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eli7eb's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
booksmacked's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Abortion, and Vomit
ombudsman's review against another edition
4.0
on some level, this is a book about being lost - in new surroundings and schedules, among other people, within our own thoughts and desires. but on another it's an intense personal drama centred on a triad of girls, with a mysterious tragedy ending the book. the union of the two is impressive: intimacy with huge social reverberations.
foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
3.0
A relatively thin novel saved from mediocrity by Mantel's precise and moving prose. Carmel is the first of her family to attend university: it is 1970, and she is desperate to prove herself among more wealthy and cultured girls at her halls of residence. But Julianne and Karina, who both attended her convent school in the north of England, are there too, and remain central presences in her life. The novel follows Carmel's first year at university, while also evoking her childhood. Mostly enjoyable to read, this swings along easily, but is weighed down by a melodramatic end. I don't particularly recommend this, but it passes the time.
sb27's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was intrigued to read something if Hilary Mantel's as I haven't read her more famous novels. Lovely writing style, beautifully discriptive. Interesting to read about life for women in the 70s.
cehknight's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
3.5
rojaed's review against another edition
3.0
Mantel is a good and wise writer. This is an interesting book, but it’s hard to get a handle on the plot. It seems to be a study of a psychopath, as well as a coming of age. A lot has been left out, leaving it up to the reader to join the dots.
diana_eveline's review
3.0
“So many years of preparation, for what was called adult life: was it for this?”
After years of preparing for it, Carmel McBain goes to university in 1970, London. From a young age, she showed promise in academia and her parents were eager for her to do well, perhaps even a little too eager. At school, her curiosity was punished many times over since it was not how a young girl should behave. Now that she is established at a good university, she can let out a sigh of relief. Or so she thought... She can easily keep up with the work but she is quickly running out of money. The kitchens barely feed the students a proper meal and Carmel goes the extra mile on saving money by skipping lunches and have tiny breakfasts. Food is the only thing she feels she has any control over and she quickly deteriorates. Disaster strikes when she is finally recovering in the care of her friends.
This book was not entirely my thing. I didn't dislike it, I quite liked some elements of it. I really understand the development of her eating disorder and saw it coming before it had manifested itself into something that nearly swallowed her whole. The one thing that I struggled with a bit was Karina. Not just her ways but also who she was/is. When the building went up into flames and Karina's roommate was still in her room and Karina was outside with the fur coat, I got so angry. I couldn't properly make out how Carmel drew conclusions from this but she seemed to avoid coming to a detrimental conclusion. Not me, Karina must have locked her in and sentenced her to death in doing so. Horrible...
Overall, an interesting read. It just didn't manage to hold my attention quite like most books do.
After years of preparing for it, Carmel McBain goes to university in 1970, London. From a young age, she showed promise in academia and her parents were eager for her to do well, perhaps even a little too eager. At school, her curiosity was punished many times over since it was not how a young girl should behave. Now that she is established at a good university, she can let out a sigh of relief. Or so she thought... She can easily keep up with the work but she is quickly running out of money. The kitchens barely feed the students a proper meal and Carmel goes the extra mile on saving money by skipping lunches and have tiny breakfasts. Food is the only thing she feels she has any control over and she quickly deteriorates. Disaster strikes when she is finally recovering in the care of her friends.
This book was not entirely my thing. I didn't dislike it, I quite liked some elements of it. I really understand the development of her eating disorder and saw it coming before it had manifested itself into something that nearly swallowed her whole. The one thing that I struggled with a bit was Karina. Not just her ways but also who she was/is. When the building went up into flames and Karina's roommate was still in her room and Karina was outside with the fur coat, I got so angry. I couldn't properly make out how Carmel drew conclusions from this but she seemed to avoid coming to a detrimental conclusion. Not me, Karina must have locked her in and sentenced her to death in doing so. Horrible...
Overall, an interesting read. It just didn't manage to hold my attention quite like most books do.
sabdep'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
2.5