gsroney's review against another edition
3.0
“But no one had a happy childhood. No one had a good life. Human pain existed in a vast supply, and people took from it like grain from a barn. There was pain for you and pain for you and pain for you - agony enough for everyone. The pain of his childhood was of such a common source that it embarrassed him. Perhaps it was this that he resented in the work of his peers. It wasn't that their lives were worse than his or that his life was better than theirs - it was that they all had the same pain, the same hurt, and he didn't think anyone should go around pretending it was something more than it was: the routine operation of the universe.
Small, common things - hurt feelings, cruel parents, strange and wearisome troubles."
"Loving people was hard. It was difficult sometimes to believe that they were good. It was hard to know them. But that didn't mean you could just go on without trying. What he believed was that love was more than just kindness and more than just giving people the things they wanted. Love was more than the parts of it that were easy and pleasurable. Sometimes love was trying to understand. Love was trying to get beyond what was hard.”
3.5 stars
This cast of characters, tangentially connected, all engaged in some form of art or industry, all precariously approaching life after graduation, all navigating sexually fluid relationships, are used by the author to examine the power and futility of art, and perhaps human connection or suffering. But frustratingly, it feels like there lacks an underlying thesis or conviction for what the novel is trying to say.
Small, common things - hurt feelings, cruel parents, strange and wearisome troubles."
"Loving people was hard. It was difficult sometimes to believe that they were good. It was hard to know them. But that didn't mean you could just go on without trying. What he believed was that love was more than just kindness and more than just giving people the things they wanted. Love was more than the parts of it that were easy and pleasurable. Sometimes love was trying to understand. Love was trying to get beyond what was hard.”
3.5 stars
This cast of characters, tangentially connected, all engaged in some form of art or industry, all precariously approaching life after graduation, all navigating sexually fluid relationships, are used by the author to examine the power and futility of art, and perhaps human connection or suffering. But frustratingly, it feels like there lacks an underlying thesis or conviction for what the novel is trying to say.
clownrambles's review against another edition
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
arufo29's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
elksy's review against another edition
3.5
I wanted to love this, and I did love aspects of it. Taylor is clearly an astute observer of human behavior and motivation, how we perceive each other and ourselves. I adore novels following an ensemble of loosely related characters. But there was something distant about this story. Perhaps because my own academic experience was so wildly different? Usually that's a great joy of reading: seeing the world from a separate perspective. But these people were interested in art and learning in a way foreign to me, and inscrutable.
Not quite what I expected. I look forward to reading more of the author's work knowing the vibe beforehand.
Not quite what I expected. I look forward to reading more of the author's work knowing the vibe beforehand.
bananas_books's review against another edition
fast-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
3.0
I love Brandon Taylor but this is too many orgasms
blkcullensister's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sharkwife's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
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
2.25
I had high expectations going into this book because it had been so well-reviewed, and because I have enjoyed the author’s cultural criticism on various podcasts. But this novel was petty repetitive and I couldn’t get into it. The strongest sections were the ones written from the point of a pretty unlikable poet, who kept pissing off the women in his seminar. That at least felt specific. The rest of the characters blended together.
tangerineflame's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0