Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Sex and Rage

Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Sex and Rage by Eve Babitz

9 reviews

ameliasbooks's review against another edition

"And then I did this. And then he did that. And then she said this. And then I said that."
Also I couldn't be less interested in these kind of people. Yawn.

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urlordlorin's review against another edition

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reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Saçma sapan insanların birbirleriyle saçma sapan ilişkileri. Ana karakter çok gerçek olmaya çalışmış, özgüvensizlikler, alkolizm, aşk falan ama gerçeğin parodisi gibi geldi daha çok. Öyle pek de kimsenin relate edeceği karakterler değiller. Aynen o şekilde de yazılmış. Ana karaktere, hatta hiçbir karaktere yakınlık hissedemeyeceğiniz bir anlatım tarzı var. Bir kafede otururken yoldan geçen insanlara bakarsın ve hayatlarını tahmin etmeye çalışırsın ama aslında o kadar umurunda değildir ki. Tam öyle bir şey.

Bir yerden sonra sadece bitsin diye okudum. Eğlenceli olduğu söylenemez. Bir arkadaşınızın hiçbir kayda değer şey olmamış bir gününü saatlerce dinliyormuşsunuz gibi.

Ayrıca çevirisi berbat.

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amabp's review against another edition

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I just couldn’t continue reading it. The storytelling style is not my cup of tea and the characters, save Jcaranda, are horrible. I understand this is kind of a biography, so it made me uncomfortable to think of someone being subjected to people the likes of Max and Etiene.

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ciwanski's review

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Me 🤝 Jacaranda
Falling in love with potentially gay men

I really loved this book, really drank it up. I will say, however, that there are a lot of characters in this book, so it’s very much worthwhile to read this all at once if possible.

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arthages's review

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inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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flara's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Eve Babitz was a beautiful writer.

I had a look at what others had to say about this book and while there are criticisms that I (at least partially) agree with, I found her style of writing authentically raw and yet quite sophisticated. Here's a quote that I enjoyed:

'... and the next thing he knew she'd pulled at his heartstrings and she knew he had heartstrings, so he must have a heart'

I'm not sure how to describe following, I hope it makes sense. Each chapter/vignette takes you to a new scene, just like in a film, which I really enjoyed. It felt as if I was reading a very lively film script. I could imagine each scene and I very much enjoyed those transitions. And perhaps I was the only one who perceived each individual chapter as a new scene in a film.

Jacaranda, the main protagonist (or antagonist), is by all means a horrible person. Many reviewers criticised her character, and by extension Babitz herself for being a nepo baby. And while that is all true, the point of the book is something entirely different. Also, I reckon that Kednalls, Kylies, Brooklyns and whatnots can actually write, or have something worthwhile to contribute (as evidenced by their books).
I would be absolutely frustrated with real-life Jacaranda if I ever met her. And I would probably be equally jealous as I would be terrified of her. She's impossible: she is described as a beautiful girl, who has seemingly abundance of talent and charm; things come easy to her, in fact she's not even trying to achieve anything and yet she gets there anyway. At the beginning, she is this shiny thing, and we learn of Max and other characters, all of which emit this aura of perfection. They are cool, they are it. To be in their vicinity is to feel euphoric, to be alive. But when you get too close to the sun, you burn badly. Jacaranda is a shell of a human being half-way through the book. She treats people poorly (especially in romantic relationships) and has some horrible character traits. She describes herself as fat; she lists the ugly effects that alcohol addiction has on her body. She could be romanticised at the beginning (surfer girl from California who enjoys reading Proust, ehm), but certainly not by the end. This is a story of self-destruction, toxic friendship, and possibly self-actualisation. You start off living vicariously through her rock'n'roll exploits, but eventually you see how self-destructive those behaviours are. I was rooting for Jacaranda to get her shit together. I was in suspense the whole time she was in New York, hoping she would not drink. I was furious when she ran into Max, and went in anyway. I was even more furious when Wini got under Etienne's spell. Wini, who until then was Jacaranda's voice of reason.

I can understand how the title might be disappointing, a bit of an attention-grab. There is really not much sex or rage going on, not realistically. I think it was mentioned twice: firstly, when Jacaranda first went to Max's; and then towards the end. In my understanding, the 'sex and rage' is more of a mood, or energy, that is present at those parties. To me, it was the equivalent of 'feeling alive'.

I loved this book. It reminded me of what I used to think 'being alive' means. It reminded me of what I used to idolise, old behaviours (mine and others). Perhaps I can appreciate it now because I am through it.

I've been trying to get my hands on Babitz for the longest time. When I finally came across The Canons copy in a bookshop, I didn't hesitate and bought it then and there. Now I say this as someone who usually buys the cheapest version of whatever book, because I genuinely don't care much about covers, but ... I just despise THIS cover. This cover.. it just bothers me. I don't know where they got the idea from, but it's awful. Clearly the publishers/graphic designer/whoever was in charge didn't actually read this book, just the title. Why this obnoxious shade of pink?? and palm leaf??? Right, because it's a girl's book set in California. It just looks CHEAP. Throughout the book, Jacaranda references the colour blue. Blue skies, blue of the ocean, blue eyes. Again and again. Why not simply make the cover blue? I was low-key ashamed to show the front cover when reading in public.

I said all I wanted to say about Sex & Rage. Not sure if this even was a review, but here we are.

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maditowery's review

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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writtenontheflyleaves's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Sex & Rage: Advice to Young Ladies Eager for a Good Time by Eve Babitz 🏄‍♀️
🌟🌟🌟✨

🏄‍♀️ The plot: Jacaranda Leven (pronounced "Jack-a-rand-a") grows up on the beach in LA surrounded by wealth and glamour. She takes her scrappy surfer's mentality with her into this world and, for the most part, manages to maintain her balance - until she meets Max, a cunning, Gatsby-esque figure whose coterie of elites adopt Jacaranda for some local colour when they're in LA. She slips into alcoholism and it will take writing a book and getting sober to get her life back in balance again.

This is a fun book with an even more fun title - even if it is one it doesn't quite live up to. Jacaranda is, to my understanding, pretty much a fictionalisation of Babitz herself, and it is entertaining following her as she flits around 1970s LA. The writing is good, and the way the story is told - in short bursts with witty subtitles, almost like newspaper articles - is fun to flit through.

I think my objection is simply that the glittering surface is nice, but you don't get to dig into much beneath it. Max and Jacaranda's relationship is the most well-drawn part of the book, and the parties she goes to aboard what she calls his "barge" are dreamy and sinister. However, the directness promised by the title isn't there, and I don't think there's much in the way of strong emotion at work here. Sex and rage are referenced but not really split open and explored in any detail, and as a young lady eager for a good time myself, I don't think I learned much about how or where to find one. Overall, 10/10 title, 6/10 book!

🏄‍♀️ Read it if you like memoirs or Joan Didion as she and Babitz are often pitted against each other, or if you want a nice easy beach read.

🚫 Avoid it if you're looking for something with plot or a more searching, psychological edge. Or if you want advice for how to have a good time!!

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hannahreadss's review

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emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.75

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