Reviews tagging 'Blood'

I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O'Farrell

20 reviews

samcsmith's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective tense fast-paced

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Miscarriage, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy

Minor: Ableism, Infertility, Pedophilia, and Violence

glorifiedloveletters's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

After reading Hamnet (and absolutely loving it), I decided to check out Maggie O'Farrell's memoir from the library, and wow, what a book! She tells the stories of her life where she narrowly avoided death, and how those experiences shaped her. It isn't told chronologically, but in a way that definitely unfolds and flashes back in a really compelling way. Her writing is flush with description that never feels overwrought or superfluous.

Some of her brushes with death involve medical treatment, and my jaw quite literally dropped at what people, especially medical professionals, said to her during those times. From her childhood hospitalization from encephalitis to her many miscarriages after a difficult first birth, you'll be ready to fight a couple nurses and doctors ON SIGHT. That said, there is also the very moving moment where one mysterious medical person, about whom she never found out any information, really supported her when she needed it most. If you're a person who has medical trauma of any sort, you may want to check in with yourself before reading.

Between this book and Hamnet being among my favorites this year, I'm ready to delve further into her back catalog. I've had an ARC of Instructions for a Heatwave sitting around an embarrassingly long time, and I will definitely, finally read it.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Miscarriage, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy

laurenkimoto's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

3.5

How can someone have 17 brushes with death?????? Wild but eloquently written. 
Parts of this book are written in first person and parts are written in third person and the impact that has on the tone and the emotions is masterful used 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

onmywaytobefamous's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad fast-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and Pregnancy

localcat's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Miscarriage, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual violence, Violence, and Murder

shelfofunread's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Miscarriage and Violence

Minor: Ableism, Bullying, and Blood

bradypus's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Infertility, Car accident, and Pregnancy

l1llymay's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror and Blood

ambero's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

The first chapter hit me and was one of the few things I’ve read this year that I connected with 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Sexual assault, Blood, and Murder

invaderlinz's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Miscarriage, Blood, and Grief