Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

5 reviews

hdnadya's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Chronic illness, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Abandonment

briarborealisart's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I first read this book when I was young, which makes sense, because it's a children's book, and it had a profound effect on me. I reread it as an adult and cried slightly less than I cried as a child. It's phenomenally written, and I don't think it's just nostalgia that makes me say it was just as impactful as an adult as it was when I was a child.

The journey Edward Tulane went on is one most of us go through: self discovery, loss, love, grief. It's an excellent way to introduce the wonders and the troubles of human connection to young people. I highly recommend everyone read this book at some point.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Child death, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, Death, Domestic abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

While the book handles many heavy topics, it does so in an age-appropriate, touching, and tasteful way.

sassmistress's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

Wow. I'd heard good things about this book, but I was not expecting this. It's absolutely beautiful, and I definitely need to buy a copy for my personal library to treasure for years to come. That said, it is also unexpectedly heavy. I went from the first few chapters going "NEXT READALOUD YES" to "ooof, might have to wait a few years". While the overall message is one of hope and love, this book is not for sensitive children or anyone who hates sad books. There are some visceral descriptions of feelings of grief, loss, and heart-hardening. It's very emotional, and you're probably going to cry once or twice while reading it to your kids. There's a happy, hopeful ending, bringing fullness of relief. If you're familiar with the term "eucatastrophe", this book fully embodies the term. 

Also, it gives major Velveteen Rabbit vibes, if you love that book. 

It would be hard to find good stopping points for a bedtime read, because the middle is full of so much sad and melancholy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Child death

Minor: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts

- Edward (the china rabbit) is lost and scared several times, once at the bottom of the ocean and once buried in the dump. He loses hope several times, or walls off his heart because loving and losing hurts too much.

- A fairy tale is told in which a witch turns a princess into a hog. The woman to told the story is likened to the witch.

- He is renamed with each new owner, once called Susanna and put in a dress. He's moderately offended, but compared to being lost at the bottom of the ocean, wearing a dress isn't so bad.

- An absent, alcoholic father is shown berating his children and slaps a young boy. He shattered the last doll in anger and says the very sick girl doesn't need one because "she don't need nothing because she ain't gonna live". Obviously misplaced grief--their mother "used to" X, so reading between the lines we assume she died.

SPOILERS:

- The girl sickens over months, begins coughing up blood, and one day stops breathing. The family cries, the father buries her alone when the brother isn't ready, and the brother runs away.

- The rabbit is thrown to the ground and his head is broken into 16 pieces. There's 4 pages of dream sequence where he meets all the people he's loved and lost. He wants to see the girl who died, but they tell him he has to go outside to see her. They point to a constellation. He wishes he had wings to fly to her, then notices his wings and takes off. The others catch him and say he can't go yet. "Stay with us." He wakes up to see a doll mender who fixed him.

- Another doll tells Edward that "someone always comes," and spurs him to hope. However, briefly in that conversation, she tells him he might as well throw himself off the shelf if he's given up, and asks if he wants to be pushed. She's showing him how ridiculous he's being, but still.

- "I am done with loving. It is too painful."
"Don't let yourself believe it. But it was too late. *Someone will come for you.* The china rabbit's great had begun, again, to open."

kshertz's review against another edition

adventurous emotional fast-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

This is such a cute little kids story. It was really nice to see all of the things that the rabbit goes through and still loves and is loved by so many different people. It was surprisingly emotional for such a short cute kids story. Highly recommend as a quick read.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Chronic illness, Abandonment, and Grief

mandi4886's review

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Violence, Abandonment, Classism, Grief, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Death of parent