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edwardian_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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, and Classism
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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
happyknitter2020's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol
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: Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Drug use, Incest, Racial slurs, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Rape and Suicide attempt
karinaymejia'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
3.25
i feel like the title is a bit dramatic for the story. it makes sense of course, but i feel like there should have been another title used for it.
this book is slow and may feel boring at times. it's interesting to see how the story progresses. i am personally not a huge fan of this style. i sort of liked the read. i wanted a more dramatic story, but thats my cup of tea.
i like the time period where this is in because I get to read what it feels like during this time.
i find it unsettling about the characters that Richard encounters and becomes friends with. I think Charles and Henry make me the most unsettling, especially near the end.
overall i had a bit of higher expectations because of the popularity. i understand the mixed reviews now!
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse
incestaddythebookbat's review against another edition
4.5
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
kaia_'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
4.25
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Incest, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Suicide attempt
noamireadsgraphicsmurfnovels'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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Antisemitism, Car accident, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Classism
sasquatch_3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime, Mental illness, Vomit, Antisemitism, and Injury/Injury detail
aristarcodisamo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Cursing, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Death of parent