Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Love & Virtue

Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Love & Virtue by Diana Reid

18 reviews

ssaammii's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

This novel resonated with me due to the familiarity of the setting and context which I myself have lived. I do not think I would have been as compelled had it not been for the mirror it seemed to provide for the relationships I had during my late teens and early 20s.

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katiejane's review

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emotional 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? It's complicated

3.5

Listened to the audiobook nicely narrated by Emma Leonard.

Nothing super new here, but I'm glad I read this book. Reid was just 24 when she wrote it, and it was interesting to see how a young person in 2021 was thinking about these issues.

I found the characters and dialogue believable. And I think Reid's done well to capture the tendency in academia to analyse, philosophise and extrapolate meaning from personal experiences often to the detriment of the person trying to process/live with them. And that doing this without the person's consent is another way to violate them. And that there's a tension here between wanting to think deeply and conceptually about things without becoming and object yourself. There's more to unpick here, but I think the novel's strength is its unending cry for its protagonist to be seen as a whole messy person wanting as much agency and autonomy as possible despite the labels thrown on her.

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annabelle6969's review against another edition

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dark funny 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? It's complicated

4.5

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nmhealey28's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative 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

4.0

‘Love and Virtue’ raises so many thoughts/questions/observations on the state of Australian society, particularly that centre around university culture. It take the idea of “Australian masculinity” (as referenced in the book to being all ‘girls, beer and footy’) head on and asks what are we willing to excuse and where do we start calling out behaviours.
Having gone to university in Australia (albeit in Melbourne, not Sydney) I was able to relate to the world the Diana Reid describes. The mix of people from different circles is always going to draw conflict, regardless of surrounds, but in setting the story in the world of universities, this aspect of varying backgrounds is magnified.

A very realistic look into modern Australian youth culture and society !

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