Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue

112 reviews

ilikenaps's review against another edition

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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

midwesternviolet's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

amber2020's review against another edition

emotional informative tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, and Medical trauma

goldpeak's review against another edition

Try to slog through it…for the promise of some les dynamics..but..maybe I’m feeling a little blood shy…maybe her uppity attitude…maybe I still haven’t forgiven that one death in Call The Midwife…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content

3437138484's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy

Moderate: War

Minor: Child abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicide

aliterarygoodtime's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Classism

jaynecm's review against another edition

4.0

Set in Dublin during the 1918 flu epidemic, the story is told over three days in the quarantined maternity ward by Nurse Power who is unexpectedly left in charge of the ward. With cases skyrocketing and staff and resources dwindling, Nurse Power must do what she can to care for her patients.
If you do not care for detailed medical descriptions of all kinds - births, autopsies, flu, deaths - it would be best to avoid this book as the author conceals nothing. The workings of the ward are laid bare for the reader to absorb in all its horror but also all its compassion. 
A riveting, heart breaking story, told in a no nonsense manner which makes it all the more heartrending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content and Medical trauma

a_mckeever's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and War

Minor: Gun violence and Fire/Fire injury

katiewhocanread's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Child death

ginabyeg's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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

This book will definitely give you a taste of nursing in the early 1900’s. Story is fast-paced, engaging from the start, told from the perspective of a still-single nurse in the maternity ward during the 1918-pandemic. Some parts get rather graphic. There are themes of life/death, trauma, and religion. While the book was published in 2020, the author had finished it before that time. I find this makes the character’s insights in the book even more powerful, somehow, and the parallels between then and now extra startling.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic