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disqmonde's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Unseen Academicals is a scattered book, following four twenty-somethings as their lives are disrupted by the legalization of football, of all things. The story pulls in elements from all corners, including Romeo and Juliet, Cyrano de Bergerac, fashion, Tolkien, and English football culture to make a surprisingly melancholy tale of class immobility. Each of the main characters has their own take on their place near the bottom of the social ladder, clashing with each other as the events of the book force them to question these. As with the best books, Unseen Academicals asks a lot of questions and gives no easy answers. It shows both the external and internalized barriers that keep characters trapped and asks exactly where one begins and the other ends.
While the main story may be sad, the book is as bizarre and funny as a book about wizard football should be. Unseen Academicals has a few too many side plots, diversions, and new ideas crammed in to get 5 stars, but it's still a great read.
While the main story may be sad, the book is as bizarre and funny as a book about wizard football should be. Unseen Academicals has a few too many side plots, diversions, and new ideas crammed in to get 5 stars, but it's still a great read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Death and Genocide
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