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ruthmittiga's review against another edition
5.0
I had wanted to read the novel this play was based on, but the library only had the play. The play was fine, but the 40 page forward is what made this publication. So petty. Forty pages of detailed grievances about the director and producer of his play. Summary: He wrote a play, the director and producer ended up having someone else rewrite it. Levin decided to publish his superior version since that is not what audiences saw. I guess the play that was put on ended up being a flop. Amazing piece of niche pop culture drama. 10 out of 5 stars.
stateofhailey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Incest, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Dysphoria, War, and Classism
buttercupita's review against another edition
3.0
Fascinating story of the "Trial of the Century": Leopold & Loeb in 1924. I knew of the case as a line or two in a US History textbook, but this novelization by Meyer Levin, who covered the story as a cub reporter in Chicago and classmate of Leopold & Loeb, gives a very thorough treatment to the two brilliant but disturbed young men who abducted and killed a younger boy in a quest to commit the "perfect crime." The book was strongest as it developed the relationship between the two men and contrasted them with the narrator (a character standing in for the author himself.) I plodded through the section that dealt with the trial as it seemed pretty repetitive, but thought Levin did a brilliant job in ending the book with a very thought provoking parallel from his own experience in Europe after World War II. In all, very glad I read it.
veronicascarsi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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
4.0
sayaloe's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
pino_sabatelli's review against another edition
3.0
Tre stelle e mezza
Ci ho pensato a lungo, ma il libro, a causa di qualche difetto strutturale (su tutti la scelta di un narratore che non si capisce come possa essere onnisciente) e di uno stile davvero eccessivamente verboso e piatto, non merita più di questo.
Ci ho pensato a lungo, ma il libro, a causa di qualche difetto strutturale (su tutti la scelta di un narratore che non si capisce come possa essere onnisciente) e di uno stile davvero eccessivamente verboso e piatto, non merita più di questo.
slele2's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
elliem23's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
zanedeyoung's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Mileage on this will vary for how willing you are to stick with its slow pace and outdated views on sexuality, but for me this is one of the most impactful and brutally melancholy books of all time. Easy to see how this inspired the next seventy-five years of psychoanalyzing murderers to the point of absurdity, but disappointing to see how many of them completely missed the point Levin makes here, that the root of human depravity and cruelty is ultimately unfathomable and can only be realized in glimpses and rationalizations. You can pathologize all you want, it will only ever get you halfway there.
Maybe the most existentially mournful and depressed book I’ve ever read. Incredible.
Maybe the most existentially mournful and depressed book I’ve ever read. Incredible.