Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

291 reviews

ash_bees's review against another edition

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reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

"Where there are books, there is always a temptation to open them."

Reminiscent of the movie "It's A Wonderful Life," except instead of only experiencing one alternative, the protagonist experiences many.  It does get a bit preachy, but so did "It's A Wonderful Life."

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saltphxchic's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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anovelglimpse's review against another edition

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

5.0

I am late to the party with The Midnight Library. I've seen reviews of it in a lot of places since it was released, but I had kind of forgotten about it until recently. I started listening to it without having read the blurb to remind me what it was about, so I basically went in blind. I don't think I would have been prepared for this book even if I had read the blurb because it's a much heavier book than I get from it.

The Midnight Library is the story of Nora Seed. Nora has been through several traumatic events and decides she doesn't want to live anymore. Her choice has her arriving at the Midnight Library to reflect upon her regrets and find out what might have happened had she made different choices. With each life she tries on, she learns new things about herself and the choices she made in her life.

The despair and depression Nora felt was all encompassing. I understood how she got to where she was in life, but I still hoped things would turn around for her. All of her different lives were really interesting. I loved the insights into her choices and the outcomes. I also loved how philosophy and quotes from philosophers were woven in. The progression of this story was really cool and special. The emotional impact was huge. Haig is a talented writer and storyteller. This may have been my first book by Haig, but it certainly won't be my last.

CW: Suicide

You can find this review and others like it at A Novel Glimpse

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nimslibrary's review against another edition

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

3.5


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croquetadepapa's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

the one by taylor swift if it was a book

i persist and resist the temptation to ask you if one thing had been different, would everything be different today?

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reginacattus's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A lesson in finding hope within despair, and also embracing the many worlds theory in physics.

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courtyq11's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Kind of A Christmas Carol meets a depressed 30 year old English woman. I did find parts of it difficult to get through but I also sobbed at certain sections so overall a good book.

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craftysnailtail's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-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

I understand why this book is popular, but it just wasn't for me. The writing sometimes waxed poetic in a way that felt forced to me. I knew how it would end within the first few pages. The overall message is important, but I couldn't connect with the main character and well, this book is all about her. 

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ansuya's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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redefiningrachel's review against another edition

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

5.0


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