Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

48 reviews

orlagal's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Islamophobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War

abbypaj's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

This is one of those rare books that reminds you why books are so vital. It made me feel alive, inspired, hopeful. It is brimming with life and humanity. I found myself wanting to save something from every page. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief

Moderate: Death of parent and War

bellacolberg's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

zara89's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, and War

bedtimesnack's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

If you love the feeling of things crystalizing/clarifying in retrospect, you'll love this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide, Terminal illness, Islamophobia, Death of parent, and War

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, and Grief

jmichaelw28's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

4.5

An incredibly rich read that digs into all the corners and hidden places of being alive. Akbar's prose is beautiful and reflects his skill as a poet - so many sentences jump out. I loved the structure of the novel and it's mix of timelines and dream sequences. The plot stretched credulity, but did emphasize and magnify the themes and the main character's growth.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent

k_bridgeman's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Death of parent

dusktreader's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

I struggled with the first part because the character is miserable and you really feel it. It’s bleak. And I wasn’t sure where it was going. But it gets so good. I was glad I stuck with it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, and War

kalagrace's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Compelling and a bit too relatable. Beautifully written. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Islamophobia, Grief, and Abandonment

victoriapi909's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Wow. This was an emotional, dark, and introspective read. I definitely recommend this if you like lyrical prose. It was beautifully written and it made me tear up several times. I feel like I need to reread this at some point to grasp everything that happened. There’s a lot to analyze and reflect on in this book. I can’t stop thinking about it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, and War