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clairebartholomew549's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book didn’t really work for me. The world of stocks and trades just doesn’t make sense to me and I don’t find it interesting at all, and so much of this story didn’t spark anything exciting for me. I like the concept of alternating narratives and enjoyed reading the different perspectives, but it didn’t feel like there were any great revelations or big changes between one to one. I can see how this would be impactful for people, but it just didn’t do it for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Medical content, Death of parent, and Classism
harperphillips96's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent
carojust's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
I love when authors play with readers, and give us room to find our own way. "Trust" is a game-like experience, serious in its content and fun in its unfolding. Hernan Diaz plants subtle details the entire way, in an intricate design that tests our own prejudices. With this level of creativity, and a historically loyal take on 1920s financial events and New York high society, I understand why this has become such a highly recognized book.
There are some heavy themes: sexism, racism, capitalist and radical idealism, and most at the forefront, the duplicity of people (okay, men).
Primarily, and in fear of giving too much away, this is a story about the fragile male ego.
You'll love this if you enjoy books that challenge your perspective, intelligent commentary on capitalist societies, and American historical fiction.
There are some heavy themes: sexism, racism, capitalist and radical idealism, and most at the forefront, the duplicity of people (okay, men).
Primarily, and in fear of giving too much away, this is a story about the fragile male ego.
You'll love this if you enjoy books that challenge your perspective, intelligent commentary on capitalist societies, and American historical fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Medical trauma, and War
seventhswan's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This book was the definition of "trust the process" for me. It's not that it didn't get going straight away - there was a clear plot and interesting characters from the start - but I had no idea at all where it was going until midway through the third section, so I spent a lot of time worried that I was trying to understand the intricacies of the stock market for nothing.
If I'm honest, the first two sections bored me a little and I found myself skim reading. They were clearly excellently crafted and I couldn't fault the characters or plotline at all, it just really wasn't a topic I was interested in. However, I raced through the third and fourth sections in a couple of hours. As the story shifted away from the stock market and focused on Ida and Mildred as characters, I was much more invested.
This was a book with an extremely long setup, but I think the payoff was just about worth it, even if there wasn't a huge twist in the end as I thought there might be. It was excellent as a work of literature, and I see why it was highly commended, I just personally struggled to get excited by the heavy focus on the economy.
If I'm honest, the first two sections bored me a little and I found myself skim reading. They were clearly excellently crafted and I couldn't fault the characters or plotline at all, it just really wasn't a topic I was interested in. However, I raced through the third and fourth sections in a couple of hours. As the story shifted away from the stock market and focused on Ida and Mildred as characters, I was much more invested.
This was a book with an extremely long setup, but I think the payoff was just about worth it, even if there wasn't a huge twist in the end as I thought there might be. It was excellent as a work of literature, and I see why it was highly commended, I just personally struggled to get excited by the heavy focus on the economy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Misogyny, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
goodolnicole's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Death, Mental illness, and Medical content
honeybeewitched87's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Alcohol
juksu's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, and Classism
Minor: War
gracescanlon's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
4.25
In Trust, Díaz used unique method of storytelling I'd not encountered but much enjoyed. I loved that the first two parts of the book were written by men, both with fond feelings toward the main female character, but flawed, and limited by their upbringing and the society around them all the same, while the second parts were told by female characters about their own experiences, using their own words.
The ordering of these parts created the effect of the women setting the record straight. One woman saw herself in the other and used her own experience as a woman to read between the lines of the previous narratives to learn the real story while placating men. Meanwhile, the other woman told the actual story, as it happened in her life, using her own words. I loved that it seemed that it was the combined efforts of the women that revealed the truth - the first, in analyzing the information she was given and pursuing the real story, and the second, in recording the facts as she knew them.
The ordering of these parts created the effect of the women setting the record straight. One woman saw herself in the other and used her own experience as a woman to read between the lines of the previous narratives to learn the real story while placating men. Meanwhile, the other woman told the actual story, as it happened in her life, using her own words. I loved that it seemed that it was the combined efforts of the women that revealed the truth - the first, in analyzing the information she was given and pursuing the real story, and the second, in recording the facts as she knew them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Infertility, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Violence
znvisser's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The concept of this book is intriguing and even though its form slowed the pace and I didn't enjoy all writing styles equally, I found the execution really clever and the story interesting. I loved the way in which layers were added to bring all kinds of nuance and contradictions to events and characters, building depth into them and their mutual connections. I was especially entertained by the part through Ida's perspective, both its plot and her reflections. Beautifully done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Cancer, Mental illness, and Gaslighting
ashylibrarian's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is not an easy leisure read, and I don’t know that it would appeal to a wide audience of readers. The story is pretty complex and gets really dense in certain sections. The first 50% felt very literary as we learn about the characters and their connections to one another. There are also many nuances throughout the book that can be confusing – for example, one section focuses heavily on financial information and Wall Street, and to be honest, I was pretty lost. It is very well-written and interestingly explores the same story in four (4) stories.
Explores themes of power, visibility, gender roles/expectations, and how, and by whom, history is recorded.
Explores themes of power, visibility, gender roles/expectations, and how, and by whom, history is recorded.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Mental illness, and Misogyny
Moderate: Terminal illness