Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

10 reviews

ang44's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.0

Reading this book, as someone who has both personally experienced and works daily with a population that experiences extreme suicidal ideation, felt like reassurance. Barbery has a beautiful way of being able to describe how life is made up of the most beautiful small moments that make all the rest of them worth living through. The beauty of camellias, the warmth of connection with others, the joy from the enrichment of books and language and culture - all of these are feelings to chase, and reasons to choose to live. These little moments are "an always within never," and the people in our lives who show us this, and who move gracefully through this life, are as refined and elegant as the hedgehog!
It really is a beautiful and enjoyable story that genuinely reminded me why I choose to keep living every day. Some of the language is very complex, but it is written in a way where I was able to skim some paragraphs at times and still glean the deeper meaning without over-analyzing every single word. Very excited to re-read this and have the words be more familiar and to absorb even more of the story. I had mixed feelings about the ending for the main character, but overall the characters are lovable and the story is valuable.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

nerdpastornate's review against another edition

challenging dark funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

As an introvert, this book makes me feel a lot of things.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

mxpringle's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing 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

4.5

This book made me cry so much and it was so inspiring. It's such a beautiful look into what it means to try to change the way your life was meant to be carried out and whether it is possible to change the destinies placed on us by class structures.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Emotional abuse

quills4days's review against another edition

hopeful reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

brittanymcmcmc's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

rosalind's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Suicide

Minor: Cancer, Child death, and Racism

kiwialexa's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide and Suicide attempt

camillarossi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Classism

Moderate: Cancer and Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, and Alcohol

gabgon2597's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Suicide, Car accident, and Classism

Minor: Drug abuse

madamehowland's review against another edition

I tried, people kept talking about this book as being incredible but I just couldn't get through it. The two lead character both talk about how exceptionally intelligent they are and I found it very tiresome. I just couldn't get behind them as people and it was a push to get it.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide