Reviews with content warning for Addiction - Vladimir

Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Vladimir by Julia May Jonas

29 reviews

psychedelicize555's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

1.0

Truly a terrible book. Ever wanted to read a book filled with all the critical comments your mother made about her body in front of you when you were eleven? Then this book is for you! Insufferable main character, hell bent on simultaneously fawning over and criticising her pervert husband. You know how people say your partner is a reflection of your worst qualities? These two are like gigantic (pervy) mirrors. Add in a creepy infatuation with a forty year old college lecturer that is either informed by a legitimate flirtation on his behalf or just evidence of delusion on her behalf - you have a droll, irritatingly male-centred (dare i say obsessed / infatuated) novel. The main character is so indecisive it makes me want to rip my hair out. She is so insecure and never fails to pit her ageing body against an unknowing younger woman’s body. Can’t women just exist? She’s a failed critical feminist, intent on coming across that way but every fibre of her being proves otherwise. Without spoilers, the ending is so uncreative it feels almost offensive that I was forced to read so much only to be (could you even call it this) rewarded with such a miserable conclusion. Sorry JMJ - nothing against you. Maybe we just don’t need a book about 2 insecure boomers projecting their weird fucking lives onto younger people? I really don’t know what the point of this book was.

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melclayx's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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karol99's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense 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

3.0

Content Warnings

mraddd's review against another edition

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dark 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

4.0

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januaryapril's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

ahhh this book. I both loved and hated it at times. I enjoyed the way this book made me actively think and critique what was happening. There were some lines that I thought were written so so well. The ending was kind of disappointing to me though and I don't think I totally get the last chapter. And wow I can't believe

she freaking drugged Vlad

but okay. Made me think and I appreciated that. The ride was worth it.

Thoughts from other reviews:
-characters with incredibly shallow inauthenticity, parading as if they have depth and cause to write deep literature. book acts as a commentary on the dark academia genre at times.
-the main character is wife, author, mom, sister, daughter, professor, sexual fantasy, her writing, but you never know her full identity. She’s lost in these other roles she plays.
-"What an honest and painfully intense view of women aging and the effect on their own and societal value."
-"I have heard talk that it’s a retelling of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, and I can see how one would think that. I also have heard discussion that the narrator is Lolita. Which could well may be as we never learn the name of the narrator."
-"I am not entirely certain why I liked this book. This was a very dark character study that ended in a way that I didn’t care for. But also… I kinda liked it?! Weird." ****
-"complex story that covers an incredible range of topics and perspectives; some you agree with, some you don’t, and some you’ve never considered. What can’t be debated, however, is the brilliant writing, sheer cleverness, and fascinating non-linear character development."

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mariahkindareads's review against another edition

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challenging reflective medium-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

4.5

Content Warnings

cosycourtney's review

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challenging dark tense fast-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

4.75

Ummm my natural reaction at the end of this was “what the fuck was that?”. Jonas writes so captivatingly and I truly didn’t want to be apart from this book unless I had to be (work, sleep, exercise). I found it so jarring and challenging. I would compare it to This Is Pleasure by Mary Gaskill in the sense that it subverts the female experience in their proximity to sexual assault. I think this concept was so brilliant extrapolated and due to this I was so pissed?? (In a good way). I was really concerned for a while that the opinions that were portrayed in this book were a reflection of the authors but I began to realize it was all intentional—thank god—this being a testament to how brilliant she is. I don’t think any of the characters are redeemable by any measures but I think the exploration of horrible people from the safety of fiction is actually quite fun and it leaves room for you to have some comfort in the fact that it’s make believe (despite knowing deep down people like this really exist). The ending pissed me off but I think the unfortunate impression it leaves the reader with mirrors that of real life but at least in this instance we got some semblance of comeuppance. As I write this review I keep going back to increase the star rating; it started at 3.75 and is now at 4.5. I don’t want to say it was a perfect book but I think something that I can like and loathe so strongly all at once is something quite close to that. If you’ve been thinking about reading this, do it now. Okay I think it actually a 4.75 (subject to change).

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