Reviews with content warning for Abortion - Fates and Furies

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Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

14 reviews

5aru's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious slow-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? Yes

4.0

Groff's writing is certainly exquisite, reads like cold water down the throat, but I have rather complicated feelings about this book. On the one hand, I am deeply disgusted by the characters at a personal, primal level; on the other, I was incredibly invested in their histories, their relationships, their deep dark corners of the self. It's clear that the visceral disgust or repudiation the characters provoke is more than intentional - it is intrinsic to who they are and what their story is.

It does feel a bit too soap-opera-ish at times, with the ways the plot turned, and it's definitely not a book that will resonate with you in any positive way. It's far more likely to leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth, and yet, it is wholly unforgettable.

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karenmsecrest's review

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dark tense slow-paced

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

The writing: lyrical. The story: depressing. Is this an allegorical Greek saga or a Shakespearean tragedy? I’m not sure. [Both?]

This is a book for readers who love Greek tragedies, unlikable characters, and twists. [It is especially enjoyable for those who appreciate parenthetical narration.]

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ruthie_the_librarian's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

At the point where I felt like I had been reading forever, I saw I still had about 85% (9 hours...) left to read and I very nearly lost the will to go on. But it's for my book group, and I don't like to dnf because then I can't talk about it, but oh my goodness it was hard going! The first part of the book is all Lotto, which is perhaps why it was so trying to read. I was torn between wanting to know what would happen to him, and thinking he was a dick. I did feel the pace picked up in the 2nd half with Mathilde, but perhaps that was just because I could sense the end was in sight. It is too, too long. There is too, too much bad sex. And nobody was very nice at all. I was intrigued, at least, with what on earth we were going to learn about Mathilde when it came to her part of the story. And I did race through the last part because of it. But ultimately, I'm not sure it was worth it, and it really bothered me that

Spoiler

although Mathilde has been editing and tweaking Lotto's work for years, managing his money, managing him, her own writing ends up being a failure.
What was the message here? That she was only useful with regards to his career? That annoyed me.

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lindsey_bear's review against another edition

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challenging emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This was a tough one—I loved Groff’s writing style, but I just found Fates and Furies too slow. I wasn’t very hooked by Lotto’s story in the “Fates” section. I found the background of his career development too dragged out and uninterested/not essential to the plot. Based on the reviews, I tried to stick in it until the end, but by the thick of the “Furies” section, I was a bit over the character development and just wanted to know what happened. I’d be interested in checking out more of Groff’s writing, but this one just wasn’t it for me. I feel if I was able to connect with the characters a bit more, maybe it would have been more engaging.

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jhging's review against another edition

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dark reflective 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

5.0

Compelling. This kept me hooked - not just to see what happened next in their lives, but to understand the characters both as individuals and a couple. Really well-written.

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valjeanval's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

I wouldn’t pick up a book that basically said “it’s about a marriage” except that Lauren Groff wrote it. What an incredible, complex, brilliant exploration of a marriage.

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