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autumnrevisited's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Racism, Xenophobia, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent and War
valjeanval'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
5.0
Graphic: Death and Racism
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, and Alcohol
shingekiyes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
as someone who works in publishing… this book was so meta. it was actually jarring to read about such familiar circumstances, famous figures, and social niches. i was completely immersed from the get and i did not want to put this book down for a single second.
my jaw dropped in chapter one, and dropped, and dropped, and dropped—it nearly fell off. every twist was so captivating. themes of theft, plagiarism, greed, envy, narcissism, and OF COURSE racism and false allyship were expertly woven into the narrative. at times i felt hit over the head with the message, but not because of any fault of the author, but because of the startling realism of June’s character.
June was such an unreliable narrator, Nick Carraway is shaking in his boots! it was absolutely hilarious how often the characters referenced Fitzgerald, and the other literary references didn’t go unnoticed either!
i loved that the resolution wasn’t black and white—it felt completely realistic and perfectly appalling. and the moral resolution wasn’t totally black and white either. because Athena was dead, because both June and Candace and every other character is complex and flawed, because business and the arts are so complicated, there was notable nuance to some of the messaging about legacy, retellings, and what artists DESERVE.
this is a must read for any and everyone interested in the publishing industry, and for white people willing to do some introspection about their own implicit biases in both their creative pursuits and their careers.
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
stephmcoakley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
setaggu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Xenophobia, Grief, Stalking, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming
sari_in_space's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Racism, Sexual assault, and Gaslighting
Minor: Body shaming, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship
clairew97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
The main character is as insufferable and delusional as you would expect. Her justifications for her actions were wild to me, but I also believe that there are people out there who think like June does.
The exploration of racism within the publishing industry and the insight into the industry was incredibly interesting. Also, the exploration into the online world as a writer was an interesting take. The ending took me completely by surprise and I was hooked.
A completely satirical look into the publishing world and life as an author, I don’t think anyone else could have handled the premise of this book quite as well. A complete 180 from Babel, so if you’re looking for that type of book again this is definitely not it. I can’t wait to see where R F Kuang goes next.
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism