we_are_all_mad_here26's review against another edition
dark
5.0
I don't know how a person can write 800+ pages (my Kindle version has 900) and never once bore the reader for even an instant.
Spoilers begin now.
I loved that the story began and ended with Caroline. I loved the very formal and seemingly distant relationship between Sugar and Sophie that turned out to be not distant at all. I loved that the Reading Group Guide at the end of the Kindle version confirmed my suspicion of Agnes' brain tumor (though I do wonder, how do the Reading Group Guide writers know that for sure?) I especially loved the state that William was left in, even though he wasn't entirely without redeeming qualities.
Anyway. 100% recommended but only if you can tolerate very unpleasantly graphic scenes.
Spoilers begin now.
Anyway. 100% recommended but only if you can tolerate very unpleasantly graphic scenes.
adrianlarose's review against another edition
2.0
Eh. Long. Contains pointless (IMO) lists of long length and high frequency. The plot is great but there are books that are long for a reason and there are books that are just...long. And this may sound silly, but if you're Flaubert your prose alone is worth the time...Flaubert is, unlike Faber here, not inserting MERE lists of countries and topics taught by a governess, or types of soap, or discarded novel titles in amongst an otherwise interesting text. As a queer modern guy the whole 'fallen urchin fawning over a lordly type' didn't do much for me either, as Sugar seemingly fails to gain any real independence. Or does she?
sinann_lambert's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
smithel's review against another edition
2.0
This started out really interestingly, but I confess I lost interest long before the novel ended. I read it because I watched the mini-series and it seemed to me that the characters might be more interesting if I knew more about them, and I wondered whether the book would make the ending less unexpected, but alas I didn't gain anything from reading the book. Disappointing.
laviskrg's review
5.0
An amazingly evocative read, a great cast of imperfect, broken, utterly HUMAN characters. Realism and naturalism combined in order to paint a most decayed and infectious Victorian England. A long book that felt like a few pages of pure genius, an immensely rapid read (it did take some time to update my status since I am currently on holiday, which is also the reason why this review will be very short).
Sugar is one of the best female characters I have ever encountered, and so unique to me since I am used to Isabel Allende's magical realism heroines and my favourite MacKayla Lane of the "Fever" series is a different creature entirely. But Sugar is a startling combination of strong, damaged, progressive, and burdened by the chains that women were burdened by in those days. While I am discussing said chains, I would like to mention my joy in reading an accurate book, and not a silly, syrup-covered collection of historical inaccuracies. Women were not swept off their feet by gentlemen, carried away to a romantic palace. Usually, they were married either for interest, or, even if they married for love, they risked living a life of solitary, consuming madness, of shame and silent despair. This was brilliantly painted by the character of Agnes, whose delusions and sufferings were painful to read, but oh so enchantingly written. Also, I adored the realistic description of the prostitutes' plights, the horrific conditions in which they existed, the way they "fell", or were brought down by society's cruelty.
I will end this very short review (because I am on holiday and entitled to be a lazy good for nothing) by stating that this book is an important read. It is a harsh picture of a reality many do not know or choose to fantasize about without paying any attention to historical facts. It is a violent, sad novel, one which I enjoyed from the very first word, from the very first sentence, from the first time the fourth wall was shattered and the author (or perhaps the book itself) addressed me, the reader. It is truly a journey, and one all should embark on with care. Fully recommended to mature readers.
Sugar is one of the best female characters I have ever encountered, and so unique to me since I am used to Isabel Allende's magical realism heroines and my favourite MacKayla Lane of the "Fever" series is a different creature entirely. But Sugar is a startling combination of strong, damaged, progressive, and burdened by the chains that women were burdened by in those days. While I am discussing said chains, I would like to mention my joy in reading an accurate book, and not a silly, syrup-covered collection of historical inaccuracies. Women were not swept off their feet by gentlemen, carried away to a romantic palace. Usually, they were married either for interest, or, even if they married for love, they risked living a life of solitary, consuming madness, of shame and silent despair. This was brilliantly painted by the character of Agnes, whose delusions and sufferings were painful to read, but oh so enchantingly written. Also, I adored the realistic description of the prostitutes' plights, the horrific conditions in which they existed, the way they "fell", or were brought down by society's cruelty.
I will end this very short review (because I am on holiday and entitled to be a lazy good for nothing) by stating that this book is an important read. It is a harsh picture of a reality many do not know or choose to fantasize about without paying any attention to historical facts. It is a violent, sad novel, one which I enjoyed from the very first word, from the very first sentence, from the first time the fourth wall was shattered and the author (or perhaps the book itself) addressed me, the reader. It is truly a journey, and one all should embark on with care. Fully recommended to mature readers.
hollyberry_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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
4.75
kkxx2's review against another edition
3.0
It was good. The characters were well developed, the writing flowed (other than annoyingly addressing the reader directly), the plot kept me interested. I read the full 900~ pages at once.
But there was no point to the book.
It's not the ending that's the problem. Open-ended conclusions are fine, I prefer them in some cases.
There was no point to the book. It was written for the sake of being written, read for the sake of being read, shocking for the sake of being shocking.
The journey was fun but at the end of it all I'm left with nothing. I can take nothing from the book, and that, in my opinion, is worse that simply a bad book.
It's a good book with no point.
(Reading Sugar is like watching a child throw a cake in a lake. What a waste of all that potential characterization.)
But there was no point to the book.
It's not the ending that's the problem. Open-ended conclusions are fine, I prefer them in some cases.
There was no point to the book. It was written for the sake of being written, read for the sake of being read, shocking for the sake of being shocking.
The journey was fun but at the end of it all I'm left with nothing. I can take nothing from the book, and that, in my opinion, is worse that simply a bad book.
It's a good book with no point.
(Reading Sugar is like watching a child throw a cake in a lake. What a waste of all that potential characterization.)
federicafrazza's review against another edition
3.0
Il romanzo più faticoso, doloroso, curioso, estenuante, particolare, affascinante e potrei andare avanti per ore con aggettivi, che io abbia mai letto finora. Ho impiegato una vita a leggerlo, fino a quando, circa a metà delle quasi mille pagine che lo compongono, è avvenuta la magia... in pochi giorni l'ho terminato, tutto d'un fiato, come una birra fresca in una torrida sera ;-)
kara_andersen's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0