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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you, Simon Books, for this book. The review and opinions are all my own. This book was published in 2022.
The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton is a story set in a boarding school and is a very twisted tale of friendships, desire, power, and a bit touch of fanaticism.
The characters of this novel are all complex. Laura, our main character, wants to maintain the status quo and never questions. She wants to study and live the idyllic life that the author of the book she loves has lived in Maine. Virginia wants to be baptized, and she is the dominating personality of this boarding school. Laura is mesmerized with her and is quickly taken into her circle with boys who are equally mesmerized.
I was quickly pulled into this world of teenagers where nothing is clear-cut. There's definitely a mystery aspect in this novel. The only thing that I needed more was depth. Some things happen behind the scenes, and the reader is supposed to guess, but they are not privy to it. Overall, I was invested in this novel.
CW: References to self-harm, suicide, pornography, religion, cult behavior, bullying
The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton is a story set in a boarding school and is a very twisted tale of friendships, desire, power, and a bit touch of fanaticism.
The characters of this novel are all complex. Laura, our main character, wants to maintain the status quo and never questions. She wants to study and live the idyllic life that the author of the book she loves has lived in Maine. Virginia wants to be baptized, and she is the dominating personality of this boarding school. Laura is mesmerized with her and is quickly taken into her circle with boys who are equally mesmerized.
I was quickly pulled into this world of teenagers where nothing is clear-cut. There's definitely a mystery aspect in this novel. The only thing that I needed more was depth. Some things happen behind the scenes, and the reader is supposed to guess, but they are not privy to it. Overall, I was invested in this novel.
CW: References to self-harm, suicide, pornography, religion, cult behavior, bullying
"There is no such thing, not really, as a shipwreck of the soul, except the ones when you drown…"
On paper, I love all of the themes that The World Cannot Give tries to address (traditionalism versus progress; dry religious rituals versus true spiritual awakenings) and the underlying vibes of dark academia, Gossip Girl-esque private school scandal, and desire.
But in execution, this one was a bit of a miss for me. I guess I’m too old, at 32, to relate to a bunch of prep school teenagers and their childhood dreams, passions, and obsessions. (Or maybe I'm just too far from an Enneagram 4, which I think you need to be to fully enjoy this book...) What feels “transcendent” to the 15- and 16-year-olds of a fictional boarding school feels incredibly frivolous to me.
I couldn’t really connect with any of the characters. Their strange obsessions with each other and their fanatical behavior just felt implausible, and it made the whole tone of the book come off as emotionally turbulent and a little childish.
I think teen/YA audiences will find it more relatable and will appreciate it more than I did. There are good things here too, like the conversation-sparking themes and the deep soul-searching elements. I think I’m just a bit outside the target audience on this one!
——
A huge thank you to Tara Isabella Burton, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
On paper, I love all of the themes that The World Cannot Give tries to address (traditionalism versus progress; dry religious rituals versus true spiritual awakenings) and the underlying vibes of dark academia, Gossip Girl-esque private school scandal, and desire.
But in execution, this one was a bit of a miss for me. I guess I’m too old, at 32, to relate to a bunch of prep school teenagers and their childhood dreams, passions, and obsessions. (Or maybe I'm just too far from an Enneagram 4, which I think you need to be to fully enjoy this book...) What feels “transcendent” to the 15- and 16-year-olds of a fictional boarding school feels incredibly frivolous to me.
I couldn’t really connect with any of the characters. Their strange obsessions with each other and their fanatical behavior just felt implausible, and it made the whole tone of the book come off as emotionally turbulent and a little childish.
I think teen/YA audiences will find it more relatable and will appreciate it more than I did. There are good things here too, like the conversation-sparking themes and the deep soul-searching elements. I think I’m just a bit outside the target audience on this one!
——
A huge thank you to Tara Isabella Burton, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Religious school and aggressively close queer female friendships???? Hitting a little too close to home
I’m not sure how to describe this book except for a boarding school soap opera turned deadly. I finished it so I could review it “in the spirit of Goodreads giveaways” but I found it really slow and boring. I don’t recommend reading it although I see that other reviewers found some value in it and gave higher ratings so I guess it’s just a difference of opinion like any book.
Thanks to Simon and Schuster for the Goodreads giveaway!
Thanks to Simon and Schuster for the Goodreads giveaway!
Started off strong, seemed promising, and ended as one of the most boring, self-indulgent books I've ever read. The characters are flat and don't make much sense. Laura's obsession with Virginia had potential serve the plot but both characters were just so, so shallow. I would not consider this dark-academia. Also the fact that this book claims to be about queer desire is laughable- was Laura supposed to be in love with Virginia? Was it about Virginia and Isobel? There were queer characters and couples but this book did not live up to the hype, and the author didn't write queer desire in an even slightly convincing way.
Just meh. Idk. I thought this book would do it for me but it just felt repetitive and meh
As I’m writing this review I have been crying for about 10 minutes.
God where do I even start with this book? I went into it completely blind, only hearing people compare it to the secret history (still haven’t managed to finish it). It’s so rare when a book captivates me from the beginning, I was hooked from page one and it just kept surprising me.
Never have I loved a main character like this, I’m so fascinated by Laura. God! I’m still speechless, I’m still recovering from the end, I can’t form a single coherent thought.
God where do I even start with this book? I went into it completely blind, only hearing people compare it to the secret history (still haven’t managed to finish it). It’s so rare when a book captivates me from the beginning, I was hooked from page one and it just kept surprising me.
Never have I loved a main character like this, I’m so fascinated by Laura. God! I’m still speechless, I’m still recovering from the end, I can’t form a single coherent thought.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes