Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Too Much Lip by Melissa Lucashenko

7 reviews

stanro's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative 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

5.0

This has hovered near the top of my TBR for quite a while, without me  getting it started. It’s funny. It’s serious. It’s a crime story. There’s land rights and corruption and real estate ambition and gays, both female and male. And it’s a family story. An Aboriginal family story replete with words in Bundjalung Aboriginal language. With a son and brother everyone refers to, invariably, as Black Superman. And there’s mother Pretty Mary with cousins Tall Mary and Short Mary and daughters Donna, who disappeared 19 years ago and oft-estranged Kerry, and there’s the oldest child, the immensely angry and volatile Ken. 

There are some great turns of phrase. 

Of Ken: “He hung by his fingertips onto the ragged edge of his self-control.”

Of Uncle Richard: “His brow was creased like a well-folded certificate …”

The people in the family are well drawn. Though several of them behave in ways that are reprehensible, I found sympathy for them as their motivations and histories were revealed. Late in the book I was frequently on the edge of tears, so moving was the family’s story. 

These days, I greatly appreciate finding an admirable male character, and here’s one in an unexpected place - the very sympathetically drawn wise and calm Uncle Richard. 

I join the parade in praise of this book!

#areadersjourney

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Pedophilia, and Eating disorder

anacereading's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Religious bigotry, Incest, Sexism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Racism, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Animal death, Violence, Hate crime, Colonisation, and Addiction

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Confinement, Eating disorder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Classism, and Domestic abuse

readwithchar's review

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Mental illness, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Rape, Vomit, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, and Violence

Minor: Abortion and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

seanamcphie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

3.75

not sure why she was made to be ostensibly a lesbian in the first place since it had little bearing on the story and she quickly started a relationship with a random white dude. it felt very weird to start the story off with her describing herself and being described as a dyke and a lezzo and then continuing to call herself that to other ppl when she was dating a dude? i don’t know why the author didn’t just make her straight if she wasn’t intending on actually exploring bisexuality. like it was so random. she goes out jogging one day and bumps into a hot guy she once went to school with and immediately the narrative starts cataloguing and detailing all his muscles and physical attractiveness and how much the main character wants to fuck him with no introspection at all on the narrator’s part. just very random.

this book was incredibly funny but also shocking and really pulled no punches when examining being indigenous and racism and colonisation. i found the quips and banter between characters to be engaging and was really hypnotized by the audiobook narrator’s portrayal of the characters, especially pretty mary. i think the strength of the dialogue and the pointed insights embedded in the prose helped to make the darker and more heartbreaking elements sit properly, and i came away from this book with a lot to think about. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Incest, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Cursing, Lesbophobia, Animal death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Minor: Cultural appropriation, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Cancer, Classism, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Abortion, Slavery, Terminal illness, Genocide, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Suicidal thoughts

ghostwendy's review

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Grief, Incest, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Genocide, Racism, Classism, and Police brutality

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

aseel_reads's review

emotional funny 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? Yes

4.25

for a book that deals with a lot of heavy topics (do check out the TWs), i thought it managed to deal with it in a way that was not funny but a bit more lighthearted than one would expect? i enjoyed the natural blend of traditional indigenous words in the story. just a good read overall

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Gun violence, Cancer, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Eating disorder, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Violence, Vomit, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Grief, Colonisation, Confinement, Animal death, Alcoholism, and Alcohol

starla's review

emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Blood, Eating disorder, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Medical content, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia