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dolores153's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Revelations about 2/3 of the way through the book completely changed meaning of earlier chapters. Started over again at the beginning, and enjoyed recognizing the interplay of the various parts. Unexpectedly delightful analogy with musical progressions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Mental illness, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Racism, Death, Toxic relationship, and Terminal illness
Minor: Death of parent, Xenophobia, Cancer, and Classism
appled303's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Classism, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, and Cancer
leahthebooklover's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
"Trust" asked me to consider what truth is, and who do I trust to tell me the truth, since truth is subjective based on the bias of the source. The book was nothing like the Gatsby-esque story I was expecting. I'm having a hard time even deciding how to rate this book. On the one hand, it addresses some very important themes; power, wealth, politics, monetization, truth, image, feminism, identity, responsibility and more. On the other hand, the structure of the book was unusual and unsettling. It didn't really make sense until the very end. It's the story of an embarrassingly wealthy financier in the early 20th century. He is well known for his "golden touch" when it comes to successfully investmenting in the stock market, but he and his wife live a very enigmatic and somewhat reclusive life. We hear about them in four separate stories, told from four different perspectives with distinctly different styles. Part one is a novel within the novel, "historical fiction", if you will. The names of the characters are changed, but the story contains enough details that the "real life" inspirations are easily identifiable, and there are enough insinuations and embellishments in the manuscript that the subject of the book, Andrew Bevel, sets out to "right the record". Part two is his rough draft autobiography, and was the least enjoyable and most confusing section of the book. Part three is a memoir by Ida Partenza (also known as Ida Prentice - a word play on apprentice). She is remembering her time as Andrew Bevel's personal secretary. Her sole responsibility is to write his biography, while he oversees, edits, and approves of everything she writes in order to shape the story to his liking. The longer Ida works with him, the more she comes to realize his version of the truth isn't any more real than the story he's trying to to refute (the part one "novel"). Part three was my favorite section of the book, but part four is where all of the dangling threads of the first three sections come together. It's the personal diary of Mildred Bevel - Andrew's wife. In her account, secrets are revealed and questions are answered. Diaz's complex and unusual style was an effective way to tell this story, but I can imagine readers abandoning the book in part two and missing out on the full experience, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Classism, Cancer, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, and Gaslighting
lizzym126's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Mental illness, and Sexism
Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, Cancer, and Medical content
emlibe's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Terminal illness
ktboyle's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Terminal illness
kellyofcali's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I...did not love this. It had an interesting structure, with very different styles for different sections, so I definitely liked some more than others (I enjoyed the end sections by female characters most, and the middle section by one of the male characters least) - but I found some quite slow. I also just think I'm not super inherently interested in the finance world, so that bit got kind of old for me. I do think it had some interesting themes around wealth, illness, relationships, and storytelling, and my book club was split on it (some really liked it, others were in my camp) so I wouldn't say no to it for everyone!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Medical content, Chronic illness, Death, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, and Terminal illness
Minor: Alcohol
juksu's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Classism, Death, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, and Cancer
Minor: War
bessadams's review against another edition
reflective
medium-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
3.75
fiction for nonfiction readers
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Xenophobia, Mental illness, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, and Cancer
readerette's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
An intriguing examination of truth and perspective. It made me remember to question what I think I know and to take every story with a grain of salt and look for kernels of truth. Well written, especially considering the number and layering of voices. The story itself is great, but what is communicated by its presentation is even better. It reads smoothly and the characters are believable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Terminal illness
Minor: Sexism and Violence