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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
funny
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The book was amusing and an absorbing read. The personal aspects of the story weave in nicely with the local politics which in turn reflect a vision of the two societies portrayed at the time in question. Often I end up annoyed with stories like this because I find the characters can be aggravating and the tone can vary between being patronising and depressing. This book didn't fall into those pitfalls. While the character were clearly flawed and made some poor decisions they retained a sense of warmth (I had a few concerns in this regard with Philip at one stage - his character was starting to loose me - but it all pulled back swiftly). The characters are people you want to stick with to the end. The settings, while flawed in ways that reflect reality, appears outrageous so it strikes a balance between being familiar and being larger-than-life.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
Eighties teen bf & gf switch bodies because of a fairy godfather who lives in a computer (of course), and the sex-obsessed boy never feels up the breasts he suddenly has.
You can guess which part of this I simply don't believe.
Look, this book is not very well written. No human being has ever behaved or spoken like the characters in this book, ever. But beyond the stiltedness of the prose, you can see Smith trying to get across some real, honest messages about the pressures teens feel: to have sex, to succeed, to conform to societal norms. Smith is clearly constrained by the time and the medium, or maybe her own discomfort -- hey, I don't know this lady -- and the inability to actually talk about bodies when talking about sex makes even the book's best moments feel corseted. And yet: ultimately, this is a screed against toxic masculinity. A quiet, restrained, 1986 teen lit screed, but one nonetheless.
So, four for you, Susan Smith! A noble effort.
You can guess which part of this I simply don't believe.
Look, this book is not very well written. No human being has ever behaved or spoken like the characters in this book, ever. But beyond the stiltedness of the prose, you can see Smith trying to get across some real, honest messages about the pressures teens feel: to have sex, to succeed, to conform to societal norms. Smith is clearly constrained by the time and the medium, or maybe her own discomfort -- hey, I don't know this lady -- and the inability to actually talk about bodies when talking about sex makes even the book's best moments feel corseted. And yet: ultimately, this is a screed against toxic masculinity. A quiet, restrained, 1986 teen lit screed, but one nonetheless.
So, four for you, Susan Smith! A noble effort.
To everyone who was telling me I should read this: you were right, you were right, you were so so right. One of my favorite books is [a: Kingsley Amis|13078|Kingsley Amis|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1206565493p2/13078.jpg]' [b: Lucky Jim|395182|Lucky Jim|Kingsley Amis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1373459729l/395182._SY75_.jpg|876732], so of course I would love Lodge's academic comedy—especially since it comes with the bonus of being set in Birmingham and Berkeley. They're not called Birmingham and Berkeley, of course, but if you have any familiarity with either locale, it becomes even more amusing to "decode" the various place names (i.e., Silver Span, Cable Avenue, etc.). Further, the way Lodge plays with format (epistolary, newspaper clippings, film script) is both fun and effective, and there's a delightful amount of meta-humor. In short, I enjoyed this immensely.
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes