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kylieqrada's review
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
3.5
3.5 ⭐️s. Lesbehonest, this was a Goodwill cover buy, because she is STUNNING, HONEY. However, I'd always heard about Zadie Smith being a staple of lit fic, so I thought I'd give her a try. I honestly really liked this. I loved how unlikable and nuanced all of the characters were allowed to be while still being clear that their opinions, such as fatphobia or racism, were not supported by the author. However, it was a little too intellectual for me, and I hate a butthole description
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, and Cursing
Minor: Drug use, Homophobia, and Cancer
zombiezami's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I had a few false starts with the print version of this book, so I went ahead an listened to the audiobook. I did enjoy the twisty turns and how drama-ridden this book was. Overall, though, I don’t think it was for me. I am not really into books where characters wreck their own lives unnecessarily (ahem, Howard). I’m also unfamiliar with the source material, so that wasn’t a draw either. Oh well
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Fatphobia, Racism, Grief, Alcohol, Classism, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, and Body shaming
Minor: Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Drug use, Homophobia, Islamophobia, War, Xenophobia, and Cancer
neverbeenanatural's review
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-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
5.0
i can never get enough satire of academia, especially pretentious new england liberal arts schools, and this absolutely delivered. i felt very close to many of the characters, wanting them to make good decisions and feeling VERY pained when they did not. although it was written 15 years ago, it handled a lot of topics (race, class, etc) with enough nuance that they were still relevant. my biggest complaint is that i didn’t expect to spend so much of the book in the perspective of a philandering middle aged professor. overall, super well written and engrossing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
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