Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Mis Últimos 10 Minutos y 38 Segundos en este Extraño Mundo by Elif Shafak

46 reviews

meadhbh's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

This is the story of Leila, a sex worker who has just been killed in Istanbul, and the memories she recalls in her last 10 minutes and 38 seconds of life. It's also the story of the friends she's made, and how desperately we can care for the people we love.

I used to think that I didn't like historical fiction. It seemed boring and stuffy to me, and I could never really get into it. 

I mostly still feel the same, but a series of non-Western modern history books have been slowly warming me to it. The Seven Moons of Mali Almeida and Mexican Gothic are two other recent reads I have loved. 

This book is mostly about Leila and her friends, but it's also about Istanbul. It's about communism, and Islam, and sex work, while also not really being about any of those things. Read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Transphobia, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Genocide

andreapap15's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, Transphobia, and Xenophobia

Minor: Deadnaming and Abortion

dafni's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Hate crime, Pedophilia, and Rape

Minor: Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Self harm

ishieemouie's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Transphobia, Violence, and Murder

madelinemay1's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Self harm

williamgideon's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective sad fast-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

I really love Elif Shafak. Her writing, storytelling and ability to craft complex and loveable characters is just spectacular. I loved every minute of reading this book. I was never bored, which is very rare for me lol. It was just so interesting, the setting and all the characters. Leilas friend group was so amazing. It kind of reminded me of the show Pose in the way it handled the found family trope alongside grief and opression. This is a really amazing book and the second best book of Shafak's that I've read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Pedophilia

Moderate: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy

ruthmoog's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

4.75

This has some very challenging topics but nonetheless I really enjoyed it. I will surely reread this, it's a brilliant idea to recount Leila's life you could say flashing Infront of her eyes. It's funny and approachable. Set in the drama of Istanbul and even, of course, a cat.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

bookaholic_kp's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Medical trauma, Abortion, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

moonchildjuli's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

10 minutes 38 seconds in this strange world fortunately proves to be a better elif shafak read for me than my previous, thwarted effort. this book is abt those on the fringes of society, but also abt istanbul and turkey at large. 

aided by an interesting, intriguing structure, the novel's first part reads like snapshots from the main character leila's life. while initially very slow going - the pace making me actually put down the book for 2 weeks - things start to pick up once we get out of leila's hometown, leila thrusted into the wider world - for better and for worse - while also gradually learning abt the five friends she so treasures.

i rly enjoy reading abt istanbul thru the POVs of characters marginalized by society, seeing the city thru a different, less sanitized perspective, yet a sense of love for the city, interestingly, still pervades. shafak spotlights those rarely seen or heard in the mainstream, let alone humanely, in this novel, be it those who are turkish and arent, esp the more recent and pressing refugees. the book's period of upheaval also serves as a revealing, rollicking - though at times painful - historical archive. 

what i love most abt this book is perhaps the relationship between leila and her 5 friends, both individually and as a group. theirs is  a bond deeper and closer than those of their respectively wretched families, and it's surprisingly touching. in a society that shuns them and wrongs go unpunished, they band tgt to survive, find joy and stand up for themselves. 

this is an enjoyable book thats as much abt the characters as the city of istanbul they live in, in all its glory and misery. though i personally think there's too much exposition, some parts could be trimmed, and the initial pace too slow, i dont merely feel but also learn a lot from this book, and thats always a good reading experience in my book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Transphobia, Police brutality, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Trafficking, and Murder

Minor: Infidelity and Miscarriage