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ebats's review against another edition
4.0
4-. a group of close knit fourth year drama students at a secluded and exclusive college perform shakespeare plays...and drama ensues (ZING!). a shakespearean [b:The Secret History|29044|The Secret History|Donna Tartt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451554846s/29044.jpg|221359]. honestly, the marketing had to own this comparison because they’re so similar it would have looked bad to not do so. now, that’s obviously not a bad thing—i loved secret history—but if it’s something that would bother you, then skip it. tartt did it better. this has more of a thriller vibe—faster paced, quicker reveals, shorter.
i liked oliver, and using the colborne interview to structure was cool. oliver was the least developed character--better to be a mirror for the others, i guess--which is a common tactic that sort of frustrates me. obviously you can't write a shakespeare-based book and not organize it into five acts but still, good job on the structure.
i’m on the fence on how i feel about how much shakespeare quoting is in here. on the one hand, it IS what they’re studying and acting, and it forms the basis for their worldview (i thought those bits, oliver explaining to colborne why shakespeare, were super smart). it helps with atmosphere and keeping the tone elevated. on the other hand, it’s kind of lazy, and also assumes a lot from the reader—i was an english major and am a shakespeare fan/generally remember all the plot lines from each play, but without that background rio does kind of just drop you into the middle of things. and you can't have it both ways--either the play dialogue doesn't matter much, in which case it is a lot of extra fluff text serving little purpose OR knowing the plays enhances the narrative, in which case she needs to explain them more for the layperson. i think it ended up somewhere in the middle.
i liked oliver, and using the colborne interview to structure was cool. oliver was the least developed character--better to be a mirror for the others, i guess--which is a common tactic that sort of frustrates me. obviously you can't write a shakespeare-based book and not organize it into five acts but still, good job on the structure.
i’m on the fence on how i feel about how much shakespeare quoting is in here. on the one hand, it IS what they’re studying and acting, and it forms the basis for their worldview (i thought those bits, oliver explaining to colborne why shakespeare, were super smart). it helps with atmosphere and keeping the tone elevated. on the other hand, it’s kind of lazy, and also assumes a lot from the reader—i was an english major and am a shakespeare fan/generally remember all the plot lines from each play, but without that background rio does kind of just drop you into the middle of things. and you can't have it both ways--either the play dialogue doesn't matter much, in which case it is a lot of extra fluff text serving little purpose OR knowing the plays enhances the narrative, in which case she needs to explain them more for the layperson. i think it ended up somewhere in the middle.
sarpinso's review against another edition
2.0
If you know anything about Shakespeare you can call the twist from a mile away. Not my fave, but appreciated all the work that probably went into writing a book like this. Definitely liked The Likeness better as a Secret History knockoff
madizoink's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is a fantastic option for an audiobook! I cannot wait to re-read a physical copy.
fedtnok's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
moulinscarlett's review against another edition
5.0
Wow the art school trauma really got me a bit there
book_sense's review against another edition
4.0
very unclear as to where i stand on this book. did i predicted one big part of the story? yes. does it make me feel smug about myself? yes. but did that in any way ruin my experience of this book? no. i think of all the weird things that went on in this book, the only thing i found very unrelatable was the shakespeare obsession. like i just don't get it. honestly. also other thing i am not a huge fan of *spoiler* meredith and oliver *spoiler* but i did love the friendships and the academia and the unhinged and pretentious cast of characters.
smdavis1495's review against another edition
Oh messy theatre kids who will always be at least a little in love with each other how I love you