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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
reflective
medium-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
Naoise Dolan did something I thought was impossible — she managed to scratch my Sally Rooney itch. I truly love Sally's stories. I'm 25, and your twenties are such a wild, chaotic time for character-building. Books have become a way for me to explore those changes in myself. It's honestly a bit terrible how much I resonate with flawed white women, and I know that comes from a place of privilege. These books are both incredible and problematic for how they shape my understanding of self.
Exciting Times is set in Hong Kong — a chaotic, expat-filled city that I have zero personal experience with, but reading this book made me feel the heat, the noise, and the overwhelming density of it all. The story follows a young woman working as a barely-paid teacher and her complicated relationships with a man and a woman — both of whom earn significantly more than she does.
The novel explores privilege through the lenses of money, race, and social class, all seen from the perspective of a pretty, self-aware white woman living abroad. It’s sharp, clever, and the characters aren’t exactly lovable — they’re messy, often wrong, and full of contradictions, which I loved.
I sincerely recommend this book. It’s not a full 5 stars for me because the prose isn’t quite as polished as it could be — but it’s close. Solid 4.25.
Exciting Times is set in Hong Kong — a chaotic, expat-filled city that I have zero personal experience with, but reading this book made me feel the heat, the noise, and the overwhelming density of it all. The story follows a young woman working as a barely-paid teacher and her complicated relationships with a man and a woman — both of whom earn significantly more than she does.
The novel explores privilege through the lenses of money, race, and social class, all seen from the perspective of a pretty, self-aware white woman living abroad. It’s sharp, clever, and the characters aren’t exactly lovable — they’re messy, often wrong, and full of contradictions, which I loved.
I sincerely recommend this book. It’s not a full 5 stars for me because the prose isn’t quite as polished as it could be — but it’s close. Solid 4.25.
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
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
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
INCREDIBLE!!! The language was poetic, thought-provoking, and packed a punch. Part Virginia Woolf with the stream of consciousness with borrowed elements of “perhapsing” from creative nonfiction. I found myself frequently rereading lines because they were so beautiful. It’s a shame for the author’s sake that two of the five quotes on the back of the book compared her to Sally Rooney, applying she is in the latter’s shadow. In reality, I like Dolan’s writing style better. I have no notes.
I didn't actually expect that I would love this novel as much as I did. It felt a lot like "Sally Rooney novel", and it's fantastic. I understand why many people didn't like it and gave it low ratings, but luckily I'm not one of them, and it worked for me!
slow-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
This was such a disappointment after reading Happy Couple last year. The main character needs to be shaken and shouted at a bit by someone she isn't having sex with. Edith is the only one here I respect.
challenging
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was recommended EXCITING TIMES as a book that would fill the Sally Rooney shaped hole in my life. Naoise Dolan and Rooney’s female, Irish protagonists share a lot including an ambivalence towards life, socialist ideology, and the feeling that they are too damaged to love. But these commonalities stem less from the similarities in their writers and more from the problems afflicting this generation of people in their 20s. I found the setting of Hong Kong to be immersive and I love how Ava’s inherent Irish-ness brushed against the various expats and residents of the city. The analysis of language and how it shapes who we are as cultures was probably my favorite through-line of the book. And the good but uncertain ending was perfect.