Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

15 reviews

nichelmi3's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

3.5

I'd heard lots of good things about this book from other friends who've read this. I've been on a multi-narrative reading kick as well. It was a well-written book but I wasn't super impressed. I assumed there would be more of a wrap up with the characters, and instead it just left me feeling more-ish. It was, at least to me, an unsatisfying ending. I do think that if the book had focused more on the two European characters rather than adding the American one and keeping here a separate book would have made the book more impactful and interesting. Her narrative just took you out of focus. It wasn't a bad book, nor was it badly written, and I'd still recommend it, but it just wasn't fully my taste/style. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Physical abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Cancer and Infertility

kelly_jeanne's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail

emeister3's review against another edition

dark informative inspiring sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

If you watched “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” and you still want to cry over true-story-inspired WWII trauma, then this book is for you. I can’t say that it’s for me, per se - it was my book club’s pick this month. I can say the following:

The second half of the book is much better than the first. The first 50% of the book alternates between 3 different female POVs and, as a result, I kept pinging between 3 different feelings - boredom, sadness, and shock. It had me feeling so downtrodden that I didn’t want to finish it. However…these atrocities are a part of history. They happened to real humans and, tragically, were committed by real humans. And their stories deserve to be heard, then to never happen again. As Norman Cousins wrote, “…what is told here is not a glimpse into the bowels of an imaginary hell but part of our world.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

ariparip's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad 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? Yes

3.0

There were unnecessary romantic subplot(s). I understand why the author wanted to use this device for one character (and she explained it in the author's note) but not the other; certain details felt like they detracted from the story and made a character less likable/relatable. In one instance it felt disrespectful.

Having Caroline throw a months-long tantrum after her lover's presumed-dead Jewish wife showed up on the doorstep (of their marital home!) left a sour taste in my mouth. Would that be emotionally complex? Of course! But it was already difficult to relate to a socialite. 

Even worse was having the Nazi doctor and a Polish prisoner have an implied queer moment, though I assume it was supposed to be one-sided. It just felt really disrespectful and as a queer Jewish reader with Polish ancestors that died in the Shoah it didn't sit right with me. 

The weird anti-communism shoehorned in towards the end was also bizarre, especially considering how much of the Polish resistance was comprised of socialists and communists. Other than aaaall that lol the book was well-researched, with vivid descriptions and characters that were properly fleshed out rather than just copied from historical texts.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer, Infertility, Rape, Torture, and Pandemic/Epidemic

meg_elyse's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring 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: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Deportation

Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Colonisation

karingforbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Not the most memorable concentration camp book I’ve read. I haven’t read about Ravensbruck so that was interesting and horrifying. But I didn’t connect with the characters meaningfully or find the plot particularly compelling. I think the pacing was a bit off and it was a broad story arc. Without the narrowed in pieces that make it more compelling. But it was fine overall

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

saliwali's review

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Moderate: Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

mnatale100's review against another edition

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Infidelity, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Death, Gore, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Antisemitism, and Murder

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Genocide, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and War

bethsbooketlist's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 - I needed a book to get me out this slump I have found myself in, and boy WHAT A BOOK! Devoured in 48 hours, I was hooked by this historical fiction epic circling around three women and their experiences of WW2 - two of them real people. Their stories could not be more different, and I was especially interested in the perspective of Herta Oberheuser, camp doctor of Ravensbrück. I have heard stories from many survivors but not from the other side, and her perspective just fascinated me in how she could show such plausible deniability. The writing was emotional and raw, and sucked me in completely from page one. The plot flicking between New York, Lublin and Ravensbrück kept you on your toes and added variety - I was intrigued how these stories would eventually connect but it was done incredibly well. Overall, I adored this book that's been on my TBR for so long, and I can't wait to read more from Kelly

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, and War

Moderate: Cancer

maddiet425's review against another edition

dark hopeful informative reflective 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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Cancer and Sexual harassment