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qi_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.75
this was so cosy in the most depressing way possible.
great to finally be getting the eldest daughter representation i deserve. claire was such an interesting character and i loved her a little too much. i found her relatable in a troubling way especially with the things surrounding the college experience, viewing the world, passion/obsession and sibling dynamics.
the style of writing reminded me of normal people because it is almost in the third person view while getting to see from multiple perspectives which is a style i really enjoy. even for her debut, i really like the meg wolizter writes and i really want to read more of her stuff.
the vibes were immaculate. a very melancholic, dark academia that i want to live in. someone let me become a death girl. (instead, i have just made a playlist to embody the vibes https://open.spotify.com/playlist/35hjvHQM03dd00z56kT7cP?si=06f84cee30904652)
the only thing that irked me a little was that i wished there had been more time with the death girls and julian. it didn't ruin the book but i would have gladly read another 50-100 pages that followed the death girls doing college things.
shoutout to julian for being my favourite book boyfriend so far <3
great to finally be getting the eldest daughter representation i deserve. claire was such an interesting character and i loved her a little too much. i found her relatable in a troubling way especially with the things surrounding the college experience, viewing the world, passion/obsession and sibling dynamics.
the style of writing reminded me of normal people because it is almost in the third person view while getting to see from multiple perspectives which is a style i really enjoy. even for her debut, i really like the meg wolizter writes and i really want to read more of her stuff.
the vibes were immaculate. a very melancholic, dark academia that i want to live in. someone let me become a death girl. (instead, i have just made a playlist to embody the vibes https://open.spotify.com/playlist/35hjvHQM03dd00z56kT7cP?si=06f84cee30904652)
the only thing that irked me a little was that i wished there had been more time with the death girls and julian. it didn't ruin the book but i would have gladly read another 50-100 pages that followed the death girls doing college things.
shoutout to julian for being my favourite book boyfriend so far <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
thisissofiam's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
this is so NOT what i was expecting from this. i was kinda disappointed but i still thought the book was well written and made me think about my life and how i affect those around me <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Suicide attempt
adelineania's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
solasuaine's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
ryraeriv's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Suicide, and Blood
definebookish's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.5
I thought Sleepwalking might be my second favourite kind of story, twisted and heavy with darkness. Actually it’s the one I love even more; a story of an unspoken need or longing fulfilled.
This is Meg Wolitzer’s debut, written while she was an undergraduate and published in 1982. Initially it reminded me of that meme that goes around about the eighties being closer to the sixties than they are to now – those early chapters feel noticeably more Bell Jar than, for example, My Year of R&R.
Eighteen-year-old Claire Danziger is a ‘death girl’, one of a trio who haunt the halls of their university campus dressed in black and immersed in the verses of their respective favourite female poet. Laura’s obsession is Anne Sexton, Naomi’s Sylvia Plath, and Claire’s the fictional Lucy Ascher, who – like Sexton and Plath – died by suicide some years earlier. But Claire is carrying another loss, and a relationship with an older student prompts her to take her obsession with Lucy to a new level.
This wasn’t what I expected at all, really. Or perhaps the first fifty pages were – I could sense teen me reading the opening chapters over my shoulder, drenched in patchouli and approving *very* much. But it’s a surprisingly mature book for an undergrad, contemplative and wise and understated.
I had anticipated more ‘death girl’ action, when in fact Naomi and Laura are secondary characters; this is very much Claire’s story. I didn’t anticipate it being so moving, or so hopeful. It is dark at times, but in a dreamy way rather than a morbid one. I felt lulled and a little spellbound by it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Terminal illness
itsmycah's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual content
mirandaleighhhh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I was reading the reviews for this book right after I finished it, and I agreed with almost every one that I read, from 1-5 stars. It is slow in the beginning, maybe even until the middle, but it is well written and it reminded me of books I read and of the sad author phase I went through when I was younger. Someone’s review mentioned that it romanticized depression and death, but I disagree. Claire is romanticizing it, in a way, holding onto it because there is nothing else for her to hold at that point. But we are shown how this effects everyone around her, and we see her open up, change, and find hope in her own, realistic way. It’s not a bad thing to be unable to relate to Claire; to me it shows that one hasn’t been traumatized at a young age, hasn’t been depressed and misunderstood by ones parents as a child. It’s not the most amazing or profound book I have ever read, but it did allow me to look back on my younger self with acceptance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
lucyrosemack's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Domestic abuse and Drug use
catluvr's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness