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batcaves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
ashtheaudiomancer'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
4.25
I'm not sure what else to say about it because almost everything is a spoiler. It's a murder mystery . . . kind of. It's an exploration of the depths of conspiracy theories and cult-like followings that get attached to certain celebrities . . . kind of. It's a deconstruction of the typical private investigator character type . . . kind of.
It's a thick and challenging read, and leaves things a little ambiguous, and a little meta, at the end, but the time commitment is worth it. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time.
Moderate: Cancer, Mental illness, and Suicide
Minor: Child death
A central theme in this story follows plot beats and details from a fictional filmmaker whose work (to me) sounds similar to the Gialli. So there's a lot of descriptions of (again fictional) films with similar levels of gore and violence.kristareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Suicide, and Transphobia
Moderate: Child death and Sexual assault
Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Forced institutionalization, and Fire/Fire injury
othersociologist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Bullying, Child death, Drug use, Suicide, and Violence
wrestleacademic'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
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Car accident, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, and Child death
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Trafficking
coffeespooncait's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Mental illness, Transphobia, and Xenophobia
erinbarton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
scott’s motive for investigating also seemed unclear, and the gang quickly progresses to breaking laws to gain information. when meeting hopper and nora for the first time scott tells them their info can be off the record, but never tries to get any info on the record for any other sources throughout the book. was he actually planning on writing a piece about ashley? how would he be able to include any facts without sources?
Graphic: Suicide and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, and Forced institutionalization
dbuchheister's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Was it racist and transphobic? Yes.
Was it actually creepy or horrifying? Not particularly.
Did I finish it hoping that the end would be good? Yes.
Was it? No. It was a disappointment.
Was there a scene where
Was it actually a compelling and well put together mystery? I really don't feel that way.
Was it too long? Yes.
Would I recommend this to anyone? Absolutely not.
Do I regret reading this? Kind of. I spent way too much time on something so disappointing.
Were there things that were mildly interesting? Sure.
Did that make up for the rest? Nope.
Do with this information what you will.
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Racism, and Transphobia
sylvestra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Terminal illness, Trafficking, and Religious bigotry
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Everyone that knows my reading tastes knows how much I adored "Neverworld Wake", and because of that love I have waited to read "Night Film". Marisha Pessl's writing is simply magic to me, and because her backlist is so short, I have been waiting to read her other stories so I can really savor them. "Night Film" was 1000% worth the wait and I already want to read it again!
This novel follows Scott McGrath, a disgraced journalist who ruined his career by sharing disparaging remarks about esteemed film director Stanislaus Cordova on national TV. Cordova has remained a mystery for years, and he has not been seen by the public for decades. This elusiveness has made him a huge topic of interest for those who love his movies. Cordova's daughter, Ashley, is found dead at 24-years-old in an abandoned warehouse. With this shocking news taking the world by storm, Scott finds himself sucked back into Cordova's mysterious world trying to uncover what really happened to Ashley and finally unveil who Cordova is.
I loved everything about this book. There are some mixed media elements throughout the book that made the reading experience all the more memorable, as well as making us, the readers, feel like we are finding clues along with Scott. The mystery keeps twisting and morphing as the story goes, and by the time the ending comes, it is difficult to decipher what ended up being the truth. There is a somewhat ambiguous ending that I felt like highlighted Cordova's mysteries life perfectly. Marisha left the perfect trail of breadcrumbs to lead us to uncovering all of the secrets surrounding Ashley's death, but I still was shocked by most of the reveals.
I cannot recommend this book enough!
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Torture
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer and Car accident