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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Enjoyed the inner monologues. Ava is witty and emotionally unstable (relatable much?). Being inside her head got me thinking about how people can overthink everything in such different ways (In Ava’s case, everything that happens or can happen has an obvious and natural connection to language or class or both). These periods inside her head, when she made these (sometimes far-fetched, but always interesting) connections, were my favorite parts of the novel.
Something I did not enjoy as much is that, similarly to Sally Rooney (with whom Dolan is commonly compared), politics is mentioned in a very surface-level binary view that borderlines populism. It’s almost like - capitalism, marxism… choose your fighter.
I believe there can/should be space, even in contemporary literature that’s supposed to be quick and easy-going, for more complex characters that don’t live in a world of binary ideologies (? this is a personal wish, I guess).
Breaking it down, I think that I actually prefer this novel to both that I've read of Sally Rooney... so that is an unpopular opinion.
Ps - Do people still text in all lowercase? I remember being 15 and purposely doing that to look cool
Something I did not enjoy as much is that, similarly to Sally Rooney (with whom Dolan is commonly compared), politics is mentioned in a very surface-level binary view that borderlines populism. It’s almost like - capitalism, marxism… choose your fighter.
I believe there can/should be space, even in contemporary literature that’s supposed to be quick and easy-going, for more complex characters that don’t live in a world of binary ideologies (? this is a personal wish, I guess).
Breaking it down, I think that I actually prefer this novel to both that I've read of Sally Rooney... so that is an unpopular opinion.
Ps - Do people still text in all lowercase? I remember being 15 and purposely doing that to look cool
this book…. like i totally understand (and to a degree agree with) why people dislike this book. but geez it just did something to me. some lines made me laugh out loud, some hit so hard i felt like a part - that would have to be very talented in writing - of myself had written it, and some lines i read knowing that regardless of whatever else happens i will give this book 5 stars. definitely one for the sally rooney fans as there is such raw and heart wrenching writing woven through a ‘modern’ (relatable) plot, but i’m not sure if i should recommend this to people. you could adore it like me, you could find it boring like a lot of people on here; it can be the blandest thing you’ve read since Crime and Punishment, or it can have a vice grip on your heart, or i suppose it can be a nice warm, easy read to boost your reading goal.
‘You broke up with the love of your life because you saw how much power they had to hurt you.’
ps i actually loved crime and punishment, don’t come at me
‘You broke up with the love of your life because you saw how much power they had to hurt you.’
ps i actually loved crime and punishment, don’t come at me
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Somewhere between the Marxist commentary and passive voice, this book managed to be both boring and casually racist. There were moments that almost said something interesting, but then retreated back into irony and ignorance. 2 ⭐️ for potential, not execution.
emotional
medium-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
i really enjoyed this, up until the fuckass ending. might have received 5 stars from me if it had stopped about 75 pages earlier
This was a great book to read while doing an english teaching assistantship abroad. While I didn’t find Ava to be the most relatable, I suppose we share the fact that we found ways to avoid paying rent during our time. Her relationship with Julian was difficult to support at first because she was so deeply insecure but I loved her character development when she was with Edith and in the end, I thought her and Julian’s codependency was endearing.
I feel like her story is a cool commentary about how finding the right person for you (no matter how suave you can be) depends on self-confidence and acceptance.
I feel like her story is a cool commentary about how finding the right person for you (no matter how suave you can be) depends on self-confidence and acceptance.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Jesus Ava wanted to be special and different so badly that she couldn’t see that people actually liked her.
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes