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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
The ending does falter but this was so good I can’t believe it’s a debut, it was an absolute absolute pleasure to read
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
the end bit of this book went in a direction I genuinely did not see coming
Probably closer to a 3.5 on the star scale. I liked that while I didn't really like any of the characters I was still interested and invested in how the story went, I find many authors have trouble riding that line. I think the pacing of the middle of the book could have been tightened but overall is was a good choice outside of what I typically read.
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
My biggest issue with this book is the incredibly misleading cover. I wanted this book to have some smut-but that was not the case. Once I got into the book I immediately recognized the insane writing talents of Jonas and how well she was able to put into words the thought process behind the wife of a professor who’s been sleeping with his students (huge scandal) while also falling in lust with the new professor Vladimir. I loved that this felt like we were reading her diary. The way that Jonas describes the lust of the older women as she seeks out Vladimir is absolutely exception and she captures the thoughts in a way that feels effortless. I think if you like academia and drama this will be an absolute win for you! I also decided like a third of the way through to get the audiobook and that really made this book come alive for me, it really felt like she was telling me the story! The ending was so wild, and I couldn’t stop listening! This book is not for everyone, so please keep that in mind!
I spent 230 pages waiting for this "propulsive, darkly funny, and wildly entertaining" book to be propulsive, darkly funny or wildly entertaining. Instead, I got meandering, vaguely humorous (in like a sad, kinda desperate way?), and about one paragraph of actual action. This book made 230 pages feel like 2,300,000. It was like I was stuck in a stress dream where I kept moving pages but not getting any closer to the ending.
Cover is OK though.
Cover is OK though.
A campus novel of sexual mores, power and desire that becomes an outlandish Moshfeghian rollercoaster ride.
3.5
I can't blame the marketing of this book for what it is, because that's its job, but on my copy, the reviews "thrillingly subversive, laugh-out-loud, darkly droll" and "sexy, stealthy, slippery" are quoted and i feel like that's a mischaracterization.
Overall I'm glad I read it, cause I've been curious about it for ages, but ultimately the discussion surrounding power dynamics is quite basic. Through the lens of the pathetic woman that is our narrator, who would do anything for an ounce of validation, the opinions all make quite a lot of sense, and feel much more conservative than subversive. When she's challenged, she's dismissive, which is interesting in itself but prevents the narration from going further, so I found the discussion surrounding consent and power dynamics quite weak. Also the writer tries to acknowledge the racial dimension of the scandal, but I'm not sure what she meant to say in that one piece of dialogue. Ultimately I think age, which is the central theme of this book, isnt that interesting to me as a subject of study, and as fun as the book was to read, I grew more and more annoyed with the self-pity and absolute lack of confidence or backbone of the main character. Big fan of Cynthia, and I wish we'd have spent more time with John. Also re:Sid plotline: ??? don't care about her so im not too bothered but like. girl ???? unhinged plotline to match the unhinged brain of her mother. Also maybe it's cause I'm in my 20s but if you're in your late 40s can you rly call an affair with a woman in her 50s scandalous because of the age difference ??? Vlad should've been 16 idk. But then we wouldn't have Cynthia and if we didn't I won't enjoyed this a lot less
I can't blame the marketing of this book for what it is, because that's its job, but on my copy, the reviews "thrillingly subversive, laugh-out-loud, darkly droll" and "sexy, stealthy, slippery" are quoted and i feel like that's a mischaracterization.
Overall I'm glad I read it, cause I've been curious about it for ages, but ultimately the discussion surrounding power dynamics is quite basic. Through the lens of the pathetic woman that is our narrator, who would do anything for an ounce of validation, the opinions all make quite a lot of sense, and feel much more conservative than subversive. When she's challenged, she's dismissive, which is interesting in itself but prevents the narration from going further, so I found the discussion surrounding consent and power dynamics quite weak. Also the writer tries to acknowledge the racial dimension of the scandal, but I'm not sure what she meant to say in that one piece of dialogue. Ultimately I think age, which is the central theme of this book, isnt that interesting to me as a subject of study, and as fun as the book was to read, I grew more and more annoyed with the self-pity and absolute lack of confidence or backbone of the main character. Big fan of Cynthia, and I wish we'd have spent more time with John. Also re:Sid plotline: ??? don't care about her so im not too bothered but like. girl ???? unhinged plotline to match the unhinged brain of her mother. Also maybe it's cause I'm in my 20s but if you're in your late 40s can you rly call an affair with a woman in her 50s scandalous because of the age difference ??? Vlad should've been 16 idk. But then we wouldn't have Cynthia and if we didn't I won't enjoyed this a lot less
2.75/5. Disappointing start, compelling middle, then a real collapse at the end. I cannot recommend this at all.