Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Fato e Furia

Groff's writing is certainly exquisite, reads like cold water down the throat, but I have rather complicated feelings about this book. On the one hand, I am deeply disgusted by the characters at a personal, primal level; on the other, I was incredibly invested in their histories, their relationships, their deep dark corners of the self. It's clear that the visceral disgust or repudiation the characters provoke is more than intentional - it is intrinsic to who they are and what their story is.

It does feel a bit too soap-opera-ish at times, with the ways the plot turned, and it's definitely not a book that will resonate with you in any positive way. It's far more likely to leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth, and yet, it is wholly unforgettable.

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bronzeageholly's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Reading this book felt like I was in a big room full of people with special headphones on where I could only pick up bits of a conversation at a time. I was being slowly led through by someone I didn’t quite know and didn’t quite understand. It felt like I meandered so dreamily past, but was given just enough time to understand each passing person’s deepest fears and thoughts. After time, quite a long time, being led through the room, my guide took me to the top of the stairs and I looked over the balcony and was so shocked to see how everything and everybody we had passed came together so vibrantly and horrifically and beautifully.

I appreciate this book for how much it made me contemplate human existence.

It was very long though.

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hinkleh's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

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carlytenille's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-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

4.0

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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

The writing in this story blew me away; it is so poetic, lyrical, heart wrenching, and hopeful, all in the same breath.
This story is split in two. The first half of the book is told through the perspective of Lotto, and the second half of the book we get to explore his wife, Mathilde's, perspective. Lotto is a bold, passionate man who comes from wealthy parents, but does not get to see any money because he goes against his mother's wishes and marries Mathilde. Following an accident in her childhood, Mathilde is sent to live with her wealthy uncle, and she never hears from her parents.
There are always three sides to every story, and I loved getting to see how their marriage evolved over 20+ years through each of their eyes. I also really appreciated getting to see their stories before they met one another, and how their hardships molded them into the people they needed from each other. They each harbored secrets, and it was really interesting to see. I found Lotto as a person annoying, and I did not vibe with the first half of the book, but as soon as we started to get Mathilde's perspective, I was hooked.

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sm_moon's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful slow-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? Yes

4.75

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beatriks's review against another edition

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challenging dark hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

The book is split in two halfs, I knew that upfront, and without that knowledge, I wouldn’t have finished it.
The first half was a dread to read, extremely slow and the male protagonist extremely self-centered.
I couldn’t see where this was going.

The second half really made up for that, the female protagonist was way more interesting and the pace was faster as well.
I would recommend it, but not unconditionally.

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