Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue

81 reviews

rachbreads's review against another edition

2.5

 

I’ve read two other books by Emma Donoghue - Room (my rating: 4/5) and The Wonder (my rating: 5/5). The Pull of the Stars (my rating: 2.5/5) is similar to The Wonder - set in historical Ireland, elements of religious/societal oppression, nurses, a single, small setting for most of the action. What The Wonder had that TPotS lacked is this delicious slow burn tension - there’s a big mystery at the heart of TW that the nurse is trying to figure out, and we as readers realllly want to know what’s happening which keeps you so engaged. Plus there are very few characters so you get really connected to them over the course of the book, as opposed to the revolving door of patients and doctors in TPotS where no one stayed around long enough for me to care about them. 

 

What I liked about TPotS was also what I loved about The Wonder - she intentionally keeps the setting very small it almost feels claustrophobic. So we felt stuck in this tiny fever ward with Julia the same way in TW we felt stuck in this tiny bedroom with the nurse Lib. I will say overall that I was rooting for Julia - she really was trying her best and I wanted her to succeed.

I guess that’s why the ending let me down because Donoghue gave her a hint of happiness with Bridie and then took it away. I guess we could infer that she will be happy making a family with her brother and the baby but it still felt like a letdown. And I feel like we had no indication at all throughout the rest of the book that she would ever do anything like quit her job and take home a baby…

 

Other thoughts - why was Kathleen there? She felt unnecessary as a character other than to give us proof that there was also political unrest happening at the same time as the pandemic. It was interesting to read about the medical beliefs and procedures of the time with regards to pregnancy/maternity as well as the flu and compare them to present day practices - I’m sure she did a lot of research. 

 

Overall, not a terrible book, and it had some interesting moments, but it probably won’t stick with me. I feel like mostly what I’m taking away is an increased horror of childbirth 😂 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic

ilikenaps's review against another edition

sad slow-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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

epen's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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

Wow I loved this book, I can’t remember the last time I ripped through one so quickly. I just could not put it down. The characters were interesting and developed beautifully, the setting was intense and claustrophobic and immersive, the story was gripping and heartbreaking and beautiful. I just loved it and I want to read everything Emma Donoghue has ever written!!  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, and War

midwesternviolet's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

amber2020's review against another edition

emotional informative tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, and Medical trauma

3437138484's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy

Moderate: War

Minor: Child abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicide

aliterarygoodtime's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Classism

jaynecm's review against another edition

4.0

Set in Dublin during the 1918 flu epidemic, the story is told over three days in the quarantined maternity ward by Nurse Power who is unexpectedly left in charge of the ward. With cases skyrocketing and staff and resources dwindling, Nurse Power must do what she can to care for her patients.
If you do not care for detailed medical descriptions of all kinds - births, autopsies, flu, deaths - it would be best to avoid this book as the author conceals nothing. The workings of the ward are laid bare for the reader to absorb in all its horror but also all its compassion. 
A riveting, heart breaking story, told in a no nonsense manner which makes it all the more heartrending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content and Medical trauma

katiewhocanread's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Child death

ginabyeg's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book will definitely give you a taste of nursing in the early 1900’s. Story is fast-paced, engaging from the start, told from the perspective of a still-single nurse in the maternity ward during the 1918-pandemic. Some parts get rather graphic. There are themes of life/death, trauma, and religion. While the book was published in 2020, the author had finished it before that time. I find this makes the character’s insights in the book even more powerful, somehow, and the parallels between then and now extra startling.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic