Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak

18 reviews

terppsi's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

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

4.25

I really loved the first part, how the memories were evoked from smells and tastes.
Second part could have been shorter, that's the only reason I don't give it a 5.
Very curious about her other work

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, and Alcohol

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.

---

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

sweeettea's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

helen777's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence and Sexual violence

Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Alcohol, and War

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

---

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

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

---

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

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

---

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

gbmillar2002's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

Shafak beuatifullly weaves narratives and prose to create Tequila Lelia’s story. This is a story that blends her experience of death and her life, whilst also exploiting the affects on her found family. The plot, characters and word choice is excellent, however i the reason why I have not given this novel 5 stars is because strong emotion was not evoked eg sadness, happiness etc.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Ableism, Self harm, Transphobia, Xenophobia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Child death, Mental illness, Trafficking, Death of parent, and Alcohol

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.

---

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

ollie_again's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Trafficking, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Ableism, Drug abuse, Torture, Police brutality, and Sexual harassment