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kell_xavi's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.5
This is a book where not much happens, and even less if you choose not to consider infatuation an event. I liked Davey, Emily, Fanny, and Merlin, but not really anyone else, and even those four were of a petit bourgeois set that is so heteronormative and naïvely selfish most of the time. Linda is entertaining only as a sensitive, vulgar child surrounded by animals to nurture and hunt; Fabrice is an entitled creep from the start, and his encouragement of her submissive vapidity makes her even less interesting. The main aspect that’s worthwhile in Mitford’s writing is the setting, as it filled in a gap in my awareness of upper class British life in the early 20th century. And it’s funny, though the classism of much of the joviality drains its humour.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, War, and Pregnancy
Minor: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Eating disorder, and Classism
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