockton family at first. I wouldn’t call their character development very transformative and the “happy ending” was kind of a bare minimum effort. However, it was a quick, easy, and left me wanting to know more about how the family grows and each character develops

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Classism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Racism, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Minor: Medical content

solenophage's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

The book was largely character-driven with little plot outside of their interpersonal drama.  Luckily, all the characters had strong, distinct personalities and their inability (or refusal) to see each others' points of view felt realistic rather than frustrating.  

It was hard to care much about some of the rich people problems and drama that seemed to matter to the characters, but it became a little easier to read as more of their complexities were developed.  

Overall, it was a fine, generally lighthearted read about family and wealth with little in the way of plot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Car accident and Fire/Fire injury