Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett

10 reviews

carlytenille's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Abortion, Alcohol, Medical content, Medical trauma, Body horror, Cancer, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Grief

eliran's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Medical content, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Fatphobia, Grief, Cancer, Drug use, Blood, and Death

Minor: Abortion and Alcoholism

nordstina's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

3.75

I am continuing reading through Ann Patchett's backlog and I was particularly interested in her memoir about her friendship with Lucy Grealy, as she writes about this relationship in bits and pieces in her two essay collections. I actually found it quite helpful reading those collections beforehand, even though they were published after Truth & Beauty because I think they provide much needed context and a fuller background on Ann's life during the years of their friendship. Ann and Lucy went to undergrad together, but really became close while they were both in graduate school at Iowa (Lucy a poet, Ann a short story writer). Lucy was a fascinating person and complex. She went through so much trauma both physical and emotional growing up with her cancer journey and the many reconstructive surgeries, one wonders how those contributed to her ultimate interactions with others. She was such a magnet for others- both because of how she looked and how she drew people in through friendships. Ann does a wonderful job providing a rich portrait into their friendship, but as the book progressed, I found Ann fading more and more into the background as Lucy became more unstable. Ann's (and many of Lucy's other friends) life really revolved around Lucy and she would drop everything at the drop of a hat to be with her. It all seemed incredibly exhausting. While Lucy was surrounded by others, she sought constant validation from others while also despairing that she would never be loved. It is a lot, and while there are clear shades of this neediness when Ann and her first become friends, it becomes more and more pathologic as Lucy falls into despair. Even with the heavy subject matter, Ann is such a fabulous chronicler of relationships and I continue to adore her.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use and Addiction

cjlehr's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

5.0

One of the beet books I’ve read all year.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt and Drug use

tanya_reads's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Suicide attempt, and Alcoholism

sammantha's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

One of my favourite books of all time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Cancer, Drug use, Medical content, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, and Self harm

Minor: Car accident

lancakes's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

I'm bummed that what started out so beautifully ended so tragically. I don't know if I'd have picked up the book if I were aware Lucy Grealy passed away after many suicide attempts and addiction to heroin. Not that I find such things Wrong or Shameful - but honestly they hold a lot of fear and darkness for me. I want to watch La Bohème and Orpheus.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Vomit, Addiction, Alcohol, Cancer, Chronic illness, and Medical content

Moderate: Drug use, Death, Suicide attempt, and Self harm

Minor: Abortion

usedtotheweather's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

The story of the friendship between the tortoise and the hare/ the ant and the grasshopper. About being adjacent to someone, friendship and care

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Body horror, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

ellenorr's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

3.0

I don’t know how I feel about this book. I devoured it, but guiltily—like it was immoral to read a text that feels so exploitative. I will be thinking about it for a long while. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Abortion, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Addiction

allisonreadsdc's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

4.0

I can't tell if I like this story despite myself or not. I loved the audiobook experience, and I love portrayals of young writers and female friendship, so it was an incredible read in that regard. I thought by reading the response from Lucy's family to the book I'd dislike Ann more, but I almost feel that I'm more sympathetic to her decisions both as an artist and as a friend. The relationships we have with our blood family and chosen family are on display in the reaction from Lucy's family to this book. I think the other thing I'm sitting with is how often people with disabilities are portrayed on others' terms, not their own. So even though there may not have been a ton of explicit ableism, at least in my read as an ablebodied person, I can't help but wonder. Time for more googling to read the responses.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Ableism