Reviews with content warning for Racism - Las Virgenes Suicidas

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Las Virgenes Suicidas by Jeffrey Eugenides

72 reviews

charlies_shelf's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

1.5

So; The Virgin Suicides by Jeffery Eugenides is a book. That's one thing that is certain, and while opinions differ on if it's good or bad there's a few things that are again, certain.

This book includes sexism, hypersexuality of minors, racism and Ableism. Some mentioned less than others.

Now as to my personal opinion, keep in mind there will be spoilers from here on out.

I liked page 190 and 191 simply because of the music. But that's honestly where it stops.

The person who's telling us the story seems to end off with anger. Anger because "he was wronged". An example of this is the sentence; "they made us participate in their own madness,...".

Not only that but there's barely to no build up to the end, which just like everything else has good and bad sections.

Would I call this a bad book? No.
Would I call this a good book? No.
Because nothing is ever good or bad.

That's why I rate this book a 1.5/5.

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jessepinkman's review against another edition

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dark sad

5.0

Perharps the most hateable narrator (and group of boys) I've ever encountered in literature, or maybeeeee even in art in general. Just despicable little bitches. Anyway I need to sit with this a little, but one aspect that I haven't seen discussed a lot is the racism in this book. It's clearly a commentary on the racial aspect of suburbs or how towns/cities in general are segregated. This the author also shows in the workforce, through making sure to specify f.e. that a maid is black. Anyway I hope it was intentioned to be commentary and not the author being a racist, I'm gonna have to look into him a little.

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eveattwood's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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theatomicblonde22's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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toffishay's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

As a lifelong Michigander, it was high time that I read this book that so often makes listicles for the quintessential "Michigan Gothic". I can certainly see how it fits the bill. The premise of five young girls trapped in a house becoming more and more isolated from their crumbling suburban community and losing hope for a future until they all commit suicide is extremely Gothic. The premise is that the story is being told years later by a group of men who were obsessed with with Lisbon girls when they were all younger, back when the suicides happened. They have collected evidence, memorabilia, and stories from anything and anyone who was even a little connected to the girls. The need that the men have to collect and analyze everything about them is an analysis and criticism of the ways that boys idealize girls, seeing them as pretty objects so separate from themselves, but ultimately they are all the same. It is an interesting story all about decline, death, the loss of ourselves and our communities.

I think that the story loses me not in the plot, but in the pacing. It comes out hot out of the gate and then things really slow down after the first two chapters and don't pick up again until the very end. I also think that the characterization of some of the girls suffers from the short length and that the space that is used is to add color to that world. Setting the scene is important of course and makes the characters feel more real, but I would have liked a little more insight into some of the older Lisbon daughters like Therese, Mary, and Bonnie. Cecilia and Lux are interesting, but I would have liked a deeper dive all around.

If I were to compare it, it does put me in a mind frame of Don Delillo's White Noise. I don't like The Virgin Suicides quite that much, but I do think that they have similar themes of the decline of the white American suburban ideal, the falseness behind it all.

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