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coop_j's review
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
madding78's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
nmterpening's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Slavery and Toxic friendship
Minor: Colonisation
katums's review against another edition
challenging
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
cas_dexter's review against another edition
3.0
Grade: B
I had to read this for my university degree.
I had to read this for my university degree.
addyrose22's review
2.0
Honestly I don’t know if I’m reading the same book everyone else is reading? Upon reading the blurb this seems like the type of book I would go wild for however it was completely not what I expected at all.
First of all, the whole book was written in couplets- strange choice, it made things feel disjointed and I was unable to be absorbed into the characters or the characters’ stories.
Secondly, the book is set in Roman times and the mixing of Latin and modern slang vernacular really wasn’t giving what the author wanted it to give in my opinion, and just came across trite and intentional.
Finally, I feel like the book was sold as this fresh new take on historical fiction but I don’t know if I’m just too uncultured to appreciate it or what, but it fell very flat to me and I was looking forward to it being finished.
First of all, the whole book was written in couplets- strange choice, it made things feel disjointed and I was unable to be absorbed into the characters or the characters’ stories.
Secondly, the book is set in Roman times and the mixing of Latin and modern slang vernacular really wasn’t giving what the author wanted it to give in my opinion, and just came across trite and intentional.
Finally, I feel like the book was sold as this fresh new take on historical fiction but I don’t know if I’m just too uncultured to appreciate it or what, but it fell very flat to me and I was looking forward to it being finished.
aimeeslittlelibrary's review
4.0
A totally unexpected story of a young girl in Roman London, first love, friendship and ambition gold through poetry. I was blown away by the unique voice and style. The poetry at times seems a means to the plot, and at other times a vital moment of art. Evaristo knows exactly when to push and pull with the poetry and pacing. It was marvellous. A must read for lovers of history.
forgetfulsurf's review against another edition
2.0
cn: transphobic stereotyping, body shaming
to be honest: this was so so disappointing
the pitch of 'a verse novel about a black teenage girl in london in the early third century' is so exciting and promising but i feel like this book totally failed to live up to it by mishandling so many things and being also quite... uninteresting
i really struggled to put myself through the appalling portrayal of a trans woman in the form of venus, who's repeatedly nicknamed 'venus the penis' and whose every appearance includes some jab at how she's visibly physically different to cis women, whether it's making fun of her chest hair, leg hair, genitals or the fact that she doesn't menstruate - honestly even if the characters are meant to like her and this view is filtered through the narrator's view of her, i have serious questions about why evaristo repeatedly filters her trans women characters through the eyes of people who can only see us in stereotypes (like she did in 'girl, woman, other')
the first hundred pages also spend most of their time on the appalling decadence of the roman empire, and this is usually done through imagery of food and fatness, which is lazy as hell at the absolute best, and then periodically it's alternated for some kind of general disgust at sex work - again, the narrator's a teenager, and grew up without much food, but it's still just really unpleasant to read, and then suddenly a hunky roman emperor arrives and this theme is basically abandoned
maybe this was just the wrong book for me but i wanted to write this up because i'm fully capable of just not enjoying a book and moving on, but this was a different kind of bad
to be honest: this was so so disappointing
the pitch of 'a verse novel about a black teenage girl in london in the early third century' is so exciting and promising but i feel like this book totally failed to live up to it by mishandling so many things and being also quite... uninteresting
i really struggled to put myself through the appalling portrayal of a trans woman in the form of venus, who's repeatedly nicknamed 'venus the penis' and whose every appearance includes some jab at how she's visibly physically different to cis women, whether it's making fun of her chest hair, leg hair, genitals or the fact that she doesn't menstruate - honestly even if the characters are meant to like her and this view is filtered through the narrator's view of her, i have serious questions about why evaristo repeatedly filters her trans women characters through the eyes of people who can only see us in stereotypes (like she did in 'girl, woman, other')
the first hundred pages also spend most of their time on the appalling decadence of the roman empire, and this is usually done through imagery of food and fatness, which is lazy as hell at the absolute best, and then periodically it's alternated for some kind of general disgust at sex work - again, the narrator's a teenager, and grew up without much food, but it's still just really unpleasant to read, and then suddenly a hunky roman emperor arrives and this theme is basically abandoned
maybe this was just the wrong book for me but i wanted to write this up because i'm fully capable of just not enjoying a book and moving on, but this was a different kind of bad
anjacamu's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75