Reviews with content warning for Rape - Exciting Times

Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan

33 reviews

oliviaclaire's review against another edition

dark funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I feel like the fact that I'm not a fan of Sally Rooney probably saved this book for me as trying to live up to that literary hype is a lot for any other story.

I think, and on reflection hope, that the title is ironic as not much happens outside the head of our protagonist, where too much happens all too often. In a way, this would fit with Ava's character and with the brand of humour a lot of the characters in this novel subscribe to. I would consider this a character driven novel, maybe even a character study, rather than a book with a particularly strong plot.

What I enjoyed most was the writing style. It's witty and charming and I flew through the story in two days. Perhaps if you are a slower reader this could drag due to the afformentioned lack of plot but for a quick read it's actually a unique and oddly entertaining insight into the mind of a young expat with some unresolved issues around identity, sexuality and self-appraisal.

Because of this my main gripe is the mildly disappointing ending, which I'm sure other people see as the only upside to the story. I feel like Ava deciding to make the right decision, be brave, get the girl, insert additional cliché, removed from the idea that we don't always make that last minute run through the airport, that perfectly articulated heartfelt declaration. Sometimes we chicken out or we don't have an introspective realisation and life takes us on a different path and I think that having that neat happy ending tagged on awkwardly at the end of the story makes the entirety of the preceding 250 pages seem wasted.

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megold12's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted reflective slow-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

4.5

I really enjoyed this book and the writing style. The way the characters communicate and the flow of conversations was fun and engaging. I struggle on whether to give this a 4.5 or 5 because the part I started to not care for was the main character. You’re in the main characters head the whole time, and by the end she really started to annoy me with how little she was changing or growing - repeating the same habits and internal monologues that were very self-pitying. However, that was also the point, and so the author appeared to do a very good job of getting that across. The main character just grew tiresome for me and I wished for more dialogue between characters than internal monologues by the end of the book

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sophieburkhardt's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

If I wanted to hear stories about a wanker banker with no emotions and a self loathing expat who fell into teaching, I’d go to my high school reunion.

As a Hong Konger, it was exciting to read about my city in an authentic way, it’s just a shame it was through the eyes of characters with so few redeeming qualities that it makes the otherwise vibrant setting of Hong Kong seem as vapid as they are.

In spite of the above, Dolan makes some interesting and insightful connections between Dublin and Hong Kong, and the relationship between both places’ fraught history with the British Empire. The most interesting of these are the comparisons of the Irish, Cantonese, and English languages. Her descriptions of Hong Kong and the things twenty-something expats and returning international students get up to was amusing due to it’s almost-there accuracy. It was uncanny how someone was so close to understanding the nuance of life here, while simultaneously missing it completely. Had this book not been set in my home city, it would have been a “did not finish”.

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woolfism's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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culown's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

It wad kinda hard to get through. There were parts were the writing style was really great, but sometimes the book lacked the ability to keep you engaged.

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squibberoni's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

The one positive thing I took away was that it was (I think) the first book I read that was set in contemporary Hong Kong and had all these descriptions of the city after I've lived in it. It was surreal and fascinating to read about Central and the MTR station and the cinema on Paterson street and all these places I've passed countless times and been to myself. Kinda see how Westerners feel abt most books now lol. The writing was also very - cultured? There were like long witty trains of thought. But mostly the story and characters made me feel lowkey depressed about life. Didn't like it that much but needed to finish it. Also the ending was so inconclusive - I read for the ending and it did not satisfy. So ehh.

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