Welcome to Litsy!

This book follows the crazy life of Martha who seems to know what she wants and intentionally(and sometimes unintentionally ) destroys it and hopes things were not how they turned out. This follows her mental illness but doesn‘t make us feel too sympathetic(not in a bad way) but shows the reality from close quarters.

Navigating a mental health condition but was well written and funny

💖💖💖

Thank you so much @Caroline2 ! I‘ve seen such amazing reviews of this from so many people (and yet I really know nothing about it)!

I can‘t wait 😁. Thank you 😘

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love, love, LOVE this book! It is deep, impactful, and brilliantly thought provoking, with flashes of humor (yes, at times made me chuckle). And as the title states, there is sorrow and and there is bliss. It follows Martha, with debilitating mental health issues, as she goes through life and focuses on how the mental health issues affect both her and those around her. You must read the whole thing to truly understand it‘s brilliance.

This book packed a real punch for me. It is one of the most authentic stories about mental illness I‘ve read, I think. I alternated between laughing and crying throughout and couldn‘t put it down. It resonated with me in so many ways, and I‘m grateful to Meg Mason for writing it.

This one is a hard one to review. On the one hand, there are so many instances of cringeworthy situations & people that it‘s like reading/listening to things well beyond anyone‘s control. And yet, isn‘t that the point? Martha tells her story, and it becomes clear quite quickly that she is an unreliable narrator. But, it is also apparent that she lives with a mental illness (the author‘s note states her illness does not have a specific IRL name)⬇️

Negronis chasing me around, book after book. (See previous post)

I almost bailed, but I like the audiobook narrator—Emilia Fox—& I told myself this is shortlisted for the Women‘s Prize so stick with it longer & then I was stung twice by a yellowjacket & so I took a Benadryl & fell asleep listening at about 4 hours in & then my phone battery died while I slept & I decided to proceed with the final 4 hours instead of going back to the 3-hour segment I‘d missed & I loved it! (Feel free to skim the middle third.)

She asked me what I did and I told her I created content so that people could consume it.

I told her the only piece I could remember exactly was a bronze fertility sculpture that was in the hallway for a while, directly inside the front door, and only because its phallus was so pronounced that, as she said at the time, when it inadvertently got turned ninety degrees it was like a fucking boom gate. Ingrid said she remembered it as well.
'I started hanging my PE bag on it.'

I posted a review of this book yesterday & then took it down, because sometimes I feel a bit anxious about having such strong negative feelings about a book that people loved…especially a book that is supposed to be about mental illness. But I HATED this book, & I didn‘t think that it was a realistic portrayal of mental illness. I‘m reposting here because I am curious whether other Litsy readers had a similar reaction.

OH MY GOD someone please get these girls out of that school immediately, they're going to be getting a boring clueless narcissist to give them advice on something that could affect their lives. Also really? Is it that easy to get jobs in England?? Incredible.

😂😂😂This is so completely untrue about Martha. She doesn't fight for anything, she doesn't bother to listen to anyone, she's selfish and condescending and patronising and utterly boring. This is all tell and not show, something female writers of the last 5 years love doing.She has literally no friends,so she's definitely not the life and soul of the party

WHAT??? Where did this even COME from?Have authors forgotten that character development is an integral part of writing?This facet of this completely banal protagonist is not developed AT AlL throughout the book,and is now suddenly dropped on the reader.Till now,she has shown no sympathy to her(bafflingly)constantly pregnant sister,never helps her with her children,shows absolutely no interest in anyone else-none of which indicates(1/2)

Slightly confused. A doctor literally gave her the right diagnosis when she was 18, only for it to be dismissed by her mother. A doctor has given her the right diagnosis again. Other doctors, who are not psychiatrists or mental health experts are now to be castigated for not diagnosing her correctly?? How did not a single editor find this completely ridiculous?

Find me a more patronising, condescending sentence that thinks it's profound. Confusing narcissism with profundity and depth is ironically enough, one of the most shallow ways to write.

Really? Swipes at In Our Time now? I've listened to more than 50 episodes and to dismiss this always thoughtful, well researched radio show just for a bit of virtue signalling, when the narrator herself absolutely never listens to anyone or cares about anyone else's opinions, is such bad, again, banal (clearly a word I'm going to over use while talking about this book)writing.

How edgy. How subversive. How completely juvenile and more fitting for a 16 year old to say to her parents than a woman who's over 30.🙄🙄

I am in complete awe of a woman who is so entitled, clueless, ignorant of history and completely un-self aware, that she can toss out an adjective like "Stasi-like" so casually, completely oblivious to the very real historical connotations.Its not cheeky Brit humour.Its just sheer banality.

What?? Why?? Literal DESPAIR from a hotel restaurant?? Seriously? What are these sentences? Is this book a joke being played on the reader? I am being driven into a state of existential despair when I contemplate the state of book publishing that sentences like this make it through editors.

One of the most historical, artistic places in the world, and this is all Meg Mason has to say about it. After page after page of railing against banal tourists. Is there something completely wrong with book critics and the literary establishment that they're willing to reward this drivel? Am I secretly a masochist that I'm willing to plough on with this drivel?

One more gibe at tourists. What have they done to Meg Mason, herself a non-Londoner from New Zealand, I wonder. Also if tourists are so completely awful for the city, I wonder why London is so actively courting them ,post covid.

Wow. No sign of the protagonist showing the slightest interest in literature or reading, but of course she must condescend to paying customers. Why not. Also is it this easy to get a visa and stay in Paris for 4 years if one is a white British person? Wow. Nice work if you can get it. Presumably Brexit will make things harder. One can only hope.

Is this book meant to be a fairytale??? Whom do things like this happen to? You're depressed and your boss gives you his flat in Paris to stay in? The more I read this book, the more shocked I am by it's utter mediocrity and unself-awareness and the rave reviews.

I‘m so very sad to learn that @ReadingEnvy has died. If you have not listened to her podcast before I want to share it again here- it‘s a GREAT podcast, and always felt like I was part of the conversation as a listener. In addition @Centique has created an event to in memorial of Jenny. Choosing from her book recommendations will be challenging- or a Re listen to her older episodes May be in order. For those close to her I am so sorry ❤️‍🩹

A singular portrait of Martha, a woman struggling to live through mental illness, and the effect on those who love her. Her acerbic wit brings a layer of humour, which lightens the frustration, anger, and heartbreak just enough to be tolerable but never not uncomfortable (please note that I mean that as a huge compliment, it is never meant to be a comfortable story). The portrayal of Martha's loved ones is beautifully rendered 👇

Enjoying this book event. #WomensPrize #Shortlist

One of the best books I‘ve read this year. Sad, honest, funny, awkward—it dives into mental illness and relationships in refreshing ways. It kept me up reading waaay past my bedtime but worth it!

For anyone who was a fan of the #ReadingEnvy podcast and hasn't already heard, I'm sorry to report that Jenny Colvin recently passed away unexpectedly. If you knew her and listened to her show, then you already know how amazing of a human being Jenny was: there is a memorial wall on Goodreads that I have linked in the comments if you'd like to share your memories. If you haven't yet, I'd strongly recommend you try her show, also linked below:

I loved Nicholas. He felt like my brother, and never asked why I was twenty-six and jobless and living with my parents and why I only owned one outfit. When I volunteered it, he said, 'I wish marrying a total fuckwit was the worst life-choice I'd ever made.'

"I couldn't last through an entire lecture. I missed whole days and then whole weeks...Towards the end of the term the dean put me on academic probation. He gave me a pamphlet on stress management and told me that I would need to make a good show in my exams if I decided to come back in January. ... Seeing me out of his office he said, 'There's one of you in every cohort,' and wished me a Merry Christmas."

Wow. Helpful...

A wonderful title for a book that really is full of sorrow and moments of bliss. Martha, a woman nearing 40 has lived her entire life with an unnamed, undiagnosed mental illness that not only effects her life but everyone in her life..from her parents, sister, lovers, husband, aunt, uncle , cousins & acquaintances. I laughed out loud several times as Martha is sharp, witty, insightful, self aware & snarky. But there‘s a lot of pain too. 👇🏼

The cover belies what is inside. This is a story of a woman with an unnamed mental illness and mis-diagnosis, the impact it has on the protagonist‘s life and those around her. While it doesn‘t shy away from the darker moments, it also doesn‘t indulge in prurience and there are also genuine moments of humour. Thoughtful.

Thought I‘d read another from the #WomansPrizeForFiction22 #Shortlist
I‘ve heard lots of good things

... parties were our mother's chief contribution to our domestic life... They overflowed the house, bled from Friday nights into Sunday mornings, and were populated by what our mother described as West London's artistic elite, though the only credential for getting in seemed to be a vague association with the arts, a tolerance for marijuana smoke and/or possession of a musical instrument.

"...No marriage makes sense. Especially not to the outside world. A marriage is its own world." This is said to the narrator by her mother fairly deep into the book, but if you replace "marriage" with "person" it might better encapsulate the novel. ↘️

There‘s been so much fuss about this one that I nearly did that annoying thing I do of avoiding it completely only later to realise I missed out. Anyway, I read it. I went in sceptical; came out in love. Near perfection in the writing and the portrayal of such beautiful relationships against the background of mental illness. And I cried on the tram through the whole Peregrine section.

Not actually started reading this yet, but it's had a good hike around the coast.

A very good month for me, quantity and quality! Top two were my favs. #AprilWrapUp

Going through a deep bout of insomnia while reading this which is sort of perfect. I cried a bit at the end which I am unsure if it was the book being great or me being exhausted. Either way I think that the mental illness (unnamed) described was so real and accurate it made Martha incredibly real also.
Great, sad story and such a good Women Fiction Prize Long List choice.

A rare book: a realistic yet funny will they won‘t they romance about a couple whose been married for a long time. Lots of focus on mental health and motherhood. Think Sally Rooney by way of This is 40. I really loved it.

Of the nine #womensprize longlisted titles I‘ve read, these six are the ones I‘d be pleased to see on the shortlist tomorrow. Sorrow & Bliss is still my best of the bunch, but I‘m glad I read all of these.

The other three—The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, Great Circle and The Paper Palace—have all found new homes with readers who might appreciate them more than I did.

Birthday book extravaganza from my #litsypenpal guys! Wow! I can‘t get over it. She makes getting older so much better. There‘s a bookshop puzzle in the back that‘s hard to see. Also a beautiful journal, the cutest little animals you put on your plants, a female writers mug, and a Jane Austen bookmark and card. Plus four books that are on point. I love it all! I feel extremely blessed and grateful! @Litlady I can‘t thank you enough!!! Thank you!!

A tough read, but well worth it. There are some uncomfortable questions asked about mental illness and its effect on the the sufferer‘s loved ones. It isn‘t all sorrow though, as troubled as she is, Martha is genuinely funny. I‘m so glad the Women‘s Prize put this one on my radar.

Novel about mental illness and love. Also about forgiving your own cruelty. So glad it eneded the way it did. I would be happy if this was in the short list for The Womens Prize. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks
I finally read the book spin book in the right month!

Very, very good. Mason writes about living with mental illness in such a smart and thoughtful way. Great characters and so funny! I laughed and I cried. My fifth (and favorite so far) from the #womensprize longlist.

This book surprised me.

Martha is married to Patrick. She has a sister and her parents. She also has what the doctors have told her is depression.

From the very first paged I was pulled into Martha‘s story and felt everything she felt. All the ups and mostly downs.

This book had me crying more than once.

I liked that after all the sadness, it ended on a hopeful note.

This accessible thought provoking account of a woman‘s life and experience of mental illness is uplifting as well as insightful. Absorbing funny and very sad. Surely it will be shortlisted for the women‘s prize

Sorrow and Bliss is a very moving exploration of one woman‘s experience of mental illness. Among small moments of comedy, this novel is much more sorrowful than blissful. A bleak, gritty, and authentic exploration of the weight of mental health issues both for those who experience them, and the people in their lives. In spite of how many dreams are left unrealised and how much is lost, somehow Mason still manages to make this a hopeful novel.