Reviews tagging 'Grief'

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak

42 reviews

arayo's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Violence, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Incest, Transphobia, Trafficking, Grief, and Murder

Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Self harm, and Pregnancy

eva_lesemaus's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Trafficking, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexism, Grief, and Mass/school shootings

katrinarose's review

dark emotional 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? No

4.0

Shafak does such an a wonderful job of setting the scene in Istanbul and the other various settings in Turkey. Her way of bringing a character to life in just a chapter is amazing, and I felt so much for Leila that I became sadder each chapter knowing that she had died. The character study and friendship development is definitely the most important and impactful part of this book, not the plot. It’s a beautiful and tragic story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Transphobia, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

daniellekat's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.75

I loved part one (Mind) and thought this was on its way to 5 stars, but parts 2 (Body) and 3 (Soul) lost me. Shafak is a masterful writer and her descriptive style perfectly suits the novel's time and setting. My main criticism with this is the same for my last Shafak read (The Island of Missing Trees) - too much information is given to the reader. Especially in Part 2, there were too many perspectives and explicit details that I thought would have been more powerful left untold. I loved the found family aspect of this book and the way their grief manifested among them. I wish we were given more time with each of the friends but overall this was another well balanced blend of history and fiction. I highly recommend checking the content warnings on this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Self harm, Transphobia, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment

Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

carolinebl's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

I love how Elif Shafak writes of Istanbul, honestly and brutally whilst also lovingly. This is another complex, dark, funny and deeply human novel. The story of Tequila Leila deserves to be told, though in many ways this was the story of the people that formed her life. Some aspects of characterisation were too much for me, such as the names (Sabotage, Zaynab122 etc.) but it was overall a beautifully written story of friendship and struggle.

I still have questions about D/Ali. And did Leila know that Sabotage was in love with her? I’m glad he didn’t die with her body, but was forced to confront his divided life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Grief

Moderate: Self harm, Transphobia, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Addiction, Incest, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Panic attacks/disorders

cyden's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Hate crime, Incest, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Violence

Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Self harm, Trafficking, and Grief

Minor: Police brutality and Pregnancy

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

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, Drug use, and Grief

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

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

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