Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Amanhã, amanhã, e ainda outro amanhã by Gabrielle Zevin

67 reviews

particledamage's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I'm going to be honest--this book is a slog and it suffers under the weight of its own attempted profundity.

The beginning of this story feels like reading something by Jason Schreier, who is a great writer but not apt for character pieces like this. And it is only downhill from there in terms of storytelling. (And in terms of utilizing video games as a narrative tool. Using video games to describe sex was an odd choice and not one executed well. Same with using "You're a gamer" to help comfort someone traumatized about a death they witnessed.) This book feels like it constantly wants to hide information and use it later for plot twists or clarification but this doesn't work when it uses (and abuses) perspectives from both Sam and Sadie (and sometimes Marx); so, instead, it just uses jumps forward and backwards in time to slowly unleash new information that every character knew but the reader does not. It feels cheap and often aggravating because the "new" information rarely slots in well with the older perspectives. For a book about video games, it should know how to retcon better.

And this feels like a larger symptom of what is wrong with this book--this book wants to overexplain everything and then begs you if you noticed. Very much like a 12 year old trying out a comedy routine only to ask you "Did you get it?" after each joke, only instead every "deep" scene or moment of symbolism is shortly followed up by someone just bluntly saying the point to really drive it home. This book thinks it's so deep it needs to hold your hand to bring you to the point, only for the point to have been very obvious and somewhat mundane the entire time.

And sometimes, the attempts to be deep and truly "literary" are so blatant, it pulls you completely out of the narrative. The ongoing saga of The Anna Lees, the abortion reveal that had zero narrative oomph, or the Pac Man scene about death. It feels silly. It feels overwrought.

And yet things like Sam and Sadie's (and Marx's) relationship feels undeveloped despite being the central focus. The foundation of their relationship is left vague--we know the details but not the conversations--and yet we watch them fight for and give up their relationship and are expected to care, even when the new reason for falling out is just suddenly dropped in and expected to be taken seriously. I never knew why I should care besides going these deeply lonely people are codependent and then not codependent. Okay, and?

This book is just telling me things and expecting me to care. And then telling me the same thing but more bluntly, expecting me to care more. I never did. I feel like the author handed me what she thought was a gold bar but then I knocked on it and it was hollow.

Every character felt flat, like they would flex to become whatever the narrative needed in that moment. They got worst, just to amp up drama, and by the end the main two felt quite loathsome and also quite dull. Some narrative flourishes like the shift in perspective and storytelling helped distract from this book-cratering issue and helped pick up the pace but ultimately this book left me unsatisfied.

It tried to be too many things for too many people and ultimately ended up not being a lot. It had a lot of small observations to make along the way but I wasn't wowed by it's conclusive statements.

Also, I do not think Zevin has played a video game or knows how video games work.

Which wasn't its gravest sin but was maybe emblematic of how this book bit off more than it can chew. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Suicide, Racism, Medical trauma, Infidelity, Ableism, Car accident, Classism, Hate crime, Grief, Alcohol, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Pregnancy, Murder, Misogyny, Death, Terminal illness, Homophobia, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Homophobia, Abortion, Vomit, Cancer, and Antisemitism

squidknees's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Like The Fault in our Stars like A Little Life like Normal People Sally Rooney

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Grief, Gun violence, and Suicide

Moderate: Cancer, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Abandonment, Hate crime, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, and Murder

Minor: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Classism, Abortion, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Body horror, Vomit, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Death, Cursing, Toxic friendship, Blood, Body shaming, and Toxic relationship

s_panfil's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Classism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Suicide, Car accident, and Blood

Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, Vomit, and Sexism

tashtasher's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Violence, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Cancer, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Colonisation, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Suicide

Minor: Ableism, Antisemitism, Cursing, and Drug use

shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Homophobia, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Grief, and Gun violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Classism, Medical content, Pregnancy, Cancer, Blood, Car accident, Drug use, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Sexism, Racism, Abortion, Vomit, Cultural appropriation, and Eating disorder

alisonannk's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Sexism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicide, Drug use, Car accident, Gun violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Sexual content

Moderate: Terminal illness, Cultural appropriation, Physical abuse, Racism, Homophobia, Infidelity, Cancer, Classism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, and Sexism

Minor: Antisemitism

ressicajicks's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Murder, Grief, Homophobia, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Abortion, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Confinement, Drug use, Gaslighting, and Pregnancy

Minor: Cancer, Antisemitism, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, and Classism

gabi_tron's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Blood, Cancer, and Vomit

justreads93's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I never expected to love a book about video games this much. The book is long and at times hard to get through but the characters really make up for it. Everyone is fully fleshed out and there are points where I love them and point when I hate them (except Marx he’s perfect). Even when I don’t like what a character is doing or what they’re feeling I still understand where they are coming from and why they would think that way. I loved looking at the artistic process through the lens of video games

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Mass/school shootings, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Car accident, Grief, Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Sexual assault, Death, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Cancer and Classism

annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

loved the Pioneers section—genius.

"'Zweisamkeit' is the feeling of being alone even when you're with other people." Simon turned to look in his husband's eyes. "Before I met you, I felt this constantly. I felt it with my family, my friends, and every boyfriend I ever had. I felt it so often that I thought this was the nature of living. To be alive was to accept that you were fundamentally alone." Simon's eyes were moist. "I know I'm impossible, and I know you don't care about German words or marriage. All | can say is, I love you and thank you for marrying me anyway." 

Ant raised his glass. "Zweisamkeit," he said.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Death, Murder, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Car accident, Hate crime, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Vomit, Abortion, Blood, Medical content, Mental illness, and Racism

Minor: Antisemitism, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Cancer, Classism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness