Scan barcode
todrick_the_tree's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Vomit, Medical content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Confinement, and Suicide
swinevenus's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Cancer, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
carmentxx's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
khartke's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Classism
Moderate: Chronic illness, Racism, and Abandonment
Minor: Rape and Abortion
afields92's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent
melusinedln's review against another edition
- 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 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.
Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Misogyny, and Violence
melitorian's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Vomit
nefarious_rat's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Forced institutionalization and Abortion
features 9/11. towards the end. no terrorism tag but thought that would be relevant as a warningholasisoymaca's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Mi año de descanso y relajación trata sobre una mujer, la narradora, que está tan deprimida que tiene como objetivo hibernar un año entero con pastillas, con la esperanza de "despertar" de aquel mal sueño siendo otra persona, una que pueda entender el sentido de la vida y apreciarlo.
La verdad es que odié este libro. Inevitablemente me recuerda mucho a Esther Greenwood de "La campana de cristal": una mujer blanca deprimida que es asquerosamente cruel con los demás y es consciente de ello. Sin embargo, creo que Esther Greenwood como personaje me parece mucho más interesante al estar basado en la propia historia de Sylvia Plath.
En Mi año de descanso y relajación la cosa es completamente diferente: la narradora me parece un personaje problemático y plano, no sólo por hacer que su personalidad sea ser cruel, sino también porque realmente no sabemos mucho de ella y sus gustos. Habla de su historia personal con tanta frialdad y superficialidad que resulta muy difícil rescatar algún gesto de humanidad de su parte. Los personajes secundarios me parecieron más interesantes que ella: Reva, Trevor, o incluso la Doctora Tuttle tenían personalidades mucho más marcadas que ella.
Incluso la historia es bastante plana también. Se repite una y otra vez la misma secuencia: la narradora es cruel, mientras suma pastillas a su "hibernación". Los momentos que me llamaron la atención son sus recuerdos, cuando habla sobre sus padres, sus estudios, su viejo trabajo o incluso de su relación con Reva.
Tampoco puedo decir que todo haya sido malo. La autora logra mostrar una faceta de la depresión bastante cruel (y real también, vamos a decirlo) y la forma en que la vida de las personas puede cambiar. Al mismo tiempo, me gusta la construcción que hizo de la relación que tiene la narradora con sus padres, pues así podemos entender sus traumas y, un poco, el por qué de sus actitudes y decisiones. Si bien por momentos lo cuenta con mucha frialdad, por otros momentos parece ser que los sentimientos cargados en esos recuerdos son lo único que humaniza un poco a la protagonista.
Por otro lado, leí el libro bastante rápido. La pluma es ligera, y te da una perspectiva de Nueva York en sí bastante estrafalaria e interesante, con sus personajes y la escena artística.
Pero quitando eso, no puedo rescatar más nada.
Me molesta que se haya romantizado tanto este libro bajo la categoría de "sad girl book" (tampoco lo entiendo, sorry not sorry) donde la personalidad de la narradora (una mujer blanca, adinerada y privilegiada) se basa en compararse constantemente con los demás para resaltarse a sí misma y a su propia depresión; al tiempo que utiliza a las personas que están a su alrededor en su búsqueda del sentido de la vida, sobre todo a su mejor amiga, a quien constantemente le adjudica características del estereotipo de "chica judía" para resaltar su propia belleza, sus propias preocupaciones, sus propios problemas.
Quizás todo lo que estoy criticando era la excepcionalidad del libro.
Supongo que no logré captarlo. De todas formas, la experiencia de leer algo de lo que habla todo el mundo es interesante para poder entender (y profundizar) los debates en torno a estos libros problemáticos.
Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical content
xoxojordanisabella's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Gaslighting, and Classism
Minor: Cancer, Medical content, Abortion, and Pregnancy