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ashwas1228's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, and Antisemitism
justreads93's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Incest, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Homophobia and Antisemitism
abigailhaagen's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, and Vomit
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Antisemitism
iitaviinisalo's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
I think this book heavily falls off after Bunny dies, but i still liked it. I think it's good that Henry died, Charles maybe would have been better that way too. I'm glad Camilla got away even tho she's not happy. I wish Francis and Richard could be happy and together and not married to random girls.
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Incest and Physical abuse
Minor: Homophobia and Antisemitism
hilariescudero's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Incest, Vomit, and Antisemitism
benteasm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicide, Antisemitism, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Incest, Infidelity, and Panic attacks/disorders
tayaingrid's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Antisemitism, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Almost every character is a raging misogynist.jellyparfum's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicide, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, and Islamophobia
Minor: Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, and Classism
the_neeerd's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism
Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, and Grief
roaming_enn's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Does such a thing as "the fatal flaw," that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside of literature? It used to think it didn't. Now I think it does. And I think mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs.
Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it. And what could be more terrifying and beautiful, to souls like t he Greeks or our own, than to lose control completely? To throw off the chains of being for an instant, to shatter the accident of our mortal selves?
Summary:
This book is about a bunch of Ancient Greek undergraduate students and that time they murdered one of their classmates. The one who dies is revealed in the beginning, and it is the HOW they get there that's the real story. The story is told in first-person through Richard Papen's POV, a newest Greek student that the professor accepts, newest member of the group that had been together for longer. He is writing just under a decade after the events of the book.
Thoughts:
I love how academic it was, and it feels like a book written by an academic (which it was) for other academics. The author doesn't hold your hand, assuming you're smart enough to follow the story with what she gives you. There was at least one scene that I thought was entirely unnecessary for the Islamophobia it spewed, and I'm still not sure why it was included. The ending was a little disappointing because I wanted things to be a particular way but they ended up not. I wish it had been more than just a handful of years later when the story is told, rather than Richard still being a young man. But in either case, a lot of people seem to hate this book. I loved it. I don't love the characters, but I found them, and the story, REALLY compelling. And for me, that makes up for not loving the characters.
Be sure to check all the content warnings. I tried to include as many as I could think of in this review.
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Islamophobia
Minor: Cursing, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Vomit, and Antisemitism