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katmanica's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
0.25
This entire review will contain spoilers, so I will wrap the rest in the spoiler tag.
Whilst I thought the discussion around mental ill health and bipolar disorder really important, I felt throughout that something wasn't quite right about its representation. The point of the novel was to follow the marriage plot, and the ways in which Madeleine truly loved Leonard. It explored how she fed on his episodes of mania, and that she didn't or wouldn't notice that there was a change in his behaviour because his changes made her feel good. I think that was a really honest exploration to how needing to conceal mental ill health is harmful to individuals with mental ill health. Basically, that Leonard had to hide his mental ill health because society judges and fears honesty around mental health, it put him in harms way. That conversation was important. Also, I didn't find any of the characters likeable, and I think that it was important to have unlikeable characters with mental ill health because it is reflective of real life.
That said: this book was so embedded in whiteness that I hate-read large portions of it. It envisioned the USA as entirely absent of nonwhite people. It used heavy-handed language to establish plot points. I.E., Mitchell was sitting "Indian" style or that he looked like a "swami" on the day of their graduation from Brown to introduce that he was going to be travelling to India. The stuff set in India was, yes probably a highlight of how white people go to India to save it in neocolonial ways, but could have benefited from being critical of that at any point--or even representing nonwhite people in joyous circumstances (as in not focusing on pain and poverty and bodily effluvia of nonwhite people). This is just one example, but the whole book was exhausting from being like this.
It was trying to be feminist, but then turned into being about Mitchell's development of empathy...his word, not mine. Letting the girl be free to make her own choices.
I also understand why other readers find the book pretentious. This book is very caught up in the idea of the natural genius--like the Romantic idea of the male genius. And, I thought we were over that trope.
That said: this book was so embedded in whiteness that I hate-read large portions of it. It envisioned the USA as entirely absent of nonwhite people. It used heavy-handed language to establish plot points. I.E., Mitchell was sitting "Indian" style or that he looked like a "swami" on the day of their graduation from Brown to introduce that he was going to be travelling to India. The stuff set in India was, yes probably a highlight of how white people go to India to save it in neocolonial ways, but could have benefited from being critical of that at any point--or even representing nonwhite people in joyous circumstances (as in not focusing on pain and poverty and bodily effluvia of nonwhite people). This is just one example, but the whole book was exhausting from being like this.
It was trying to be feminist, but then turned into being about Mitchell's development of empathy...his word, not mine. Letting the girl be free to make her own choices.
I also understand why other readers find the book pretentious. This book is very caught up in the idea of the natural genius--like the Romantic idea of the male genius. And, I thought we were over that trope.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
beetsnotbombs's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Addiction, and Sexual content
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