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theelliad's Reviews (291)
This theory is super interesting and applicable but GOD it is written in a boring way, also changes language and point way to much my brain hurts!
If Nietzsche has no fans I am dead… tell me why this critical book was actually so interesting and had genuinely profound takes on the nature of beauty and art in humanity. Will likely be thinking about these ideas for the next 5-10 business days heheh
I really enjoyed the vibes of this, lots of imagery of the sublime throughout and I genuinely enjoyed the court/confessional framing elements! Dragged a bit towards the end but none the less good!
This book is incredible! The use of intertextuality and mixed media really brings the story to life and leaves you questioning everything all the time- i think the presentation of it as fact is also so clever and I found myself googling references to understand what was true and what was invented! The prose is equally beautifully written and there id something of both Evelyn Hugo and In Cold Blood about this! The overarching commentary on the fictionalisation, romanticisation and even sexualisation of true crime is a powerful message, at times you are completely uncomfortable with it while also remaining introspective of your own position as reader of this text!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
This book broke my heart into a thousand pieces while I sat laughing the entire time. It’s so interesting reading books like this as someone whose the daughter of a nurse and almost wanted to be a doctor. Adam Kay presents the horrors of being an overworked and underappreciated NHS doctor and all the mental health, relationship and physical fallout which comes from it. I especially enjoyed the included letter to the Secretary of state for health and the intermittent essays.
Despite giving this (almost) 5* I am far from blind to its shortcomings, Kay at times comes across as demeaning, disrespectful and discriminatory, especially to those below him (nurses, midwives etc.) and those with different beliefs from himself. The humour is DARK serious medical concerns and death are often the butt of the joke- If you read this book seriously you will find it rude, it’s satire and it’s perfect for me
Despite giving this (almost) 5* I am far from blind to its shortcomings, Kay at times comes across as demeaning, disrespectful and discriminatory, especially to those below him (nurses, midwives etc.) and those with different beliefs from himself. The humour is DARK serious medical concerns and death are often the butt of the joke- If you read this book seriously you will find it rude, it’s satire and it’s perfect for me
Mixed feelings about this one; both the story and the narration were a lot of fun, telling often ignored stories of HIV+ in recent years and focusing especially on the continued stigmatisation and discrimination which comes with it. The characters were loveable even if at times they made dumb choices, they were chronically human one could say… That said I feel like at times the plot was bent to fit the non-fiction research the author had done, parts of the flow were interrupted with assertions of figures which makes sense in the context of the final essay (in which we learn the reasoning behind the novel) but still take away from the story. Also I ironically didn’t like the tied up with a bow ending, so much complexity was developed that I would have liked to see not be erased for the sake of the main relationship succeeding. Though I did love the emphasis on found family, it was nice to see such a celebration on that front!
This was a very enjoyable, absurd and chaotic book! Literally obsessed with how Gregor was like oh shit I’m a beetle oh well let me go back to sleep. I wasn’t a fan of the lack of ending though, or if the way Greta was continually sexualised (especially at the end)
My least favourite of the series so far, it is true that map of days was plenty of a resolution and I’m less of a fan of the story this one sets up. Equally, while I have never been a fan of Jacob and Emma, giving him a new love interest felt very forced. Jacob continues his streak of being AN IDIOT in this book but equally it’s got the drama that I love and we get some rather iconic moments!
I love this interfering little bitch with so much of my heart! Emma is the Austen book which feels the most like home to me and I will forever love it for that reason alone. That said, I have read better books since the first time I read it, and haven’t yet rated it on here, so it isn’t quite hitting the 5* mark!
