Reviews with content warning for Racism - Cléopâtre et Frankenstein

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Cléopâtre et Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

16 reviews

matildaesandell's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective relaxing sad tense fast-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

Wow, I haven’t read a book where I could see things so viscerally in a long time. All of the dialogue was so realistic too. You love and hate the characters, and genuinely the character development was next level. Time flies because it goes month by month and jumps ahead and doesn’t waste time on anything unnecessary. I highlighted so many passages to remember and use in my own lifeS Very beautiful book I thoroughly enjoyed reading this

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bookswithchaipai's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

What first made me believe is a love story, gave way to a very deep tale which touched lightly on a lot of heavy subjects. First off, I was carried away by the title which was quite a mouthful. But what I was not ready to discover hiding under such a frivolous name, was something which would change my perspective on a lot of matters, the first of which is love. The book takes us through a repertoire of emotions, ranging from laughter, sadness, disgust, dread all the way to rapture.

Cleo, at the tender age of twenty four, bumps into Frank who is twenty years her senior and a whirlwind romance ensues. But then we are jolted out of our pleasant reverie with marital problems.

At first I thought it was only about Frank and Cleo, but then their bunch of crazy friends join the melee and we watch their lives intermingling, interweaving and then spontaneously combusting, as each of them are put in the spotlight to narrate their story.

Infidelity, fat-phobia, racism, depression, suicide, dementia, toxic relationship, addiction, alcoholism, Dysphoria are given a large stage to perform and showcase its abilities. The number of content warnings are shocking. Moreover, the drug-addled, quick New York life and the way it changes a person is examined.

The book is divided into chapters, months apart, with vignettes portraying the viewpoint of different people and their relationship with Frank and Cleo. I found the writing style akin to Sally Rooney, but where Rooney failed to grasp my attention, Mellors burrowed herself into my heart. Especially the Sugar Glider called Jesus!

I am so glad this book did not have the cliche happily-ever-after ending, making love and marriage triumph. It was all about the discovery of two souls letting them live the way they want and finding happiness in their individuality.

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komal_b's review against another edition

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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? Yes

2.5

I really wanted to enjoy this! I think Coco mellors shows a lot of promise as a writer, however a lot of Cleopatra and Frankenstein fell flat for me. The book is largely character driven but there is little time for each individual character to show any development due to the frequent changing of perspectives. In turn, they all become caricatures of themselves falling victim to predictable literary tropes. This coupled with the over-romanticising of mental illness made me struggle to finish the novel.

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peachyprarthna's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

this is the book of 2022. i loved it. devoured it in two days, and i'm already rereading it. i absolutely love Cleo, every time a character describes her, it's like hearing about a long lost friend. Frank is such a lovely man, even with parts that were difficult to deal with, he has been the most consistent and considerate character throughout -- which is saying something since he works in advertising where everyone is pretty fake. Eleanor was such a complex character. Her chapters were so interesting, I love that we can never tell what her next move will be. Zoe is my perfect angel. I didn't particularly enjoy Quentin, Anders, or the characters adjacent to them like Alex, or Anders' son; but I still appreciate knowing them. Santiago is especially precious to me, I wish we spent more time with him. Every character is so deeply flawed, and the book carries a tone of melancholy through out. I love, cherish, adore this novel.

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piaschj's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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? It's complicated

4.75

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neevechristine's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

This took me longer to read than the average book, but the final 100 pages I read in one sitting. In the final 10 pages I was crying and banging the book against my head. It’s gorgeous and heartbreaking and raw. It filled a void I didn’t know existed

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