Scan barcode
bluejay21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Drug use
deathmetalheron's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
First off, there is so much good in this book--in spite of being slow-paced, it's an incredibly gripping read. Richard + crew are exactly what you want out of morally compromised protagonists, they are flawed and overall bad people but they are compelling enough to read about. The references and the overlying theme of Greek tragedy playing out slowing in postmodern Vermont is really a stroke of genius. You can get little treats if you go back and read the parts in ancient languages again, learning new aspects about the characters and early foreshadowing in some cases.
The strongest aspect of this book is its condemnation, or rather strong criticism of elite academia and university. While there is no "hammer to anvil" moment where Richard goes on a diatribe about why college/"university" is dumb (and the text is all the better for it), the overlying theme of this permeates the vast majority of the text and creates the relationship dynamic with Richard and thew crew. By the end Richard has his realization that while college was somewhere he wanted to go and where he felt he had to, to the other Classics (particularly Henry) life is nothing more than an extremely extended stint in college, due to their wealth. Julian (arguably the true antagonist and representation of the entirety of academic excess) is basically the end-goal for Henry.
The other factor that shines is how even though everyone is unlikable to some extent, Bunny, who features some of the more obvious detestable traits like elitism, bigotry, and begging for money, it is
Now, where do I find critique with this text? For one, the obsession with the aesthetic of this damn book leaves a sour taste in my mouth--this is certainly one of those books where it's easy to get lost in "no, you don't get it, this is the real point" I do feel that moping around smoking cigarettes and wearing New England prep fashion is not exactly the takeaway you want from this book. I have the benefit of reading this in my 30s, and I knew people like the Classics when I was in college. The Magicians is much more hokey and goofy but it gets away with making fun of dark academia without making it feel sexy. The reaction to that makes me wonder if the themes of anti-elitism should have been more prominent and we didn't need to spend as much time going over the times Richard walks around drunk or how many Bloody Marys Charles orders and how fast he drinks them. At around 400 pages the prose begins to dip and we get extended, plodding sections that really betray the pace.
It's a phenomenal book, and I have so much good to say about it. But at the risk of falling into the milieu of takes on this book, there is a very clear set of themes to me, and yes, you can miss it if you get too lost in the aesthetic.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Murder, Sexual content, Classism, Drug use, Alcohol, Death, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, and Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Homophobia, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence
Minor: Antisemitism and Rape
loveat1stwrite's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Death, Alcohol, Blood, Alcoholism, Drug use, Gun violence, and Murder
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Incest, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, and Physical abuse
komiification's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Murder, Gun violence, Death, Suicide, Drug use, Blood, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Grief, Mental illness, Classism, and Misogyny
Minor: Rape
plathandthebelljar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Death, Drug use, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, and Addiction
Moderate: Antisemitism, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Gun violence, Racism, Biphobia, Cursing, Incest, and Murder
Minor: Misogyny, Medical content, Grief, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm
kenna13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Suicide, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Mental illness, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Death, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Car accident, Incest, and Animal cruelty
shancraic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Alcohol, Death, Incest, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Alcoholism, and Classism
Minor: Rape
zgreyz's review against another edition
2.5
didn’t like the audiobook narrating, i usually like when authors narrate their books but i couldn’t get into this one.
one or two interesting quotes but just meh overall and doesn’t feel worth the length
Graphic: Death, Toxic friendship, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Incest
starryeyes54's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Cursing, Classism, Incest, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Grief, Emotional abuse, Racism, Homophobia, Drug use, and Death
dr_sol's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Nevertheless, the plot felt dragged on in some parts of the book and I've asked myself several times if Donna Tartt is scared of ending chapters. (Over 500 pages of story put into 8 chapters!!)
The book was gloomy and it felt like you were in your own dark world full of dead languages, feelings of superiority and the loss of morality alongside the characters (who I've grown quite fond of, even after I've learnt their flaws (even Bunny has earned some sympathy))
Since I've borrowed this book and therefore it was in German, I plan to get it in English and read it again some time.
I'm already excited!
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Addiction, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Bullying, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit, Sexism, and Death