Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

50 reviews

hmatt's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

I've been meaning to read this for over a decade now, so I'm mostly very pleased with myself for getting to it. I think it earns its place as a contemporary classic - it's well-written, the pacing is great, and I liked how it was broken up by "era".

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, and Classism

Moderate: Infertility, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Grief

ginbat's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

Beautifully sad, unique. I grew to appreciate this writing style and think it would very well. This book made be feel sad and angry, and I feel like it's a better for a few things. I guess that's what makes it a "good" book. It doesn't make me feel good things, but it does make me feel things.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Medical trauma, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Child abuse, Torture, and Medical content

scytheria's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Homophobia and Infertility

mlewis's review against another edition

dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Cancer, Infertility, Infidelity, Xenophobia, and Grief

halfpastsix's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-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

4.25

Soft and brutal and quaint and tragic. Loved it. I didn't expect it to speak to my experience as a minority, but it did. 

"There are people out there [...], who don't hate you or wish you any harm, but who nevertheless shudder at the very thought of you--of how you were brought into this world and why--and who dread the idea of your hand brushing against theirs." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Medical content

Moderate: Sexual content

issyd23's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

Basically the quiet, artsy, English version of Michael Bay’s The Island. TBH I kinda prefer Bay’s version with car chases & explosions 3👩🏼‍🍼

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

cmcrockford's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Cursing, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content

Minor: Sexual content

samchase112's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

It’s hard to say how I feel about this book. After just finishing, I really feel at peace with the ending and the characters’ fates — and didn’t come close to crying, the way so many people seem to. What I’m most impressed with is the slow yet compulsive writing style, and the way the woven nature of the narrator’s memory not only mirrors real life so well, but also makes you want to keep turning the pages, even if not much substantial is going. Definitely an interesting book, and one I’m glad I read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Sexual content and Medical content

Minor: Cancer and War

stitcho's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Minor: Cancer

lilifane's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad 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

2.0

This book centers around a really interesting topic with lots of possible discussions... in the most boring and unimpactful way possible. 

I usually like literary fiction with speculative elements, but I was really bored here. I liked the school setting at the beginning, and I was intrigued by the premise (never surprised, though. I think this was all obvious and predictable) and some details and questions. But I really didn't like the characters, their toxic friendships and relationships, their boring everyday problems when there was such a huge thing looming over everything. The writing style was fitting but didn't contribute much to my enjoyment of the book, same as the bleak and depressing atmosphere. 

I'm really glad I read it, though, and I'm still interested in the author's other works. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Slavery, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Infertility and Grief