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megpotter's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have never read a book quite like this. Taylor's prose is beautiful and visceral, and I feel like this will be a classic in the not to far off future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Toxic friendship, Religious bigotry, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
bitsandbobsdivination's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I’m not huge into literally fiction, but I do read a few of them and it’s typically a hit or miss for me. In this case, it’s more difficult to explain how I feel.
On one side, I felt the writing itself was done really well and if their writing was winning awards on creating a visceral and ‘real life’ response from you, then it definitely done it’s job.
On the other hand, this story didn’t really go anywhere in that there was no resolution and just was kinda faltering from one subject to another. Not all stories have to have a resolution, but usually even then there is a bit of a development in the story or character growth in at least one of the characters. In this story, I felt no one grew, only explored more of their pain in an unhealthy way or lost themselves more to it.
To me, this story showed us some very important, difficult, and painful topics that deserve to be shared... This I don’t disagree with and again, was done very well in expressing them, and at the same time they were shown and felt by us the readers, but never explored to show any way of challenging these topics…
No way of showing the reader any hope, any growth, or to show the that the narrative of Wallace’s life could improve or deviate from the snowball event it has been and seems to continue to be. Also the side white characters never growing either which is not on Wallace to fix, but them (myself included) to learn and do better.
I suppose for some, ‘real life’ really can be and is that painful and this story shows that, and I respect that. We all live life with our own array of pain and trauma and heartache and suffering and it’s difficult to compare or ever really understand, and this story shows one voice in one ‘real life’.
I think for me it was pretty painful to see Wallace continue to suffer and never get any real help, resolve, or real support, only more to add to his already painful list, including the other character’s lists as well.
Overall, this story left me feeling like I learned from his perspective as well as the others, but also left me a bit at odds with my feelings towards it as my personal view of life is quite an optimistic or hopeful one! This although is coming from my own personal perspective with heartaches and challenges as someone who is a woman and lgbt+, but also a cis, white, and lower middle class Midwestern.
I want to hope that his life does improve with the right people and support around him in time beyond this one weekend, and that that can be ‘real life’ as well.
3.75 / 5 Stars
On one side, I felt the writing itself was done really well and if their writing was winning awards on creating a visceral and ‘real life’ response from you, then it definitely done it’s job.
On the other hand, this story didn’t really go anywhere in that there was no resolution and just was kinda faltering from one subject to another. Not all stories have to have a resolution, but usually even then there is a bit of a development in the story or character growth in at least one of the characters. In this story, I felt no one grew, only explored more of their pain in an unhealthy way or lost themselves more to it.
To me, this story showed us some very important, difficult, and painful topics that deserve to be shared... This I don’t disagree with and again, was done very well in expressing them, and at the same time they were shown and felt by us the readers, but never explored to show any way of challenging these topics…
No way of showing the reader any hope, any growth, or to show the that the narrative of Wallace’s life could improve or deviate from the snowball event it has been and seems to continue to be. Also the side white characters never growing either which is not on Wallace to fix, but them (myself included) to learn and do better.
I suppose for some, ‘real life’ really can be and is that painful and this story shows that, and I respect that. We all live life with our own array of pain and trauma and heartache and suffering and it’s difficult to compare or ever really understand, and this story shows one voice in one ‘real life’.
I think for me it was pretty painful to see Wallace continue to suffer and never get any real help, resolve, or real support, only more to add to his already painful list, including the other character’s lists as well.
Overall, this story left me feeling like I learned from his perspective as well as the others, but also left me a bit at odds with my feelings towards it as my personal view of life is quite an optimistic or hopeful one! This although is coming from my own personal perspective with heartaches and challenges as someone who is a woman and lgbt+, but also a cis, white, and lower middle class Midwestern.
I want to hope that his life does improve with the right people and support around him in time beyond this one weekend, and that that can be ‘real life’ as well.
3.75 / 5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, and Violence
ecn's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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? It's complicated
2.75
This book was very triggering and emotionally exhausting but the overall premise was interesting. Maybe not my thing? But I wanted more of an exploration than explicit trauma
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Rape, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Abandonment, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Homophobia, Death of parent, Classism, and Blood
johanna08's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Homophobia
Moderate: Physical abuse
kwarnimont's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I thought this novel was lyrically and descriptively written, but to the point that it just wasn't for me. We get pages long descriptions of nematodes, tennis, and dinner, at the expense of any character development or self reflection from the narrator. Wallace is a complicated main character who doesn't change over the course of the novel, but provides a vessel to reflect on implicit (or even explicit) biases that we project onto even the people we hold close. I am glad I read it, I did a lot of personal reflection inverse to Wallace's lack of reflection, but it was done in a narration style that I had to trudge through by the end of it. I am glad I read it, but I'd be hesitant to recommend it to someone if they don't want to put in the work to analyze it as they go through. At least it's short.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
ladysanctuary's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, Physical abuse, Vomit, and Death of parent
jextown's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Classism, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Racism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Rape
thatnewgroove's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
isobel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Toxic friendship, and Racism
Moderate: Rape, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual violence, and Classism
Minor: Vomit and Animal death
rinku's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I still struggle with writing reviews for books I love, and it’s the same with Real Life. Something about this book resonated deeply with me and while I often find contemporary literature kinda boring, I was here eager to read every page of this book.
Real Life only takes place at one weekend but shows how significant such a short period can have in one’s life. The greatest strength of this book is that everything just feels so real: the university setting, the characters, their constellations, and emotions.
The university environment was so interesting to see, and I liked the focus on biochemistry – one of those research fields that always intrigued me. The dynamic of this place was interesting to see as well and shocking/sad when looking at the unfair way Wallace was treated. He is everyone’s punching bag there and has to suffer all those microaggressions.
Coming to the characters, they were described so vividly that they also felt like real people, especially Wallace’s friends. Everyone had their own struggles and the relationships they had to each other felt realistic as well.
Wallace as the main character is obviously the best written character of this novel. He as well felt like a real person with his own interests and an amazing depiction of this emotions. His life is so depressing, and it truly feels that he has no one in this world. I probably couldn’t have read this book at a better point in time, because many things Wallace was reflecting on – his job and if he’s even enjoying it, what it means to have friends and what it means when you try to please everybody – were things I was thinking about as well.
Of course, this book dominantly reflects on other aspects, like what it means to be queer or how it feels to be black when everyone around you is white. Again, it’s so well described that you can feel every little emotion Wallace feels as well. My only critique are probably the long chapters that seem to be common in contemporary books, but I never like them. Nevertheless, Real Life is an amazing character study.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Rape, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Vomit, Body shaming, and Alcohol