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remecide'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
4.75
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Incest, Sexism, Racial slurs, Misogyny, and Homophobia
it's a lot about bad people doing bad things. you are not supposed to love the characters. it's messy but it's fun to read, however it is 100% a hit or missedwardian_girl_next_door'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
2.0
1) Overall: This book had a bit of The Great Gastby and Brideshead Revisited in it
2) The characters are all the same. Honestly, this book was a Henry/Bunny-fest, because they were the only characters which Tartt took the time to delve into. Charles, Francis, and Richard are all the same stock character, and Camilla's only distinguishing feature is that ✨she's a girl✨ and therefore fuckable. Henry soaked up any actually interesting characteristics that might have been given to other characters. If Tartt had given everyone distinct personalities, it would have been much more interesting to see how they interacted with each other to cause the plot points, rather than sticking them into a plot and forcing them to go along with it. My feeling is that she decided on the plot first and then shoved the characters in, rather than coming up with an event and seeing how it developed based on the characters' personalities.
3) Wtf was Julian for? I felt cheated in this respect, because Julian basically never appears. I was all for seeing how this man managed to single-handedly run a department where he decides who is let in, teaches students "all" their classes, and all for no salary? Plus in a remote, disused building? Sounds like a predator to me. But no, he barely makes an appearance, and is not the evil influence touted in the reviews. Lame.
4) Richard was less involved than me, the reader. Some other non-fans have lamented that Tartt could have gotten Richard more involved in the crime(s), rather than having him on the outside for the whole book. He has barely any skin in the game, and merely hears about all of these things after they happen. I think Tartt was going for the same structure that Gatsby has, with a shadowy narrator who becomes involved a world separate from their own -- but I don't think she lived up to it.
5)
6) Henry seemed much older than he was, with how he managed the murder, the fallout, and literally everything else. Maybe I'm just incompetent (which is entirely plausible) but I can't even make a doctor's appointment. Meanwhile he's travelling, renting hotel rooms and apartments, driving around, moving Camilla from place to place, and whatever else he manages to do. He seems like he's about 25 or 26, not 21. He is also, I should note, the only person with any agency in this book, in terms of getting things done. He is the sole mover of everything, besides maybe Bunny, and that makes things really boring. I also don't get why everyone is madly in love with him -- not only is he dangerous, but he's a little pathetic as well. I'm all for problematic book boyfriends, but him? Girlypops, is he really worth all your time?
7) The buildup to Bunny's murder was irritatingly slow. Get on with it, stop dropping inane little hints. I get some suspense, but it was hell to get through 200 pages, and all for so little payoff.
8)
9) The ending was SUCH A LET DOWN.
All that aside, there were some things I eked enjoyment out of. I think Tartt could set a mood well (albeit one saturated in drugs and alcohol); and I enjoyed the first 2/3 of part II. The absolute wildness of Bunny's family was entertaining to read -- again, it had a hint of that Dickens whimsy. The creeping dread of discovery and arrest that plagues the characters was delicious. Also, special shout-out to the scene where Richard and Francis try to communicate in Greek! As someone who takes a foreign language, I laughed so hard, because it's so true. Using cobbled-together textbook-speak to communicate is just a universal experience for people who learned languages through academia.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Gun violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Grief, Domestic abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Classism, Cursing, and Racism
dianam1206's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Graphic: Suicide, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, and Homophobia
selfdeprikate's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Sexism, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Violence, Incest, Infidelity, Self harm, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Suicide, Blood, Classism, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Medical content, Mental illness, Car accident, and Suicide attempt
starryfruits's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Despite the rating im giving it these characters haunt me and i have an infinite amount of questions and i like the book, just not reading it
Graphic: Alcohol, Suicide, and Drug use
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Homophobia, and Murder
Minor: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Incest, Physical abuse, and Suicide attempt
pmejia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Racial slurs, Incest, Drug use, Alcoholism, Death, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Addiction, Racism, Blood, Car accident, Religious bigotry, Classism, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity
Minor: Rape and Suicide attempt
yzer2468'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
3.75
Graphic: Homophobia, Alcohol, Drug use, Blood, Addiction, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Death, Classism, Drug abuse, Antisemitism, Gaslighting, Grief, Incest, Toxic friendship, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Mental illness, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Sexism
frog4earth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
globgr's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Murder and Alcoholism
Moderate: Suicide, Homophobia, Incest, Drug use, and Racial slurs
Minor: Islamophobia
morganaj18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
Graphic: Suicide and Racial slurs