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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
What allowed some people to “make it” while others faded away, as Hannah herself almost had? She knew it wasn’t a matter of hard work; she couldn’t have tried any harder than she did those last few years. Luck was a possible answer, but it seemed too callously random. Increasingly, Hannah felt another, truer word burning in her throat: class. The invisible privilege that everyone tried to pretend didn’t exist, but—it did. Hannah knew it did. She recognized it and saw its grubby stains all over her own life.
Sometimes when an author is writing something that intends to instill some sort of point into the reader, they get lost in the idea of that thing and forget to flesh out the actual story. Unfortunately, I think this novel falls into that trap. A lot of the original elements, specifically the intrigue, is slowly tapered out in favor of inner-monologues of grandstanding. They also all end up on a similar plane in the end, so after a while you feel like you're just rereading the same thing. I truly appreciate the amoral, at times deplorable, characters, I just wish I got to see actually see them in action as opposed to just being told how they feel and act. That aspect leaves everything floating vaguely without any plot to tie it back down to earth. They had so much potential and I think if maybe the writing honed in on the specific theme of "different perspectives/different truths" this would've been a much stronger novel. I also agree with the common critique, that this one veers too much in the territory of journalistic writing which woukd be fine of course, but the book promises you a much more fuctional and plot driven story. It leads to some confusion when you're anticipating that while dredging through tired old talking points. Even those honestly, weren't anything new to someone already familiar with populist discourse. It felt a bit pointless especially after the ending which makes me think "that's it?". I did enjoy the writing style although it felt stilted in the first portion (which I take was a stylistic choice for that specific character), so I would still like to read whatever she comes out with next, since I really do think there was a lot of potential especially with the characterization.
Sometimes when an author is writing something that intends to instill some sort of point into the reader, they get lost in the idea of that thing and forget to flesh out the actual story. Unfortunately, I think this novel falls into that trap. A lot of the original elements, specifically the intrigue, is slowly tapered out in favor of inner-monologues of grandstanding. They also all end up on a similar plane in the end, so after a while you feel like you're just rereading the same thing. I truly appreciate the amoral, at times deplorable, characters, I just wish I got to see actually see them in action as opposed to just being told how they feel and act. That aspect leaves everything floating vaguely without any plot to tie it back down to earth. They had so much potential and I think if maybe the writing honed in on the specific theme of "different perspectives/different truths" this would've been a much stronger novel. I also agree with the common critique, that this one veers too much in the territory of journalistic writing which woukd be fine of course, but the book promises you a much more fuctional and plot driven story. It leads to some confusion when you're anticipating that while dredging through tired old talking points. Even those honestly, weren't anything new to someone already familiar with populist discourse. It felt a bit pointless especially after the ending which makes me think "that's it?". I did enjoy the writing style although it felt stilted in the first portion (which I take was a stylistic choice for that specific character), so I would still like to read whatever she comes out with next, since I really do think there was a lot of potential especially with the characterization.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
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
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The characters feel very fleshed out and believable. I really enjoyed the shift to first person narration in the last part, it gave a character I didn’t think I would enjoy a lot more depth.
Lenny is a bitch but Martin deserved that.
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-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
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated