verbamatic's reviews
150 reviews

Le Plongeur by Stéphane Larue

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5.0

A heartwarming, hard-to-put-down memoir of personal struggle and rough coming of age. Written in simple, easy-flowing language, Le Plongeur seduces the reader from the first page and carries the momentum all through the rest. A wonderful achievement - I'm interested in reading more by the author in the future!
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Madness in Civilization: The Cultural History of Insanity by Andrew Scull

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5.0

A jarring account of madness, as biased as it is artistic. This treatise is more of a cry for social change than a dry academic manuscript. A cynical, jabbing exposé of humanity's struggles with the unknown, which ultimately and irrevocably continued to worsen the original problem, rather than making it better - often in the interests of money, power and status, as is often the case. A wonderful read for those contemplating the human rights of the mentally ill, a dramatic and incredibly empowering offer for the mentally ill themselves. For all the shortcomings of the writing - often ranting and at times confusing prose, this deserves the 5 stars I gave it. A riveting experience.