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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
Captivating and light writing style. I was drawn in and found the story juicy. I definitely want to read more Eve Babitz. However, the strong title, Sex and Rage, was not befitting this novel. I, as many others, did not come across much of either. I was a tad confused near the end about what the mood was during a crucial plot point. Therefore, I found the novel to lack a strong ending.
this book is an exhilarating portrayal of the feminine lust for detail. eve babitz graces her reader with intricate descriptions of the mundane, as she lets her observations of a crowded room take flight into a story of their own. her deliberate satire flirts with self-deprecation as she writes the narrative of a woman who fumbles with the precarious decisions on how to live her life under the sun and among the waves of the pacific she grew up in. babitz captures not only the disorientation of desire but the puzzle of leftover longing from the night before, even from a life before. her novel encapsulates the difficulty of genuine confidence when one has become familiar to feeling in debt to someone, or a world she's grown out of.
Between 2 and 3 stars - I liked some of the writing but the story didn’t really grab me at all and the characters felt quite flat plus there wasn’t much sex or rage at all
Tried this for a second time. It's just not for me. All the reviews I read describe this as immersive and dreamlike, and I can see how Babitz was going for that but it just didn't click for me. I found Jacaranda insufferable and could barely keep track of the characters, let alone care about them. I was interested in the underlying story about exploitation but to me, the details and pacing of the story were so boring that I couldn't force myself to keep reading. I guess I just don't get Babitz.
dark
reflective
medium-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
I am beginning to wonder, if we fancy ourselves so clever, why we don't refer to them as "Culture War One" and "Culture War Two". We could even call the first one "The Great Culture War". Because that's definitely the better one.
3.5 Stars for this one - Eve Babitz is excellent. I mean no disrespect to say she is a "beach-read" version of Joan Didion (Yes I know I gave a bunch of silly stories about a time-travelling cafe four stars earlier - women are mercurial, or something).
You're not getting anything overtly revolutionary in Sex & Rage. Honestly you're not getting a lot of either sex or rage at all. But you are getting a wonderful, salty, bohemian-bourgeoisie atmosphere to play in for a while; until you get sleepy, and make your peace with the fact you'll never be a surfer in 1970s California and it's very unlikely that anyone is ever going to let you smoke inside at a party again.
I really didn't twig to this being semi-autobiographical in nature until Jac runs into the utterly iconic photo of Eve herself playing chess with Marcel Duchamp. (On another note - calling yourself Rubenesque, Eve? I don't fucking think so.) Delightful.
After a while, it all starts to become a little hazy, and the ease and languor with which Eve so skilfully writes becomes a tad dreary. There's not a lot to get deeply invested in, to be honest. The writing style was so good that I am definitely going to try another one of hers again, though - which is more than I can say about other 3.5 star books I have read.
3.5 Stars for this one - Eve Babitz is excellent. I mean no disrespect to say she is a "beach-read" version of Joan Didion (Yes I know I gave a bunch of silly stories about a time-travelling cafe four stars earlier - women are mercurial, or something).
You're not getting anything overtly revolutionary in Sex & Rage. Honestly you're not getting a lot of either sex or rage at all. But you are getting a wonderful, salty, bohemian-bourgeoisie atmosphere to play in for a while; until you get sleepy, and make your peace with the fact you'll never be a surfer in 1970s California and it's very unlikely that anyone is ever going to let you smoke inside at a party again.
I really didn't twig to this being semi-autobiographical in nature until Jac runs into the utterly iconic photo of Eve herself playing chess with Marcel Duchamp. (On another note - calling yourself Rubenesque, Eve? I don't fucking think so.) Delightful.
After a while, it all starts to become a little hazy, and the ease and languor with which Eve so skilfully writes becomes a tad dreary. There's not a lot to get deeply invested in, to be honest. The writing style was so good that I am definitely going to try another one of hers again, though - which is more than I can say about other 3.5 star books I have read.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
adventurous
challenging
funny
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
She says the words, sex and rage 3 times but never really elaborates on either word beyond being a concept she seems to fear or dread.