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Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'
Die unwahrscheinliche Pilgerreise des Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
17 reviews
c_dmckinney's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Ultimately, I don't think I'm the right audience for this book. I'm oversaturated and exhausted by broken men doing profoundly selfish things that hurt their wives with no real consequences. I understand he was stuck in a cycle of immense grief for 20 years after tremendous loss, but Harold taking off on his journey without so much as telling his wife put me off the entire thing.
The writing is beautiful in a haunting and meandering way. The exploration of grief is done quite well. I loved the way the shoes were used as an overarching metaphor and I really liked the concept of an act of faith not being explicitly specifically religious in nature. But I felt so much more for Maureen than Harold the entire time.
My sympathy for what Harold did to his wife without thought or consideration or apology made every additional choice Harold made all that much more frustrating. At every turn he refused most help, refused to acknowledge his behavior meaning anything outside of keeping Queenie alive, refused to do anything to make the journey safer or quicker. While I fully understand that grief is often isolating and illogical, Harold was so frustratingly selfish and unintentionally cruel to the person best equipped to understand his pain and it makes it hard for me to care that his ending is technically the happiest outcome for him.
Some people are drawn to this sort of protagonist but I deeply resent them because they are so common in my real life. So my rating is heavily biased and mostly about how much I don't like reading stories about people like Harold. It shouldn't necessarily be used to justify someone not reading it though.
The writing is beautiful in a haunting and meandering way. The exploration of grief is done quite well. I loved the way the shoes were used as an overarching metaphor and I really liked the concept of an act of faith not being explicitly specifically religious in nature. But I felt so much more for Maureen than Harold the entire time.
My sympathy for what Harold did to his wife without thought or consideration or apology made every additional choice Harold made all that much more frustrating. At every turn he refused most help, refused to acknowledge his behavior meaning anything outside of keeping Queenie alive, refused to do anything to make the journey safer or quicker. While I fully understand that grief is often isolating and illogical, Harold was so frustratingly selfish and unintentionally cruel to the person best equipped to understand his pain and it makes it hard for me to care that his ending is technically the happiest outcome for him.
Some people are drawn to this sort of protagonist but I deeply resent them because they are so common in my real life. So my rating is heavily biased and mostly about how much I don't like reading stories about people like Harold. It shouldn't necessarily be used to justify someone not reading it though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, and Alcohol
motherofladybirds's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Suicide, and Terminal illness
tiamia1084's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
One of the most precious books I've ever read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Suicide, and Terminal illness
schorlett's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Vomit
Minor: Self harm
gingerlaura's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.0
"De wereld bestond uit mensen die de ene voet voor de andere zetten, en soms leek een leven alleen maar gewoon omdat de persoon die het leidde dat al zo lang deed."
Wat een ongelooflijk ontroerend boek. Hij is prachtig in zijn eenvoud, en het laatste stuk heb ik met een brok in mijn keel gelezen. Hij is mij net geen 5 sterren waard vanwege het middenstuk wat mijnsinziens niet helemaal bij het verhaal paste, maar ik kan hem aan iedereen aanbevelen.
Wat een ongelooflijk ontroerend boek. Hij is prachtig in zijn eenvoud, en het laatste stuk heb ik met een brok in mijn keel gelezen. Hij is mij net geen 5 sterren waard vanwege het middenstuk wat mijnsinziens niet helemaal bij het verhaal paste, maar ik kan hem aan iedereen aanbevelen.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicide, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Mental illness, Self harm, and Terminal illness
owlbookhouse's review against another edition
reflective
sad
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? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism and Suicide
Minor: Mental illness and Abandonment
jackie_marion's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, and Alcohol
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Terminal illness, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment
dani_2006's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Child death, Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Grief
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: Cancer, Suicide, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Alcoholism and Death