Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

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

44 reviews

emilylikesbread's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

3.75

This is a very unique way to share a life story. The first story in particular was quite chilling. Out of all of them, that will stay with me the longest. It’s insane how many times this woman almost died. Equally unlucky and lucky. I definitely found myself getting a little anxious at times. If you’re sensitive I would suggest reading tw before reading. Great read if you’re up for it!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Infertility, and Pregnancy

Minor: Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Violence, and Murder

massivepizzacrust's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

4.0

I read this book over two days and I just couldn't put it down. It's a really fascinating idea, trying to tell the story of a life through close encounters with death. I found the writing really engrossing and approachable and I enjoyed how we got to understand the author's decisions in the initial anecdotes as the book progressed.

I'm not sure I really understand why the chapters were arranged the way they were. By the end of the book I didn't really have a sense that there was an overall arch to the book (past the connection between her childhood death experiences and her daughter's). I thought some of the stories brought more to the table than others - the stories centering on her pregnancies and her childhood were mostly beautiful, but the story with the mysterious man and the dog was confusing and weirdly half-confessional.

Reading about someone else's preoccupation with death was a relief to me. It's something that's been hard for me to deal with sometimes and this was a really different view on it. I don't think I'll be making any unprepared trips to remote countries any time soon though.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Infertility, Miscarriage, Violence, Blood, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Minor: Pedophilia and Rape

kaylamoran's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

5.0

Loved the audiobook, I absolutely loved the narrators voice.  I've recently dipped my toe into memoirs and so far, so good.  Will definitely be looking into Maggie O'Farrell's fiction.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, Medical content, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Sexual violence and Stalking

pipss's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced

4.0

Muito tenso...

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Vomit, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Abortion

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

cmbohn's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content and Medical trauma

Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Violence, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

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

icieri's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Miscarriage, Medical content, 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