Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

L'isola degli alberi scomparsi by Elif Shafak

4 reviews

emmagreenwood's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Classism

merrynthomas's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective relaxing 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Homophobia, Suicide, and Abortion

rieviolet's review

emotional informative reflective 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? Yes

3.75

I did not mind the peculiar narrator, aka the fig tree, but I think that its narration was maybe given a bit too much space at the expense of the human characters. They felt a bit surface level, I would have liked for the author to delve more into their characterizations and relationships.

Also, the final revelation left me a bit perplexed, I was not expecting it and I think that it added an ulterior element of magical realism that felt a bit like too much.

Still, the writing style was really good, maybe just at times it felt a bit overdone, that is overly sentimental for my taste or going a bit overboard with the metaphors.

Overall it was a nice reading experience, that taught me a lot about the natural world and about a time and place that I knew nothing about. 
Also, please give me an entire book on Yiorgos and Yusuf's backstory (*crying in extreme sadness*). 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Abortion, Murder, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Colonisation

Minor: Cancer, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, and Torture

atamano's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Homophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War

Moderate: Cancer and Child death

Minor: Pregnancy