Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Sorrow and Bliss, by Meg Mason

18 reviews

edgaranjapoe's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Violence, Domestic abuse, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Medical content

Minor: Cursing, Medical trauma, Self harm, Cancer, Death of parent, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Car accident, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Grief, and Abortion

readersreadingnook's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Pregnancy, Grief, Mental illness, and Self harm

cloud_animals's review

emotional funny reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Self harm, Violence, and Death of parent

smashamash's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Self harm

m_sotos's review

challenging emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

I really appreciated Mason’s handling of the topic of severe mental illness in this text. I personally think that there is a LONG-standing trend in literature/several forms of media to unwittingly glamorize a tragic form of depression in young/beautiful /desirable women (Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary - women written by men). There is something mysterious and ‘beautiful’ about their ‘madness’/sadness that only serves to reaffirm their status in the texts as being somehow ‘special’ and unlike everyone else. This book could have easily slipped into that pattern, but it never does. Mason acknowledges that tendency in a subtle, not overdrawn way and even incorporates it into the characters’ own struggles in understanding the protagonist (Martha), who suffers from an often debilitating mental illness. I listened to this as an audiobook and loved it, but wish I’d been able to read some of Mason’s words/sentences on paper because there are specific lines that I think would have struck me even more powerfully than they did in the ear had I been able to see them and mull them over in my line of vision. An emotionally heavy read for sure, but so rewarding!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness

Moderate: Self harm, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

erin_forgie's review

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

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

5.0

I loved this book so much. 
I only really felt the bliss after

Spoiler

Martha’s diagnosis

 
It really delves into the sorrow straight away, so be prepared to feel a bit emotional. 
It had all the correct ingredients for a 5 star, just something was missing and I’m not quite sure why. I think maybe it was the writing style, I just sometimes found it confusing when someone was speaking as the writer would add extra details about what they had said, outside of the speech marks - and as someone who adores Sally Rooney, its not the lack of speech marks, its just the lack of fully feeling the conversation. 
*after a couple of months*
This book is a 5 star, I think about it constantly and I really appreciate what it has done 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Self harm, Pregnancy, and Abortion

Minor: Death of parent

eeviee's review

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

This is the kind of book you read to remind you of how much you love reading. The kind that you revisit from time to time and still feel gutted by. That one book you read at different stages of your life and find yourself identifying with another character you were least likely to feel any affinity with. It is a character study of a deeply flawed woman in an equally flawed relationship, and how she comes to mend herself in more ways than one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Grief, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Self harm, Abortion, Death, Emotional abuse, and Pregnancy

tysuckz's review

challenging dark emotional relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Honestly despite it being a relatively low rating (compared to everyone elses) this is probably one of my favourite books. It was so easy to read and so pleasant but shocking in the harsh realities of the way mental illnesses are treated. 

I do think that one thing that lowered the rating for me is the idea that the mental illness is hidden, we never find out what it is and it actually isn't a real diagnosable mental illness by the authors account. I suppose the point is so any mental illness could be substituted in there, however I just wish that if it was written deliberately for that purpose then it wouldn't have discussed specifics such as the types of web pages that come up when she googled it etc. That way it could be more applicable to anything you wanted it to be about? 

Anyway, I enjoyed it and it was nice to see most things resolve at the end. It is very bittersweet I appose! 

I remember reading another review of someone saying they had a love hate relationship with the characters and how they wanted to fix them and cry with them or scream at them and I'm totally with it to be honest. I wanted nothing more than to knock some kindness into some of them but at the same time you can't help but feel sorrow with and for them. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Alcoholism and Miscarriage

ashlyntalksbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

Minor: Emotional abuse, Abortion, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Grief, Self harm, and Death

natalietan's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Self harm, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcoholism