Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

16 reviews

lililoos's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

This book made me stare at a wall and cry for a good few minutes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, and Classism

moongelli's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

left with an indescribable empty feeling; saddened but less of a "moved-to-tears" sad & more of a "inevitability of the end" melancholia. first to leave, last to complete — bearing the weight of one who remembers all.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Sexual content, and Medical content

Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, and War

biobeetle's review against another edition

dark hopeful reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Infertility, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Toxic friendship

danicakvcs's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Body horror, Infertility, and Blood

emmaura's review against another edition

dark hopeful sad slow-paced

4.0

Slow burn, with many twists along the way

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Chronic illness

issyd23's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

Basically the quiet, artsy, English version of Michael Bay’s The Island. TBH I kinda prefer Bay’s version with car chases & explosions 3👩🏼‍🍼

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

elisabeth_with_an_ess's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-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

This book is written in the style of spoken reminiscences, with allusions to things that haven't been described yet, and "but maybe I should explain..." 

This device makes you really feel that you are one of Kathy's friends, or maybe just a chance acquaintance, or perhaps one of her donors who has been asking for stories of Hailsham.

All in all, this is a devastating book, will make you ponder all the things that bind us together as humans.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Slavery, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, and Homophobia

emfield's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma

Minor: Death and War

kevtmitch's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-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? Yes

5.0

 A beautiful yet devastating read. I have a very high tolerance for the distressing, and yet the concept (revealed partway through) made me feel sick for the entire read. And yet Ishiguro's skill at empathetically asking us what makes us human shines through the sadness. In his body of work, he frequently places us in the perspective of an oppressed class - specifically with individuals who are not looking to change the system or lead a revolution, but rather who take the path of acquiescence and acceptance of one's role that most real people take in unfair or unjust situations. Such a perspective can be frustrating to readers used to Chosen One or Hero's Journey storylines, but Ishiguro gives us the gift of understanding humanity. His profound empathy and emotional intelligence is a core feature of this book. I'll never forget it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Medical content, and Medical trauma

ameerah27's review against another edition

mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness and Death

Moderate: Sexual content