Reviews - The World Cannot Give

543 reviews for:

The World Cannot Give

Tara Isabella Burton

3.57 AVERAGE

orchidfrequency's review against another edition

1.5

dark 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

littlelines's review against another edition

4.0

challenging reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

pwhc's review against another edition

4.0

dark reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

stuckinthestacks's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

leia_litdeslivres's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

readingtomydogs's review

5.0

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The World Cannot Give is a dark campus novel, where the main characters struggle with what it means to have devotion. The protagonist Laura is drawn to the boarding school in rural Maine for its historical significance, but soon encounters a group of choir students and their cult-like devotion to their leader Virginia. Laura struggles throughout the book with her identity and her place in the world. There is suspense in the second half of the book, with an ending that is surprising, but where the book has been leading all along.
I thoroughly enjoyed Tara Burton's writing, and never felt like the storyline was predictable.
As a former boarding school student myself, I can relate to the isolation such living can give you, and how it can make you susceptible to group-think and others' influence.
I would recommend this to any lovers of Donna Tartt's "The Secret History," Curtis Sittenfeld's "Prep," or the classic campus novel, John Knowles' "A Separate Peace."

Content Warnings

booktracking81's review against another edition

3.5

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

tamtasticbooks's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

lain_darko's review against another edition

4.0

dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

medhini's review against another edition

4.0

dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Loveable characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

There were so many things I liked about this dark academia novel. It features religious fanaticism, realistic depictions of teenage drama and obsession with celebrities (like Sebastian Webster), and so many queer characters. At times, the prose flowed beautifully, and reading this felt like a descent, perhaps from heaven to hell. I loved the comparison in ideology between Bonnie, Isobel, and Virginia, and even though there were a few references to modern pop culture, I don't think they dated the novel. Timelessness is one of my favorite aspects of so many dark academia stories, and these references didn't take that quality away at all.

I do have some criticisms of the novel. Although I did like the prose in some occasions, it was inconsistent and sometimes felt repetitive, with certain parts even seeming a bit too far-fetched (Laura's sudden success with running, parts of the ending, etc.). I also felt that some of the side characters were underdeveloped, and wish we could have learned about their backstories in order to better understand their motivations. Despite all this, I did really enjoy the read and would recommend to anyone who loves stories with dark academia, queer longing, and critiques of intense religious fanaticism. I am excited to see what Tara Isabella Burton writes next!

Content Warnings

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