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Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'
Die unwahrscheinliche Pilgerreise des Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
10 reviews
hylian_narwhal's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Cancer, Body horror, and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism and Addiction
jhbandcats's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I just finished Rachel Joyce’s Miss Benson’s Beetle for the second time; I think that book is just delightful. Someone in my book group mentioned the Harold Fry book so I decided I’d read it next. I was really disappointed.Â
Miss Benson’s Beetle has cute and quirky characters - fairly annoying but basically lovable - who really enliven the story. I had a hard time with The Unlikely Pilgrimage because I found the characters either dull or flat, and the story uninteresting. While there’s a sequel that deals with Queenie, it would have been nice to learn more about her here. As it is, I was left feeling I didn’t know her at all.Â
And the secrets revealed at the end weren’t interesting or compelling enough to have been worth the wait. I had to keep pushing myself to read this - it wasn’t a book I couldn’t wait to read after I’d set it down, and I didn’t spend my time away from the book thinking about the characters and their lives.Â
I’m disappointed to have been disappointed. And I won’t bother reading the sequel about Queenie. Maybe someone can just tell me what happens.Â
Miss Benson’s Beetle has cute and quirky characters - fairly annoying but basically lovable - who really enliven the story. I had a hard time with The Unlikely Pilgrimage because I found the characters either dull or flat, and the story uninteresting. While there’s a sequel that deals with Queenie, it would have been nice to learn more about her here. As it is, I was left feeling I didn’t know her at all.Â
And the secrets revealed at the end weren’t interesting or compelling enough to have been worth the wait. I had to keep pushing myself to read this - it wasn’t a book I couldn’t wait to read after I’d set it down, and I didn’t spend my time away from the book thinking about the characters and their lives.Â
I’m disappointed to have been disappointed. And I won’t bother reading the sequel about Queenie. Maybe someone can just tell me what happens.Â
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Abandonment, Cancer, Grief, Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness
beardybot's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
West Country retiree gets a letter from an old friend. She took a metaphorical bullet for him the last time they spoke, twenty years prior. She's dying of cancer.
Harold, returning his wishes via post-office, makes the uncharacteristic decision to walk to her hospice in the far North of the country. He wrestles with his own demons, and leaves his wife behind with hers. He's mostly adorable, and the read is often light-hearted, but when it isn't, it really isn't.Â
Harold, returning his wishes via post-office, makes the uncharacteristic decision to walk to her hospice in the far North of the country. He wrestles with his own demons, and leaves his wife behind with hers. He's mostly adorable, and the read is often light-hearted, but when it isn't, it really isn't.Â
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, and Suicide
Minor: Emotional abuse
rchains's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Terminal illness, and Cancer
Moderate: Alcoholism and Death
flowerowl's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
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
4.75
A lovely book to make stand still for a moment. Especially in this on going world to feel and understanding the things that are there but not seen, felt or hurt only if everything in you and around you slows down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Child death, Dementia, Alcoholism, Death, Terminal illness, Abandonment, and Addiction
Moderate: Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Mental illness
koplomps's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Cancer, Alcoholism, Body horror, Vomit, Terminal illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide, Animal death, Dementia, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
ruthmoog's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.5
We join Harold on a walk where he reflects on his life and relationships, learns about himself, his love for his wife and son, regret in his past. He meets people along the way who believe in him conpassioantely and open up about their lives.
There's a twist, and I felt good for Harold at the end of the journey, although the end of the story is predictable and a little underwhelming. The neighbour, Rex, was my favourite character.
There's a twist, and I felt good for Harold at the end of the journey, although the end of the story is predictable and a little underwhelming. The neighbour, Rex, was my favourite character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Suicide, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction
Detailed descriptions of food. Normalisation of pesticides.nikexistiertnik's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.75
i don't really know what i expected when i started reading this book, but it definitely wasn't that i'd spend all the last chapters crying.
i think i'd give the book more of a 4.5, and there were some things throughout the story that i didn't really enjoy, but right now, i am way too deep in my feelings to give it any less than 5 stars.
i think i'd give the book more of a 4.5, and there were some things throughout the story that i didn't really enjoy, but right now, i am way too deep in my feelings to give it any less than 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Chronic illness and Drug use
Minor: Domestic abuse
tesshope'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Harold Fry has spent his whole life being careful, doing as he is told, and being sensible. Despite his lifetime of toeing the line Harold finds himself retired without anyone or anything to share his love with, his wife and son don’t speak with him, no one at the job he has worked his whole life is sad to see him go, and his one true friend hasn’t seen him in 20 years.Â
Then Harold receives news his friend needs him, and he allows himself to believe in miracles and that he can make them happen if he believes. He starts to walk, for the first time in his long life believing in himself and doing something risky and foolhardy. On his journey, Harold reflects on his life and all the things he would change if he could live his life over again. Knowing he can’t rewrite history just makes Harold more determined than ever to at least do this one thing, walk to his Friend, because he knows that if he does then he can change the future.Â
This is a story of hope and redemption. A look at the mistakes in life that seem to build up over a lifetime. It finds a way to say the age-old lines of ‘life is what you make it’ and ‘You only live once’ without being cheesy or patronizing. It’s about needing to not let the everyday struggles let you lose sight of who you are and the people you love. It touches on generational trauma and how it seeps into our personalities and affects us, long after the people causing our trauma are gone. It’s about loving over the decades of a marriage or a friendship and how we all make mistakes and need to forgive one another over and over again but it is all worth it. Because in the end what is there to live for if not the people we care for.Â
The only thing I did not love about the book is that the ending seemed a little abrupt and lacking. Perhaps I need to read the sequel to fully understand.Â
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism
kcarney86's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Suicide, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcoholism and Abandonment
Minor: Domestic abuse
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