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curleytwin2's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
kmg365's review against another edition
3.0
The first chapter made me wonder who this horrid woman was, and why she hated her mother so much that she felt the need to torture her on her deathbed.
Then the rest of the book explained exactly that, and I rather regretted wanting to know.
Having finished the book feels rewarding, and I see why some consider it a modern classic. The process of reading it, however, was no fun at all, and it was only because it was a book club book that I stuck it out.
I felt so sorry for the wretched Aroon. That is, I felt sorry for her when I wasn’t angry with her for being so naïve, so clueless, so inert. I wanted her to have one genuinely happy day wherein the happiness was not due to self-delusion.
The comedy here is so black as to have been invisible to me. I can see why others find elements of it funny, but I found myself wanting to rescue everyone from the book, sneaking in under cover of night to shepherd the entire cast of characters out a back door of Temple Alice and into a nice P.G. Wodehouse novel.
ormoluu's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
5.0
novel_eile's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
josefonee's review against another edition
funny
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.0
carolynf's review against another edition
3.0
The main focus of this book seems to be how horrible people can act to each other while still acting within the bounds of "good behavior." The tenets of good behavior are to avoid excesses of emotion, keep up appearances as much as possible, and to not appear bothered about anything. The main character is sweet but a bit clueless throughout, except for in the first chapter when she starts looking back on her life. There isn't much of a story arc and the situations that she gets into are painfully awkward. The main pull of the book is trying to figure out what people are thinking, which they never come right out and say but can be guessed pretty well from what they do say.
emmavardy2's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
3.75