Reviews - The Virgin Suicides

14.9k reviews for:

The Virgin Suicides

Jeffrey Eugenides

3.71 AVERAGE

sycamoresummer's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

lydtonk's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

(Book)
Dreamy, reflective- balancing deeply intimate and impersonal on a knife’s edge. The descriptions of suburban environments and teenage experiences are uncanny in their familiarity. A self-aware book of men thinking and writing about women and grappling with the complexity of aging and change.

moles35's review against another edition

4.0

To me, this book really captures how harrowing suicide is for everybody in proximity to the individual. The desolation of the house, lack of self care displayed by Mr and Mrs Lisbon, the absolute sense of loss felt by the boys narrating. Without laying on heavy the emotive language, you can still taste the grief and misery felt by the sisters. Their clear bond and the way they did come to life in my mind was something I really enjoyed whilst reading this. It also makes you reflect upon our society, how much the media has a fascination for celebrity deaths and uses them to churn out articles. The boys fascination with the girls bordered on creepy, they almost saw the girls as guinea pigs, building them up in their imaginations to create versions of them that didn't even really exist. If only instead of speculation and gossiping the boys and neighbourhood had tried to help, tried to intervene.