Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Junk by Melvin Burgess

5 reviews

nalakoala's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Challenging but beautiful.

Explores the lives of drug addicted youth in Bristol in the 80s. 
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questingnotcoasting's review against another edition

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dark sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I would never have read this if it wasn't a book club pick and while it's not really my kind of book, I am glad read it. It's a bleak read and the characters are extremely frustrating but I did like the writing and the effective use of multiple POVs. Melvin Burgess is an author I never read as a teenager but somehow the style felt familiar to me, maybe because I read other 1990s YA.  
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maireada21's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • 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

3.75

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hannahwillacy's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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blakeney_clark's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

4.5

One of the most real feeling books I've ever read. Not even in the subject matter so much as the characters who are complicated and flawed and easy to hate yet impossible not to root for. Everything about this book was unexpected and hard hitting, and there was something so refreshing in its utter refusal to shy away from difficult subjects and show them as they are, rather than in the neat recovery arcs with a side serving of moral didacticism. The characters and their journeys speak for themselves, ultimately exploring the way, no matter how hard we try, we fail to be different from our parents. A tough read but a good one.
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