Reviews tagging 'Grief'

10 دقائق و 38 ثانية في هذا العالم الغريب by Elif Shafak

36 reviews

daisyfont's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Transphobia, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Vomit, Violence, Rape, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Grief, Racism, Child death, Death, and Self harm

la_karina1818's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Cursing, Grief, and Drug use

Minor: Sexual assault

uhhjeepers's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

*for school*

This could be recency bias, but this might be the best book I’ve ever read for school. It was an extremely difficult read at points, but I feel so rewarded by the experience regardless. 

Leila and her friends are characters that I truly believe will stick with me forever. This book is filled with difficult topics, but it is also filled with so much heart. Love and friendship seep out of this book. 

I’m left with an overwhelming feeling of appreciation for the people in my life. Nobody is companionless, and this book forces you to know that, even when you’re at your loneliest.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Incest, Death, Rape, Sexual content, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, Racism, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Transphobia, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Miscarriage, and Trafficking

Minor: Pregnancy

mariaminthebooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Rape, and Transphobia

hanami_sui's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Pedophilia, Murder, Sexual assault, and Transphobia

Moderate: Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Self harm, Violence, Body shaming, and Miscarriage

Minor: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Fatphobia, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders

bitsofcherry's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.75

This book was beautifully written, the imagery and metaphors are amazing, and I adored the emphasis on tastes and smells in each memory chapter.
The book turned out to be way darker than I expected (note to read trigger warnings before starting a new book) but it was a very powerful read and left me reflecting on life, death and power dynamics in different cultures throughout the world. I absolutely adored the friendships like sprinkles of light in such a dark setting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Transphobia, Sexual assault, Mass/school shootings, Grief, Gaslighting, Death, Child abuse, Confinement, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Misogyny

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Ableism, Suicide, Mental illness, and Self harm

Minor: Cancer, Drug abuse, and Miscarriage

ainotah's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Racism, Murder, Mental illness, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual harassment, Death, and Drug use

Moderate: Alcohol, Gun violence, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Transphobia

lianne_rooney's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Self harm, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Murder, Grief, Drug use, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Incest, Hate crime, Death, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Mental illness, and Religious bigotry

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

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

Minor: Genocide

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: Pedophilia and Child abuse

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