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e_gracereads'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
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Classism, Murder, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Blood, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Drug use, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Emotional abuse
remuslibrary'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: Murder, Blood, Toxic friendship, Death, Suicide, Alcoholism, and Drug use
Moderate: Racism and Incest
Minor: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Homophobia, and Antisemitism
itsocchiolism's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Incest, Addiction, Racism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Grief, Eating disorder, Drug use, Classism, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Self harm, Mental illness, Alcohol, Medical content, Drug abuse, Death, Suicide, Murder, Blood, and Gun violence
Moderate: Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Misogyny
Minor: Rape
ceryswilliams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Grief, Classism, Alcoholism, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Blood, Violence, Death, Drug abuse, and Mental illness
Moderate: Homophobia and Incest
Minor: Eating disorder
nicoleme1212'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
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicide, Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Murder, Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, and Sexism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Antisemitism, Gaslighting, Blood, Chronic illness, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Death of parent and Eating disorder
eliever'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
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Racism, Toxic friendship, Classism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Addiction, Medical trauma, Misogyny, and Self harm
Minor: Rape, Death of parent, and Eating disorder
frantically'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
2.25
The supposed criticism or commentary on the uptight, elitist, privileged world of academia or more specifically humanities is so obvious, it felt like it was constantly screaming at me. It was so overdone at some point that it felt like Tartt didn't even stand for it, just needed a theme for her book. And I despised it. Do you honestly expect me to care for characters who reek of privilege, whose lives seem to revolve around ignoring the problems in their own studies and never facing any consequences for their actions?
I'm all for criticising the system but maybe all this would've been better suited for a non-fiction book. A book with not one sympathetic character leaves little to enjoyment. If you want a Dark Academia book that handles the inequalities and elitism in academia a lot more nuanced, I'd recommend Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House.
The actual inequalities in academia are so much more subtle but so much more real too than they are portrayed in this book. It's not the money needed for nice clothes or booze but rather the lack of connections, the expensive conferences, the cost of publishing a dissertation, the limitations forced upon you by coming from a less university oriented school, the lack of money for funding or grants, the inaccessibility for any students who aren't mentally or physically healthy, the walls you run into trying to research as a woman in general but also trying to find funding and supporters for "female" subject matters, like sexuality or gender studies. Tartt makes it seem like the biggest challenge in academia are other students, when it's really the whole system that's at fault.
Tartt is definitely good at intimitating classical author's style — think Hardy or maybe even C. Brontë. Sadly, the magical world of New England we get sucked into is always contrasted by characters who were just living normal lives, having normal college experiences. I get that this was meant as a stylistic device to show just how different (and maybe even isolated?) the Classics students were but for me it just served to make their characters seem even less real.
I am that pretentious history student, I am constantly around other pretentious history students, I spent my trips to other countries deciphering Roman inscriptions and coins but by making humanities students into almost satires of the academic bubble, we encourage the continuation of that inherient elitism many humanities degrees still hold. Not just for ourselves but for outsiders as well. It serves absolutely noone to make our community so inaccessible by portraying ourselves as this idealized version of a humanities pupil (even one who commits murders on occasion). We're humans, we're students, we're all connected in this mess of academia and we're still allowed to like parties, to want normal relationships and friendships. Start realizing that Dark Academia is a genre of fiction — not something you should aspire to embody in your time at university. Live a little 🤍
Graphic: Drug abuse, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Classism, Death, Drug use, Murder, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Gun violence, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Animal death, Incest, and Alcoholism
Minor: Forced institutionalization
taleofabibliophile'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
3.0
Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Alcoholism, Addiction, Animal death, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Incest, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Misogyny, Racism, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Bullying, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Suicide, and Confinement
Moderate: Medical content and Eating disorder
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual content, Ableism, Vomit, Antisemitism, Infidelity, Car accident, and Cancer
catrhl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Death, Suicide, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Incest, Car accident, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Eating disorder, Animal death, Racial slurs, and Homophobia
lyrapollock'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
3.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Violence, Drug abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Incest, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Addiction, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, Cursing, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Classism, Drug use, Homophobia, Medical content, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse