Reviews tagging 'Grief'

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

47 reviews

anditsreal's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Loved it. I was hoping for a different ending, but it would have been too simple.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, War, and Injury/Injury detail

spec_tacles's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.5

I know that I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time. The themes explored here are ones that I’m personally invested in, and it feels like the quintessential story about time. I do feel there could have been very slight improvements to Ruth’s sections and to the end to enhance my investment in her character, but they would be minor changes. Overall, I think this book is really something special. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Grief, Suicide attempt, War, and Injury/Injury detail

ghilimei's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Vomit, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and War

jesus_wept's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Medical content, Sexual harassment, and Classism

juliatsang's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, and War

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Abandonment

aposthuma's review against another edition

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

3.5

This book left me with a LOT of thoughts. I think I'm rating it 3.5 stars. I didn't care much about Ruth's POV and thought it was pretty slow, but Nao's parts were incredibly thought-provoking, bringing up themes like time, mortality, and permanence. Fair warning, this book is DARK. Far darker than i went in expecting

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

veronica0mcdougall's review against another edition

dark inspiring mysterious reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

rainbowesque's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.75

It didn't reach 5 star for me only because the ending eluded me. I couldn't fully understand exactly where the author wanted to go. I was kind of feeling more- more of what? I don't know. Otherwise, the book made me feel a lot of feelings. Althoug  it took me one month to read, I never felt bored or on the days when I didn't touch the book, I hadn't felt like I forgot the story. It was rare for me. There is indeed some kind of 'urgency' (in Ruth's words) in the book that makes a reader keep wanting to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, and Grief

recorderkfk's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Stretch book/ growth edge book for me - but a different mode of storytelling - 2 narratives 1) first person Japanese teenager who grew up in California. 2) third person limited omnipresent narrator of Ruth an author who lives with her husband on an island off of Washington. 

The book grows on you the more you read of it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Suicide attempt, and War

Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, and Xenophobia

Minor: Miscarriage, Self harm, Grief, Stalking, and Death of parent

valjeanval's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-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

One of the best books I've read in a long time. Theres's not one moment (or fingersnap of 65 moments) that hasn't been carefully thought through to create this beautiful exploration of time, entanglement, and a life (or a death) with meaning. The research that went into this book must have been incredible. Everything from the daily life of a Japanese high school student in Tokyo to neighborly mechanisms that keep a British Columbian island functionings to the realities of life as a WWII kamikaze pilot and the magical realism that is quantum mechanics. I care deeply for the characters. I feel like I've lived in the setting, and I savored the prose. I don't know what else you could ask for in a novel. It's my first Ruth Ozeki book, but definitely not my last.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and War

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent