Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

The Illustrated Mum by Jacqueline Wilson

3 reviews

berodatheelf's review

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emotional sad 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

4.0

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megelizabeth's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

This was always one of my favourite Jacqueline Wilson books as a kid, and I loved rereading it now. In many ways it was even more agonising this time around, as I felt I had a much better grasp of what both the kids and Marigold would've been going through. I was surprised that in some ways it's actually pretty ahead of its time; the portrayal of mental illness is largely sympathetic, Dolphin is much more worldly than I remembered, there are mentions of abortion and suicide, and children's social services are presented fairly positively. There are unfortunately a few instances of fat-shaming, but nothing too horrific for a book published in the 90s.

The story is incredibly heartfelt and I felt completely immersed in Dolphin's world. There are a lot of tough topics covered, but in Wilson's trademark realistic, cautiously hopeful way. I did find the ending to be a little bit abrupt, but I still think this is just such a fantastic book and one that continues to be incredibly relevant and important and that I'm sure I'll go back to yet again.
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bethancy's review against another edition

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

4.0

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