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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
я не можу сказати, що це погана книга, але це не хороша книга теж. вона така посередня?? в описі про неї пишуть як зустріч «таємної історії» та «ціни солі», я читала обидві, утім не зрозуміла при чому тут ціна солі. через сапфічну лінію?? я реально can’t come up with the reason why it is compared to the price of salt. щодо таємної історії, ця книга ніби як дуже бюджетна версія таємної історії.
у деяких місцях мене нудило від подій та персонажів (у хорошому сенсі), у деяких місцях все здавалося занадто?….просто занадто.
мораль цієї книги така проста-найпростіша і в кінці нам це все на долоньку викладають (а раптом хтось не зрозумів))))
деякі персонажі як-от міранда, фредді та навіть бонні, хлопці з хору були розкриті як картонні коробки з пустим вмістом. я не можу про них нічого сказати, які їм притаманні риси характеру, звички і так далі. вони просто виконують роль масовки для вірджинії. навіть ізабель, я сподівалася, що її розкриють як персонажку, але цього не сталося, на жаль.
але книга читається легко та швидко, я люблю такі сеттинги і врешті вона не прям погана. але якщо таємну історію я би хотіла прочитати ще раз, то the world cannot give навряд викличе в мене таке бажання
у деяких місцях мене нудило від подій та персонажів (у хорошому сенсі), у деяких місцях все здавалося занадто?….просто занадто.
мораль цієї книги така проста-найпростіша і в кінці нам це все на долоньку викладають (а раптом хтось не зрозумів))))
деякі персонажі як-от міранда, фредді та навіть бонні, хлопці з хору були розкриті як картонні коробки з пустим вмістом. я не можу про них нічого сказати, які їм притаманні риси характеру, звички і так далі. вони просто виконують роль масовки для вірджинії. навіть ізабель, я сподівалася, що її розкриють як персонажку, але цього не сталося, на жаль.
але книга читається легко та швидко, я люблю такі сеттинги і врешті вона не прям погана. але якщо таємну історію я би хотіла прочитати ще раз, то the world cannot give навряд викличе в мене таке бажання
I could not deal with the writing style, it felt so undescriptive & straightforward, just not for me
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
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
“It's like what Virginia had said about hideous things, how the things that horrify you are the ones you know to trust. Maybe, she thinks, that's how she knows she can trust Virginia.”
Laura has been dreaming about getting accepted into St. Dunstan’s Academy, the prestigious boarding school in Maine that her favourite author attended, romanticising the hallowed halls of academia and imagining her future peers to be as passionate about the school as she is. When she gets in, she finds the student body at large is composed of your typical, rich teenagers, however Laura does find some kindred spirits among the choir group that sing classical hymns and songs in Latin. The leader of the choir, Virginia, holds a strong grip on the group, and Laura immediately gravitates towards her. But Virginia is not someone that should be looked to for direction, and those that do will pay a terrible price.
I’ve read a few dark academia books that criticise the genre and the academic world in general, but this book stood out among them in the way that it sort of chastises the reader. Central to the story is Laura and Virginia’s favourite author, Sebastian Webster, who was a former student who published his first and only book as a teenager and then died at 19 because he went off to fight in the Spanish Civil War on the fascist Franco side. They and the school lionise him for his significant achievements at such a young age and for living and writing according to his Ayn Rand-like principles.
The book exposes how absurd it is that we stubbornly cling to these problematic historical figures. Their achievements were significant, but mostly wouldn’t have been possible without their various privileges to support them. By setting this story in a high school, it also points out how immature it is to refuse to do any introspective examination of ourselves and of powerful institutions. Something I already knew but didn’t think about in these terms: this book made me really see how anti-intellectual academia can be. For example, in the 19th century, Europeans stupidly and racistly doubted the origins of the Benin Bronzes, even though the Edo people’s skills in metalwork had been known and written about in Europe centuries earlier. But just the general lack of interest in the non-European world boasts the very incuriosity and smug self-satisfaction that supposed “intellectuals” ought not have.
I went into this book skeptical about how much of a “cult” a choir group could be, but actually it felt pretty realistic. The hypnotic adulation of God and the classics and the beauty of the hymns echoing off the high-vaulted ceilings of the grand hall truly made for an effective analogy of how we treat and revere the Western “canon.” The plot revolves around Virginia, and I felt less interested in her by the second half of the book, but otherwise this was a really thoughtfully and well-executed entry into the dark academia landscape, and a book that most readers of the genre should probably read.
Laura has been dreaming about getting accepted into St. Dunstan’s Academy, the prestigious boarding school in Maine that her favourite author attended, romanticising the hallowed halls of academia and imagining her future peers to be as passionate about the school as she is. When she gets in, she finds the student body at large is composed of your typical, rich teenagers, however Laura does find some kindred spirits among the choir group that sing classical hymns and songs in Latin. The leader of the choir, Virginia, holds a strong grip on the group, and Laura immediately gravitates towards her. But Virginia is not someone that should be looked to for direction, and those that do will pay a terrible price.
I’ve read a few dark academia books that criticise the genre and the academic world in general, but this book stood out among them in the way that it sort of chastises the reader. Central to the story is Laura and Virginia’s favourite author, Sebastian Webster, who was a former student who published his first and only book as a teenager and then died at 19 because he went off to fight in the Spanish Civil War on the fascist Franco side. They and the school lionise him for his significant achievements at such a young age and for living and writing according to his Ayn Rand-like principles.
The book exposes how absurd it is that we stubbornly cling to these problematic historical figures. Their achievements were significant, but mostly wouldn’t have been possible without their various privileges to support them. By setting this story in a high school, it also points out how immature it is to refuse to do any introspective examination of ourselves and of powerful institutions. Something I already knew but didn’t think about in these terms: this book made me really see how anti-intellectual academia can be. For example, in the 19th century, Europeans stupidly and racistly doubted the origins of the Benin Bronzes, even though the Edo people’s skills in metalwork had been known and written about in Europe centuries earlier. But just the general lack of interest in the non-European world boasts the very incuriosity and smug self-satisfaction that supposed “intellectuals” ought not have.
I went into this book skeptical about how much of a “cult” a choir group could be, but actually it felt pretty realistic. The hypnotic adulation of God and the classics and the beauty of the hymns echoing off the high-vaulted ceilings of the grand hall truly made for an effective analogy of how we treat and revere the Western “canon.” The plot revolves around Virginia, and I felt less interested in her by the second half of the book, but otherwise this was a really thoughtfully and well-executed entry into the dark academia landscape, and a book that most readers of the genre should probably read.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
ok so i didn’t do a review after immediately reading this and i know when i read it i thought it was the bizarrest vibe ever but that it was overall really disappointing but despite that. it was such an intriguing read. like i didn’t love it, the writing was nice in parts but the plot was just. idk i thought this was going to be a satire but it felt too. sincere. if it was more clearly satirical then i think i would have loved it but the only character i cared about was victoria and that was only because she had the most emotional depth, all the other characters felt too shallow to be plays on different tropes and character types. the mc i can’t remember her name was so annoying i just. no. and i think some of the heavier topics in this were completely glossed over. also all of the big plot moments were given enough Pow to make them seem truly shocking. some of the ideas were interesting but idk. isobel as a character felt like it wasn’t quite serious or silly enough for it be impactful
Finally a book similar to The Secret History, but now with more religion and queerness!
Dark academia is one of my favorite subgenres, and I'm loving all the novels coming out recently. Tara Isabella Burton is a theologian as well as an author - who better to write about Christian faith at an insular prep school? This is certainly mostly about the boarding school as if its more than a school but something all its own. Which is the magical in this story. It's really hard to beat a well told boarding school book.
With a mix of lighter YA themes and some serious topics that make you think, this book has a bit of something for everything. I will note that the characters do not seem real so if thats something you're searching for you might want to pass this one up but if, like me, you know the magic that is the boarding school with dark twists this is definitely something to pick up!
Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-copy for me to read and leave my honest opinion. I'm so grateful I was able to read this book and I honestly urge everyone to pick it up as soon as possible.
Dark academia is one of my favorite subgenres, and I'm loving all the novels coming out recently. Tara Isabella Burton is a theologian as well as an author - who better to write about Christian faith at an insular prep school? This is certainly mostly about the boarding school as if its more than a school but something all its own. Which is the magical in this story. It's really hard to beat a well told boarding school book.
With a mix of lighter YA themes and some serious topics that make you think, this book has a bit of something for everything. I will note that the characters do not seem real so if thats something you're searching for you might want to pass this one up but if, like me, you know the magic that is the boarding school with dark twists this is definitely something to pick up!
Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-copy for me to read and leave my honest opinion. I'm so grateful I was able to read this book and I honestly urge everyone to pick it up as soon as possible.
Finally a book similar to The Secret History, but now with more religion and queerness!
Dark academia is one of my favorite subgenres, and I'm loving all the novels coming out recently. Tara Isabella Burton is a theologian as well as an author - who better to write about Christian faith at an insular prep school? This is certainly mostly about the boarding school as if its more than a school but something all its own. Which is the magical in this story. It's really hard to beat a well told boarding school book.
With a mix of lighter YA themes and some serious topics that make you think, this book has a bit of something for everything. I will note that the characters do not seem real so if thats something you're searching for you might want to pass this one up but if, like me, you know the magic that is the boarding school with dark twists this is definitely something to pick up!
Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-copy for me to read and leave my honest opinion. I'm so grateful I was able to read this book and I honestly urge everyone to pick it up as soon as possible.
Dark academia is one of my favorite subgenres, and I'm loving all the novels coming out recently. Tara Isabella Burton is a theologian as well as an author - who better to write about Christian faith at an insular prep school? This is certainly mostly about the boarding school as if its more than a school but something all its own. Which is the magical in this story. It's really hard to beat a well told boarding school book.
With a mix of lighter YA themes and some serious topics that make you think, this book has a bit of something for everything. I will note that the characters do not seem real so if thats something you're searching for you might want to pass this one up but if, like me, you know the magic that is the boarding school with dark twists this is definitely something to pick up!
Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-copy for me to read and leave my honest opinion. I'm so grateful I was able to read this book and I honestly urge everyone to pick it up as soon as possible.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes