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avacronin's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
This book imagines that between life and death there is a library, as it appears for Nora, that allows you the opportunity to try a life that you could have lived, if you had made a different decision in the past. It allows you to undo your regrets of a missed choice, however good or bad it could have turned out. As somebody who has been interested in The String Theory and the theory of parallel universes, I thought this book provided a interesting view on how this could appear.
The Pros
- I found this book both interesting and easy to read. The chapters are fairly short, and none of the story line was dragged out unnecessarily. Because the story was changing often with the changing of lives, it never felt boring and the book had my full attention throughout its entirety.
- Matt Haig expertly deals with the topic of regret in a way that doesn't feel forced or fake. Through Nora, he shows that life can be full of regrets, which ultimately can lead to life becoming a task, rather than something to enjoy (possible trigger warning). However, through the library, he conveys the message that not all regrets should be lingered on, as you can never accurately predict how your life will turn out.
"But it is not lives we regret not living that are the real problem. It is the regret itself."
The Cons
- The only con that springs to mind is that I wish some of the lives lasted longer. I understand that some had to be longer than others in order to avoid losing interest or becoming too repetitive, however, I would have liked for some of Nora's lives to have been able to develop more and have more of an impact.
This book is truly a pleasant read. It does feature some possibly sensitive topics, however I felt these are all dealt with in a proper way. Overall, The Midnight Library was insightful and had great impact, and has inspired many philosophical thoughts about the afterlife in my mind.
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
gaillypoo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
stephmcoakley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
ash_bees's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Reminiscent of the movie "It's A Wonderful Life," except instead of only experiencing one alternative, the protagonist experiences many. It does get a bit preachy, but so did "It's A Wonderful Life."
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
croquetadepapa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
i persist and resist the temptation to ask you if one thing had been different, would everything be different today?
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
reginacattus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Self harm, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Vomit, Stalking, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
lesliesorensen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Animal death, Mental illness, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Vomit, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
juli_khn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
redefiningrachel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer and Cursing
jessicadr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
However, the book itself is a bit cliche. I think the concept of the book is wonderful, the writing style could just be stronger.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Cancer and Car accident
Minor: Toxic relationship and Stalking