Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Big Swiss

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Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

395 reviews

bamlady's review against another edition

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dark funny medium-paced

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

4.0

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jam_03's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

The themes of this book are so fun to read and very unique. I did enjoy reading the transcripts that Greta was writing.

I didn't feel very connected to any of the characters, except Piñon, which made it harder for me to want to keep reading. Maybe it just went over my head but I think it's overhyped.

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brewingdaisies's review against another edition

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challenging emotional lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

—a good read for psychology students/enthusiasts. I enjoyed reading the transcripts, being in people's minds (especially greta's) and seeing how fucking unhinged everybody is. LMAO. not your average small town story, that's for

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raccoongremlin's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book brought me through all the emotions and really took me up and down, I cried at the end when Greta did her therapy session talking about her mum. This book really took me, and Greta through everything. I loved Greta so much, and Big Swiss, and Sabine almost as much. I think I saw some of myself in Greta, she's just so authentic and real, she says whats on her mind, which is sometimes too much and I find my self saying "nooo why did you say that!" outloud when reading. Overall I really loved it, although I think it could've had a better ending.
I'm looking foreward to the film coming out but I'm sure it can't live up to how good the book is and they probably won't imagine the characters how I have. I love Greta and am deeply attached to her, I want to see her get more therapy, do up the house with Sabine and start a long term relationship with the 'Big Swiss'. I want to see her happy and I think she almost got that at the end, I just wish her mum couldv'e seen that too and found that.

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glitterdeww's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Just about everything in this book is an A+, and I need to give it all that credit up front. The plot setup of Big Swiss is brilliant. An emotionally immature woman in her 40s has on a whim, uprooted her life, moved in to a friend's 300 year old dilapidated farm house in a small New York town, started a job as a transcriptionist to a sex therapist, and became infatuated with a client that she hears through the recordings. I see why this is supposed to be an HBO series (if they just get a move on, already). You look at that cover, and you know this is going to be an unhinged, horny, and hilarious novel, and it sure holds up on each of those aspects.

Pairing with the "bigness" of the title, there is certainly a BIG messy energy all throughout this book. Each one of these characters put out an intense but yet imaginable chaos. I feel like I have seen versions of these people in the wild. They are exceptionally written.

Speaking of messy, Big Swiss is also a great depiction of unreliable narrators. Jen Beagin uses transcripts from those aforementioned therapy sessions AND the POV's unhinged internal monologue to show how memories and storytelling aren't dependable from person to person.

Now all that said, are there things in this book that simply aren't for me? Yes, 100%, and that will bring down my rating a smidge. Because reviewing IS a subjective activity, no matter how you come at it. The POV character of Greta... I wanted to. Throw. Her. Off. A. Bridge. 🤣. Goddamnit lol I ended up pushing through some parts quickly because I just couldn't personally stand her actions anymore. I could never be her friend, Sabine is a saint, and Big Swiss needs even more therapy. So again, the characters in this book DO get 5 stars, because she's supposed to be the pitiful, gross, traumatized, selfish mess that she is. I believe that is entirely on purpose, so well done... But I still didn't *enjoy* wanting to smack her so much.

Plot: 5

Characters: 5

Craft: 4.5

Engagement: 4

SPARK: 3

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ella_bibliophile_98's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Loved this book - favourite of this year - a great mix of
Humour, emotion, wit and beautiful descriptions - I liked the mix of transcription dialogue and real dialogue, the characterisation felt very natural and the story was a good pace, it didn’t drag too much.

I like how it explored the complicated nature of the human experience and the need to feel wanted and loved, and how our trauma follows us even when we don’t want it to, and the barriers we put up to protect ourselves. The way it dealt with sexuality, age, mental illness and self improvement was interesting too.

I liked the quirkiness of the town and the characters

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