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savvylit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this book -- but only once I got into the rhythm of the story. Dialogue is included in descriptive paragraphs without any quotes or use of "she said" or similar identifying phrases. Here's an actual example: "I go to leave, I will have to walk them back to their dorms, to monitor them as they eat dinner, as they get ready for bed. Mrs. S stays at my side. I expect you find all of this quite strange. Me? Yes. I guess it’s not what I’m used to. No, I don’t imagine that it is. She stops before the door. I do the same. Must seem a rather extraordinary way to find a boyfriend, I expect you had simpler methods? Sure, something like that. I hold back, too exhilarated by the question, it could mean nothing. Not so old-fashioned where you’re from. Maybe more than you think. Is that so?" A bit of a challenge to get used to, but once I did, it was a much smoother and more delightful read.
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Sexual content, and Homophobia
sjhonarvar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Infidelity, and Drug use
jennaz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Diversity-wise, clearly a lesbian romance, with one main character also being gender-questioning and/or masculine-presenting and/or butch. Also appreciated the depiction of a positive lgbtq+ friendship shown throughout, but no descriptions gave way of any races besides white, so a bit euro-centric. Therefore “it’s complicated” for diversity.
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol
jesshindes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The protagonist is (probably?) a butch lesbian figuring things out about her identity; not her sexuality, as such, but how she inhabits it and her body; her gender. This is lent weight by the context, full of teenage girls (the Girls, as they're referred to throughout) who are also grappling with expectations around femininity and sexuality, and by the book's two other main characters: Mrs S (ostensibly in a heterosexual relationship with her husband, probably more bound by social expectations than she might like to admit) and the Housemistress (the other gay woman on staff). I really liked the way that the narrator's friendship with the Housemistress developed; there's a mixture of admiration, solidarity, envy to their interactions and what begins as a fairly tentative camaraderie ends up being a really meaningful relationship by the time the novel comes to a close (I would argue, more meaningful than the romance). In fact when I was trying to think about what the book was ~about I think it's probably about queer solidarity as much as anything; certainly that feels like where it lands up, although it's not really how the book's been marketed.
I found Patrick's style a challenge: there are no speech marks in the novel and most of the sentences are short, almost staccato, which makes it difficult to read fluently. I was constantly being brought up and forced to re-read, trying to understand who was saying what, which parts were being thought and which spoken aloud. This lack of specificity is echoed by other choices; as you may be able to tell from my discussion above, nobody in the book has names (only titles), the Girls often merge into a singular mob, and there's no indication at any point of the time period in which the novel is taking place. (There doesn't seem to be any mobile phone use, but there is a gay bar in the nearby town - I was guessing the 90s?) By the time I got to the end I didn't mind the prose styling so much - perhaps I'd got used to it - but at the outset I felt like the book was fighting me a bit. I think it's still worth it regardless but it's probably a personal preference thing; if you don't mind taking time over something that doesn't make fluency of reading its first priority, that forces you to slow down and take your time.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Drug use, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia
bronzeageholly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, Alcohol, and Drug use
coolkarma's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia
kirstym25's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Infidelity, and Homophobia
pagesintranslation's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content
headinthepages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Abandonment, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Cursing, Death of parent, Sexual content, Drug use, Grief, Infidelity, and Medical content