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sofia_fig4's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
swaye's review against another edition
4.0
Extremely well-researched. Hidden Valley Road reads like fiction even though it's a horrifying, heartbreaking true story.
trin's review against another edition
3.0
A brutal and heartbreaking story, mostly vividly presented, though it gets way bogged down at the end -- it felt like Kolker couldn't figure out where to close the narrative, because life rarely provides a neat little bow. The frustrations of a lack of resolution on the medical side -- congrats to Pfizer for once again swooping in to be the Big Bad! WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT a pharmaceutical giant might be evil? -- is especially felt.
As a general note/warning: I did come into this expecting and prepared for trauma, but there is a truly horrific amount of child sexual assault that I wasn't prepared for. It's handled as sensitively as it can be, but still, be aware. I had to read this slowly, in small pieces, because that was the only way I could manage it.
As a general note/warning: I did come into this expecting and prepared for trauma, but there is a truly horrific amount of child sexual assault that I wasn't prepared for. It's handled as sensitively as it can be, but still, be aware. I had to read this slowly, in small pieces, because that was the only way I could manage it.
mhverney's review against another edition
5.0
This is an extraordinary book, the story of the Galvin family in Colorado from the 1950s until today, a family of twelve children of which six end up diagnosed with schizophrenia. It is an astonishingly balanced take on what we know and dont know about the disease - syndrome, condition, spectrum? - as well as the story of a family. I listened to it on Audio and the narration is superb. I went through it as if it were a thriller except that I feel now like I have learnt so much I did not know about mental illness. Brilliant.
1jessml's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
4.0
greta_macionyte's review against another edition
4.0
An enthralling glimpse into the history of mental illnesses (schizophrenia mainly) through the lens of one family. Fascinating and heartbreaking