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meshuganush's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The way that this book was organized was very cool. The narrator goes back and forth between the dinner and his past in a way that is very easy to follow and moves the story along. The tension at the table was so well done!
I would say none of the characters are likeable and I didn't root for any of them but I was still enthralled and had to know what happened!
I would say none of the characters are likeable and I didn't root for any of them but I was still enthralled and had to know what happened!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Murder, Classism, Violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Misogyny and Antisemitism
applesodaperson's review against another edition
So yes, this book has an intriguing premise, and a lot of tik tok hype, but holy cow I hated it right from the start. Like I don't know if this book switches character perspectives, but the man it starts off with is so unlikable. The main reason is that he is crazy misogynistic. Like not even for any reason or to contribute to the story. He just hates women and believes that they are completely inferior to women. And it made me think about American Psycho. Patrick Bateman is such a bad person, and is misogynistic, racist, and homophobic. But it serves a purpose to the story, which is ultimately making a commentary and criticism about toxic masculinity within the framework of consumerism and capitalism. But in this story, it just serves no purpose. And I might have hated this less if he wasn't the first character introduced, but it being the first thing I am hearing, and it doesn't seem to serve a narrative purpose, really put me off from this book entirely.
Listened to on Libby.
Listened to on Libby.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
jkar7's review against another edition
slow-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
0.5
I really did not like this. I should have DNFed. I did not like any of the characters. I thought the plot was stupid. I didn't enjoy the message (if there is one). And I really disliked the way Beau was discussed. I found the whole thing infuriating. I would never recommend this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Racial slurs, Violence, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, and Toxic relationship
kailaelders's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The first twenty chapters really dragged for me. They were full of Paul's exhausting condescension and judgement of everybody around him. He comes across as deeply insecure, misogynistic and violent from the start, although the extent of that violence is gradually revealed to be more and more literal and not just his intrusive thoughts. The central conflict, once it was finally revealed, did pique my interest, but I found the subsequent chapters to have another slow period before things started moving forward again. All the characters are insufferable and in some cases incorrigible, and by the end you're really rooting for their demise or at least some kind of justice. I think the story was intriguing but the way it was packaged just wasn't worth it for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Misogyny, Violence, and Murder
melosamatic's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Misogyny and Homophobia
hoax_meal's review against another edition
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
do yourself a favor and skip this one. I've read 4 books this year and this is the worst so far. awful characters, racism, absolutely no substance. you would get more out of a peanuts comic strip than this joke of a book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Mental illness, Hate crime, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Sexism and Racism
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Excrement, and Misogyny
theskyboi's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
At the outset, the novel is an ambitious one; each section of the book is meant to correspond to one of the courses in a lavish dinner between two couples. However, the story quickly loses its initial vision in favor of relying heavily on flashbacks.
The narrator is one of the least charismatic characters in the novel, which would not be an issue if his story was of any actual consequence. He floats aimlessly from assertion to assertion, dragging the reader along through his purportedly factual account of events throughout his life. All the while, the conversation happening during the actual dinner suffers from lack of care from the author.
The mystery of the book—if it can truly be called that—also gets sidelined by the narrator's incessant need to insert himself into every potential scenario, except for one that captivates the reader. Although it can be argued that the protagonist is so stubbornly opinionated in order to mock this myopic behavior in the real world, the author does not ever set up a situation that truly admonishes him for being so problematic.
Do not read this book if moments of graphic violence or racial prejudice are not something you tolerate in your reading. On the whole, the most interesting characters of the book are the wives of the men at the dinner, but their perspectives are limited to what their husbands think of them. Perhaps it was possible to find some enjoyment, but it was in spite of what the author penned.
The narrator is one of the least charismatic characters in the novel, which would not be an issue if his story was of any actual consequence. He floats aimlessly from assertion to assertion, dragging the reader along through his purportedly factual account of events throughout his life. All the while, the conversation happening during the actual dinner suffers from lack of care from the author.
The mystery of the book—if it can truly be called that—also gets sidelined by the narrator's incessant need to insert himself into every potential scenario, except for one that captivates the reader. Although it can be argued that the protagonist is so stubbornly opinionated in order to mock this myopic behavior in the real world, the author does not ever set up a situation that truly admonishes him for being so problematic.
Do not read this book if moments of graphic violence or racial prejudice are not something you tolerate in your reading. On the whole, the most interesting characters of the book are the wives of the men at the dinner, but their perspectives are limited to what their husbands think of them. Perhaps it was possible to find some enjoyment, but it was in spite of what the author penned.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Miscarriage, and Mental illness
Minor: Homophobia, Chronic illness, and Drug use
The book depicts various violent and bigoted acts and views throughout its pages, and its narrator expresses no remorse for his neutral and sometimes approving stance on them.
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