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tulilipz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Racism
Moderate: Eating disorder, Abortion, and Police brutality
Minor: Alcoholism, Suicide, Animal death, and Drug use
agatha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.75
Die Handlung war ebenfalls sehr interessiert und ganz anders, als alles, was ich seit langer Zeit gelesen habe. Edie ist so schonungslos ehrlich mit sich selbst und ihren Gefühlen und Gedanken und wie sie andere Menschen um sich herum wahrnimmt und diese deutet.
Viele Dinge bleiben ungesagt in diesem Buch und man konnte sich nicht wirklich an die Charaktere gewöhnen und sich mit ihnen anfreunden, weil dafür nicht genügend Zeit war.
Aber es war ein sehr, sehr interessanter Einblick in das Leben von Edie, in die Vorurteile und die Angst, die sie begleiten. Ich fand die Beziehung zwischen ihr und Akila jedoch sehr schön. Es wurden viele Themenbereiche abgedeckt - wie die Comic Con, Kunst, der Job als Patholog*in, die Vergangenheit von Edie und ihren Eltern etc. Vieles davon hat auf jeden Fall neugierig gemacht und vieles war auch tragisch zu lesen. Das Ende ist sehr offen, aber wunderschön geschrieben.
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Alcoholism, and Abortion
codecat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness and Miscarriage
Moderate: Racism, Classism, Eating disorder, Gore, and Racial slurs
Minor: Abortion, Alcoholism, and Animal death
gummifrog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Abortion, Blood, Miscarriage, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug use, Medical content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Excrement, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Infertility, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Alcoholism, and Murder
Minor: Vomit, Gun violence, Car accident, and Animal death
alsri's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A rich deep and honest look into a life I will never understand being so far removed in my own personal circumstance and yet I was still able to relate with many of Edie’s thoughts and emotions. There were times I felt pity and care for her and times I felt jealous, her artistic ability, her confidence, her ability to understand and acknowledge her emotions.
I wouldn’t recommend this book to everyone but I wish that many people discover it them selves
Graphic: Miscarriage, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, and Racism
Moderate: Abortion
julianicolls's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ADDED: changing from 3.5 to 3.75 stars after doing some analysis and reflecting more on the characters. Would have rated higher if I liked the style of writing
Graphic: Sexual violence, Abortion, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Drug use and Suicide
avocadotoastbee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Edie, a 23-year-old black woman living and finding her way in New York, tries to fill the void left by her loneliness with sex.
The title "Luster" makes sense in this regard. However, the novel wasn't just about sex and lust. For most of the time, the novel depicts the pain and anguish of each character.
Edie: loneliness, loss of her job and apartment, living with her (much older) lover's family, daddy issues, childhood trauma
Rebecca: marital problems, dealing with her husband's younger lover, not wanting to be a mother but having a child
Eric: substance abuse, marital problems, infertility
Akila: childhood trauma, abandonment issues due to multiple adoptive families, the only black kid in the neighborhood, disordered eating
In some ways I hated all the characters and didn't find them likable, but I could also identify with small parts of each character.
While I loved how Raven Leilani described the dynamics between the characters and Edie's thought processes, I didn't like how stuffed with "internet wisdom" the book was. It felt to me like Leilani was trying to sprinkle a little self-help book vibe into the story.
Also, the power dynamic that results from the massive age difference in Edie and Eric's relationship wasn't romanticized, but it also wasn't portrayed for what it really is. Throughout the book, everyone blamed Edie, but really Edie is a victim of Eric.
At least by the end of the novel, Edie admits this.
"He is the most obvious thing that has ever happened to me, and all around the city it is happening to other silly, half-formed women excited by men who've simply met the prerequisite of living a little more life, a terribly unspecial thing that is just what happens when you keep on getting up and brushing your teeth and going to work and ignoring the whisper that comes to you at night and tells you it would be easier to be dead."
Overall, Luster was a good debut novel that deals with important issues and the life experiences of young black women. I can't wait to see where Raven Leilani is going.
Graphic: Racism, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Mental illness
Moderate: Blood, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Police brutality, Animal death, Abandonment, Eating disorder, Infertility, Abortion, Classism, and Drug abuse
sabmanosa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The power and sex dynamics made me very uncomfortable, and I don’t know if the plot had a point, but not necessarily in a bad way. I didn’t learn anything from it, I just experienced the book. I’m interested in reading some of her shorter works, because I feel like I would enjoy them more with her writing style.
Graphic: Miscarriage, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Abortion and Pregnancy
tenderbench's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Abortion, Blood, Miscarriage, and Police brutality
Minor: Addiction, Eating disorder, Grief, Drug use, Domestic abuse, and Infertility
littlemaggiemae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death and Racism
Moderate: Suicide and Abortion