Reviews tagging 'Classism'

I'm a Fan by Sheena Patel

21 reviews

lidia7's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
insightful but repetitive.
classism and race discussion were the highlights for me. 
big TWs for infidelity & domestic abuse (physical, emotional, verbal) from the abuser's POV.
while reading about the fucked up relationships the narrator has, i recognized bpd patterns/ tendencies.
overall, i thought i would enjoy it more than i have. too often it felt like a chore to read through.

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sakisreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was a story I was inspired to read after listening to Cariad Lloyd and Sara Pascoe’s podcast ‘Weirdos Book Club’ episode featuring one of my favourite comedians Nish Kumar ✨
I really did not regret it AT ALL.

All I can say is that the main character is thoroughly unhinged 😂 Throughout the story I kept laughing because I didn’t know what else to do! She and the man she wants to be with need some serious help, but they are the type of people who will never seek that. I loved getting to meet everyone and get a glimpse into their lives (and their madness) 🙃
I felt awful for the boyfriend to be fair.

I do wish it had a better ending.
You can’t be completely and utterly obsessed with someone and not have it ruin your life or have some major event 🤷🏻‍♀️ I wanted a bit more from it for sure at the end!


Loved the way it leant into classism, Instagram life, race politics and so on. 4 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨

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rosalind's review against another edition

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dark sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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lovelylilelle's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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heydreamer09's review against another edition

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dark funny sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Not often do you read a book that leaves you so divided. 

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jouljet's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • 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


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kers_tin's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.75


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aniglen's review

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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emilyrowanstudio's review against another edition

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dark funny tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

4.75 rounded up - This is a fantastic book and I would love to see it win the Women's Prize (although I don't think it will).
I love books like this. So 2023, so modern, so political, so about social media and internet culture.
I'm a Fan is told in short chapters, many less than a page long. Some are first person narratives where our protagonist loses herself in The Man I Want To Be With and The Woman I Am Obsessed With, some are essays about race, womanhood, manhood, art, and some are a mixture of both.

I can see why this such a marmite book. If you're not a lover of the internet, or intrigued by fame and influencer culture, or fascinated by the way we can so easily be found and traced online, then you won't "get" this. It as an acquired 21st century taste. The protagonist, and three of the other main characters, are never named. They are all horrible and unlikeable people. The impersonality with the lack of names combined with the spewing of dark thoughs and deep desires, the conscious and unconscious will to destroy themselves, the sinister traits of their character - there is much here reminiscent of the MCs in Eliza Clark's Boy Parts and Otessa Moshfegh's My Year of Rest in Relaxation, but I'm A Fan is smarter than them both. The social and political commentary interspersed with the non-linear plotless prose is expertly done.

I'm A Fan is so of the moment yet so one of a kind. This is a near perfect book. I can't wait to see what Sheena Patel does next.


[To add - and this has nothing to do with the book itself and only the reception it has received - I didn't find I'm A Fan as dark as I expected. Unhinged, certainly. The actions of the protagonist make you wince at times, but to be labelled 'dark' I was expecting something more explicitly sinister to happen].

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your_true_shelf's review

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challenging dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I think the writing style of this book just wasn't for me.  I liked the concept and I found the reflections on the fakeness of social media, racism and class very well done.  However the characters are all so unlikeable, there's no character development and the writing style just isn't my cup of tea. 

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