Reviews with content warning for Medical content - Mein Jahr der Ruhe und Entspannung

god, do not read this book if you’re depressed. this was a very interesting read that took a direction that i did not expect at all. i think the ending really makes this novel worth it, even though i felt myself becoming increasingly cynical of life the more i read! i can see why it has become a modern classic for how bold it is. however, though i am glad i read it, i am glad it’s over now.

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khartke's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

This was a grueling read with a detestable main character and disgusting events. I could barely put it down. I found it well written, stuffed (over-stuffed?) with references and connections to other works so the themes were always exploding outwards in many directions. Honestly not sure how sincerely I should take

the inner peace at the end as a sign of redemption

but I found it to be pretty satisfactory. I feel like this demands a reread but I'll have to muster up some major fortitude before I can attempt it. I read the back 2/3 in quarantine which definitely contributed to the atmosphere, Would recommend if you have COVID.

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afields92's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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melusinedln's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

While this wasn’t a masterpiece of a book, it was still very nice to read (even though a bit boring sometimes). The ending made it all worth it, even though you can guess it very easily in the first pages of the book.
I appreciated the narrator’s evolution, from her initial unreliability and selfishness to her acceptance of her parent’s death allowing her to improve as a person, only to have to deal with yet another grief at the end of the book.
I also appreciated the writing style. It kept the « boring » parts nice to read.
It was pretty relaxing and nice to, for once, read a book where essentially nothing happens diegetically. This book reminds us that the story isn’t the only element that makes a book good in the sense that you do not need a complex plotline and such things to make your readers feel intense emotions, convey a message etc.

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melitorian's review against another edition

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challenging dark fast-paced

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

3.75

Just finished the book, and the word that comes to mind is catharsis. I kept wondering where this was all going — did I need to go through reading all of this to get to "the point?" Maybe not. But, am I glad at where we arrived after getting there? Definitely.

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