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annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
very similar to the only Sally Rooney book i've read, Normal People, (in fact, both audiobooks were read by the same person) but where i found NP depressing, i found Exciting Times *comforting*. i think it's in the narration: NP's is third-person, detached, and almost cold, while ET's is first-person, familiar, and didn't make everything feel completely futile? it helped that i related a lot, more than i would like, to the narrator š„² she's just like me fr. i loved her character's voice (in the literary sense, not the audiobook, though that was good too), i saw myself reflected in it a bit.
i want to talk about the ending. at first i was disappointed, asking myself how the author could think that's a good place to stop. but i read it back and there's more to it:the comparison of exiting the subway station to ascending into the cloudsāheavenly, or at least stepping out of the dark and into the light. and to spot & run after Edith there? and Ava's admission to herself that she loves Edith, and that Edith changed her lifeā¦ i think it says more about me that i wasn't against her moving to Frankfurt with Julian. because at least she had someone who ostensibly wanted her, and what more is there, right? but that's not what i was meant to take away. it's a little bit romcom, but chase after the person you wronged in a transit hub and get them back; don't settle for the emotionally stunted man-child. (i do actually kind of like Julian though, despite his politics [Miles is right]). i also appreciate that the book is a vessel for talking about these things: even though you lovely storygraphians did not ask to hear any of this, it's nice to be able to express it.
i want to talk about the ending. at first i was disappointed, asking myself how the author could think that's a good place to stop. but i read it back and there's more to it:
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Biphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Lesbophobia, Abortion, Classism, and Cursing
Minor: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Bullying, Colonisation, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Addiction, Body shaming, Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Drug use, and Fatphobia
coreysbooks's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan
āļøāļø/5 for me
Main character doesnāt get a lot of character development, a love triangle between our bisexual main character and her male roomie banker and a female lovely lawyer. Our main character is kind of cruel, she blatantly used both people, and then goes back to the banker in the end. Sheās dishonest, and uses the people she ālovesā. I think the only reason I finished is I loved the voice of the audiobook narrator.
āļøāļø/5 for me
Main character doesnāt get a lot of character development, a love triangle between our bisexual main character and her male roomie banker and a female lovely lawyer. Our main character is kind of cruel, she blatantly used both people, and then goes back to the banker in the end. Sheās dishonest, and uses the people she ālovesā. I think the only reason I finished is I loved the voice of the audiobook narrator.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Rape, Racism, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Death, and Cultural appropriation
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