Reviews tagging 'Grief'

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak

46 reviews

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

hanami_sui's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Self harm, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Mass/school shootings

Minor: Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

bitsofcherry's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.75

This book was beautifully written, the imagery and metaphors are amazing, and I adored the emphasis on tastes and smells in each memory chapter.
The book turned out to be way darker than I expected (note to read trigger warnings before starting a new book) but it was a very powerful read and left me reflecting on life, death and power dynamics in different cultures throughout the world. I absolutely adored the friendships like sprinkles of light in such a dark setting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Ableism, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Cancer, Drug abuse, and Miscarriage

ainotah's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Transphobia, Blood, and Alcohol

lianne_rooney's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Pregnancy

meadhbh's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

This is the story of Leila, a sex worker who has just been killed in Istanbul, and the memories she recalls in her last 10 minutes and 38 seconds of life. It's also the story of the friends she's made, and how desperately we can care for the people we love.

I used to think that I didn't like historical fiction. It seemed boring and stuffy to me, and I could never really get into it. 

I mostly still feel the same, but a series of non-Western modern history books have been slowly warming me to it. The Seven Moons of Mali Almeida and Mexican Gothic are two other recent reads I have loved. 

This book is mostly about Leila and her friends, but it's also about Istanbul. It's about communism, and Islam, and sex work, while also not really being about any of those things. Read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Transphobia, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Genocide

williamgideon's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

I really love Elif Shafak. Her writing, storytelling and ability to craft complex and loveable characters is just spectacular. I loved every minute of reading this book. I was never bored, which is very rare for me lol. It was just so interesting, the setting and all the characters. Leilas friend group was so amazing. It kind of reminded me of the show Pose in the way it handled the found family trope alongside grief and opression. This is a really amazing book and the second best book of Shafak's that I've read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Pedophilia

Moderate: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy