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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Self harm
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
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
dark
emotional
reflective
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
cleo is the embodiment of manic pixie dream girl
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is like candy in that it's shiny and at first you gobble it up, but after a while you've had enough and it no longer tastes so good and maybe sometimes even makes you feel a bit off. This review will make it sound like I didn't enjoy this novel, and that's not true, but I knew pretty early on that it was flawed and as the novel progressed the flaws grew in number and became more distracting. But the good stuff: this is a 368-page novel, and I read it in a weekend. So it can be a page-turner if you're in a reading mood. I've seen some people comment on Mellors' knack for spot-on descriptions. I have to agree that there are a lot of places where she makes spot-on, non-standard descriptive comparisons. One that comes to mind (and this is not the prettiest one) is where she describes a shade of gray as the color of uncooked shrimp. I totally know what that is.
There's a boatload of immaturity to go around in Cleopatra and Frankenstein. There's an argument that's just painful to read, and by painful I mean that while reading it I couldn't stand either of the people arguing. In that moment they are both self-absorbed, spoiled, and childish. They are both verging on tantrums. I'm not sure how much of that is intentional (probably a lot of it), but some of it was so painful that it came off as unrealistic writing. This is a first novel, after all, and I've tried to write a first novel, so I know how hard it is to make everything come off.
The number of characters who speak in broken English seems excessive. Lots of immigrants speak English very well. I'm fine with almost anything an author wants to do if it fits, but there's no good reason that I can come up with why so many different characters are written this way in this novel. At one point one character tells another character they're a cliché because of what they're wearing, but I'd contend that there are quite a few clichéd characters. Maybe that's on purpose--I'm willing to give the novel the benefit of the doubt on that one. Well over half of the characters in the novel are described as being insanely gorgeous and perfect and basically sex gods and goddesses. "How does it feel to be one of the beautiful people?" (to quote the Beatles)... Apparently, being gorgeous, wandering around naked, and having a lot of wild sex does not by itself make you happy. Surprise! Doing a lot of coke doesn't, either.
The novel does eventually suggest that it's been aiming for these points (that all of the drinking and drugs and focusing on hot bodies and hot sex but shallow connections just leaves people feeling empty) all along, but it takes a long time to get there. I think a scattered total of probably 50 pages could have been profitably edited out.
I could make additional nit-picky complaints, but I'll just give this three stars for being an enjoyable but flawed read and leave it there.
There's a boatload of immaturity to go around in Cleopatra and Frankenstein. There's an argument that's just painful to read, and by painful I mean that while reading it I couldn't stand either of the people arguing. In that moment they are both self-absorbed, spoiled, and childish. They are both verging on tantrums. I'm not sure how much of that is intentional (probably a lot of it), but some of it was so painful that it came off as unrealistic writing. This is a first novel, after all, and I've tried to write a first novel, so I know how hard it is to make everything come off.
The number of characters who speak in broken English seems excessive. Lots of immigrants speak English very well. I'm fine with almost anything an author wants to do if it fits, but there's no good reason that I can come up with why so many different characters are written this way in this novel. At one point one character tells another character they're a cliché because of what they're wearing, but I'd contend that there are quite a few clichéd characters. Maybe that's on purpose--I'm willing to give the novel the benefit of the doubt on that one. Well over half of the characters in the novel are described as being insanely gorgeous and perfect and basically sex gods and goddesses. "How does it feel to be one of the beautiful people?" (to quote the Beatles)... Apparently, being gorgeous, wandering around naked, and having a lot of wild sex does not by itself make you happy. Surprise! Doing a lot of coke doesn't, either.
The novel does eventually suggest that it's been aiming for these points (that all of the drinking and drugs and focusing on hot bodies and hot sex but shallow connections just leaves people feeling empty) all along, but it takes a long time to get there. I think a scattered total of probably 50 pages could have been profitably edited out.
I could make additional nit-picky complaints, but I'll just give this three stars for being an enjoyable but flawed read and leave it there.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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