Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Infamous by Lex Croucher

16 reviews

iamnotclara's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.25

Set in Regency England, Infamous follows Eddie and her relationships with a wildly unique and diverse group of friends. Eddie is a wonderful delight and oblivious main character. She's actively the picture of a young twenty-something trying to make herself in a world, where women aren't allowed to be writers or truly members of society.  Her best friend, Rose, decides she has to get married and this absolutely sends Eddie into a tizzy, for what appears to be no reason. Eddie goes on to meet the infamous and charming poet Nash Nicholson, and is persuaded by his charm that he will help Eddie break through in the publishing world. It's a tale of trust and failure, love and chosen families. In the end, there is only one infamous author and a queer love story. 

Lex Croucher has such a way of writing that the audiobook narrator is truly phenomenal. Croucher's ability to tell these stories keeps having me come back to read every one of their novels. Their delight and style is unique and honestly one of my favorite authors of the decade. I hope that one day Croucher is beyond infamous for their writing and is acknowledged and supported across the world. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Murder

katerina_l's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

quinn22's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Slavery, Pregnancy, Dysphoria, and Classism

callidoralblack's review against another edition

adventurous funny

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

sauvageloup's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful lighthearted tense fast-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

3.5

a brilliant romp, feeling new and fresh even when treading on well worn paths, and with emotional depth.

pros:
- the writing flows well, is light and amusing and plows along with all Eddie'  eagerness. I liked the banter and the dialogue, the descriptions were visual and conjured up vivid scenes, especially Saint Bede's island in the dark, Rose's appearance, the clothing, the crumbling house, etc.
- I really liked Eddie and Rose as main characters, and all the side characters are fleshed out and real, with all their depths and foibles.

Eddie is very much an unreliable narrator and its through her eyes we get to realise that Albert is a decent guy and Nash is the worst. Though the signs for the reader are all there, it's still gripping to see how itll unfold and satisfying when Eddie realises.

- the characters of Kitty, Valentine, Dayo, Liza, Albert, etc. all had their own motivations and quirks, and their own relationship with the other characters, including Nash. Dayo's campaign to bring about abolition was a good inclusion, and we got to hear about Kitty's passion for painting, Albert's rabbits (a reoccurring joke that I nonetheless thought wholesome). Juno the dog was even a fun character in herself, though I rather expected her to dig up some ominous bone or get stuck or find a ghost in the forest.
- I liked the setting and the Regency time period, with the contrasts of different levels of proprietary and the dropping in of real historical people, like Shelley and Byron.
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Even though I feel most twists were fairly evident: that Nash only wanted to have sex with Eddie, that she and rose were in love, that Nash had stolen the manuscript, the maid being murdered by Nash's father, etc..  I still managed to be surprised by others, like Albert being gay (which I really should have seen coming), the murdered maid being Henry's mother, Nash publishing Eddie's manuscript, etc. which were fun to discover.

- I liked Eddie and Rose's different journeys and how they found themselves at different times. their friendship/budding romance was so well written, i loved the ebb and flow and the depiction of their tension, quarrels, intimacy, sexual attraction, forgiveness, etc. That was so well done.

cons:
- the start felt slow and a bit shallow. I didnt much like Eddie at all and it was all too Brigerton at that point. it really picked up for me as Eddie got drawn in and the stakes went up, with more dark edges to Nash and debauchery.
- I thought there was a real lack of resolution with Henry and Nash both. I wish Henry could have challenged Nate about the locket, his mother, and the assault. I felt it was glossed over that Nash sexually assaulted Henry, though that threat lingers in the latter half of the book against Eddie. It was left unclear whether anyone got shot with the pistol and I'm not sure Eddie got to see Henry after that. that was a bit of hanging loose end unless we're meant to think that Nash murdered Henry and just cleared him away, which doesn't seem likely, but if it was then....
- it's frustrating that Nash never got any more severe punishment for stealing Eddie's manuscript, lying, cheating on Liza, verbally abusing Eddie, nonconsensually kissing her, and force feeding her drugs... she should have slapped him at least, and then got him denounced in the papers. instead we get a lacklustre end note. guess I'm more vengeful but I definitely didnt feel he got taught any lesson!

but overall, this was a thrilling and gripping ride with great writing and I enjoyed it :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

near drowning

vaguely_pink's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Gaslighting and Classism

Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Sexual content, Transphobia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Colonisation

chr_luisa's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring relaxing sad medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, and Classism

emilo's review against another edition

emotional hopeful relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Racism

kelelelou's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

listen…this book was not my cup of tea however i continued to persevere. and boy am i glad i did !! after about 100-200 pages in i was a goner. i had to finish the book. eddie pissed me off most of the time, but once i was 3/4 of the way through the tables were turning. absolutely hate nash and all men like him. i knew what would happen from the beginning and i was still fuming once it was revealed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

Moderate: Alcoholism and Classism

humblebookdragon's review against another edition

lighthearted tense medium-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

2.5

Because both Eddie and Nash were so UNLIKABLE, especially for the entire duration of the novel, it was really a feat to finish this book. The only thing that kept me going was that Lex Croucher wrote Rose as the voice of reason, and perhaps the voice of the audience, so the self-awareness of how Eddie and Nash were was appreciated, but it was still a rough one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Colonisation and Classism