Reviews tagging Self harm

Cleopatra and Frankenstein, by Coco Mellors

96 reviews

trilllllllian's review

medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Addiction, Transphobia, Infidelity, Death, Animal death, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Injury/injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Grief, Dysphoria, Death of parent, Violence, Fatphobia, Blood, Mental illness, and Homophobia

Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury

kellyung's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Body shaming, Infidelity, and Mental illness

egroetsema's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Self harm, and Sexual violence

isabellaklucia's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death of parent, Self harm, and Animal death

theoverbookedshelf's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Self harm

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Grief, and Animal death

Minor: Sexual harassment

madeline14's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense slow-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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Self harm, Animal death, and Suicide attempt

tiffanyc's review

dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors is an exploration of relationships – the good, the bad and the ugly. It follows the story of Cleo and Frank. As readers, we are swept into their world of lust and attraction. In the first chapter, we are introduced to Cleo and Frank as they meet for the first time. There is an instant connection - Cleo is in her 20s and is an art student and painter, and Frank is in his 40s and is a highly successful advertising executive. The two marry early on in their relationship and we start to see an array of weird and wonderfully flawed characters. Mellors masterfully manipulates the reader into thinking that Cleo and Frank’s relationship is going to make it. I became so invested that when things started to get messy I felt uncomfortable, angry and sad. It takes skill for an author to make you love a character one minute and the next minute hate them. There are side characters of ex-lovers, friends, family also depicted in this book faced with their own individual dilemmas.

Cleo and Frank are tumultuous, destructive, and toxic, and we are just going along on the ride. It was fun, provocative and heartbreaking all at once. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Drug use, Alcoholism, Addiction, Mental illness, Self harm, and Drug abuse

lostpaperbacks's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Addiction, Blood, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Animal death, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, and Infidelity

danaaliyalevinson's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective 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? Yes

5.0

This book did things to me. An impulsive marriage is a star at the center of a galaxy orbited by friends and family. And when that star simmers and explodes, everyone feels the aftershocks.

I forget exactly when, but at one point midway through the book I noticed the structure of the narrative. Not in a bad way. In a 'fellow writer albeit in another medium appreciating form' way. And I was struck by how complicated it is to pull off a multidimensional ensemble story like this, and yet how effortless the author made it all feel. Not to mention the emotional pay off. 

That is real skill.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Dementia, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Blood, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

madelinekelly's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm