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valjeanval's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism and Death
Moderate: Bullying, Racial slurs, Cursing, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Rape, Alcohol, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Grief
zoiejanelle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
as someone who works in publishing… this book was so meta. it was actually jarring to read about such familiar circumstances, famous figures, and social niches. i was completely immersed from the get and i did not want to put this book down for a single second.
my jaw dropped in chapter one, and dropped, and dropped, and dropped—it nearly fell off. every twist was so captivating. themes of theft, plagiarism, greed, envy, narcissism, and OF COURSE racism and false allyship were expertly woven into the narrative. at times i felt hit over the head with the message, but not because of any fault of the author, but because of the startling realism of June’s character.
June was such an unreliable narrator, Nick Carraway is shaking in his boots! it was absolutely hilarious how often the characters referenced Fitzgerald, and the other literary references didn’t go unnoticed either!
i loved that the resolution wasn’t black and white—it felt completely realistic and perfectly appalling. and the moral resolution wasn’t totally black and white either. because Athena was dead, because both June and Candace and every other character is complex and flawed, because business and the arts are so complicated, there was notable nuance to some of the messaging about legacy, retellings, and what artists DESERVE.
this is a must read for any and everyone interested in the publishing industry, and for white people willing to do some introspection about their own implicit biases in both their creative pursuits and their careers.
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, and Racism
Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Cultural appropriation, Classism, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Cursing, Body shaming, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
stephmcoakley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Bullying, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Body shaming, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Racism, Rape, Toxic friendship, Classism, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Cultural appropriation, and Sexual violence
setaggu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Racism, Rape, Cultural appropriation, Bullying, Grief, Stalking, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming
sari_in_space's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Death, Gaslighting, Racism, Sexual assault, and Bullying
Minor: Body shaming, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship
clairew97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
The main character is as insufferable and delusional as you would expect. Her justifications for her actions were wild to me, but I also believe that there are people out there who think like June does.
The exploration of racism within the publishing industry and the insight into the industry was incredibly interesting. Also, the exploration into the online world as a writer was an interesting take. The ending took me completely by surprise and I was hooked.
A completely satirical look into the publishing world and life as an author, I don’t think anyone else could have handled the premise of this book quite as well. A complete 180 from Babel, so if you’re looking for that type of book again this is definitely not it. I can’t wait to see where R F Kuang goes next.
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, War, Blood, Alcohol, Classism, Sexual assault, Sexism, Bullying, Homophobia, Racism, Stalking, Violence, Grief, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Body horror, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, and Racial slurs