Reviews tagging 'War'

Καλή κοινωνία by Amor Towles

6 reviews

ktrain3900's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious sad fast-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

3.75

This fast-paced jaunt through 1938 New York's creme de la creme features almost impossibly witty characters who speak with a tinge of noir, and who exist on the fringes of a Wharton novel, had she come along a generation later. I found it fun, escapist fiction, requiring the reader to apply a dash of good ol' suspension of disbelief. The exploits of our intrepid heroine, the preposterously named Katey Kontent, are exhausting - just how does one balance the heavy work schedule with the heavy social schedule? - but I was 25 once, with that sort of bounding boundless energy. While it's good for a first novel, it's still a first novel: did it need the preface and epilogue; do we believe a bold broad like Katey would be such a Dickens fan (and was it only because she was named a bit like a Dickens character); could it have done without some of the dated racisms and still felt genuine? I'm not sure, but overall, I wouldn't kick this book out of bed.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Car accident, Abortion, Alcohol, and War

nukie19's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident and Alcohol

Minor: Death, Suicide, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

erin1096's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism and Car accident

Minor: Xenophobia, Abortion, and War

alisonvh's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-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

3.5

This was not nearly as gripping as Towles’s subsequent books. It took me a long while to get into it, and by the time it finally piqued my interest, the book was almost over. Not sure the payoff was worth such a long wait. I definitely did not care about these characters nearly as much as I did for the characters in his other books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War

acashton's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident

Moderate: Drug use, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Abortion, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and War

franklola's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident and Classism

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Pregnancy, and War