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scarletkeiller's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
shmayjoy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, and Stalking
Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Violence, Vomit, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
silver_lining_in_a_book's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I am one in a row of specimens. It's when I try to flutter out of line that he hates me. I'm meant to be dead, pinned, always the same, always beautiful. He knows that part of my beauty is being alive, but it's the dead me he wants. He wants me living-but-dead.
This book took me by total surprise. If not for a friends recommendation and insistence on me giving this book a try, I don't think I ever would have. I am so glad I did; not because I enjoyed the reading experience or found the plot particularly entertaining, it was quite the opposite. It was the character building, exploration of class-structures in society and the portrayal of our obsession with all things superficial and beautiful that really stood out to me and made this book worth reading.
There is a lot of emphasis on a person's ability to create and to progress, our complex thoughts and actions being what makes us human and how the desire to hoard, capture and collect kills the beauty in whatever it is that you seek to preserve. I am certain that there is a lot in this book that I missed, but I certainly felt for the characters - Frederick disturbed me immensely and I absolutely loved Miranda and wanted her to be alright. Reading from her perspective made me feel more claustrophobic and near-panic than I have ever felt while reading a book. It is incredible to me that John Fowles was able to transfer her feelings and thoughts so vividly through pages, and as letter / diary entries no less.
It is very difficult to rate a book like this. As I have said before, it is not fun to read, but it is not meant to be; it is disturbing, triggering and ultimately very unsatisfying, but it is unique and incredibly successful in achieving what Fowles set out for it to accomplish. He deserves high praise, I doubt many writers would be able to create what he managed to here.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexism, Vomit, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Classism
Minor: Drug use, Eating disorder, Death of parent, and Alcohol
kieraniscool's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Gaslighting
niamphoone's review
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
thesawyerbean's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
The highlight of this novel for me was the dual perspectives - we begin with Fred’s point of view: his planning, experiences and emotions throughout the process of obsession, abduction and ‘possession’ of Miranda. It was an exciting spin on the Lolita-esque unreliable and morally-reprehensible narrator: the perception of events we had just read obliterated by the diary entries of the victim Miranda herself.
The stream of consciousness from Miranda, elucidating the thoughts and emotions behind her responses to her captivity interweaved with the context surrounding her life and romantic past, disintegrates the grotesquely endearing account by Fred in the previous part. It solidifies his evil firmly for the reader, emphasised further in the conclusion of the novel.
Despite this, it wasn’t all that enjoyable a read. Miranda’s diary entries were very convoluted, with constant switching between her memories and present day events, laced with political and class discourse. The discourse itself refers to the problematic aspects of gaining wealth, the apparent degradation of the ‘soul’ as a result, the class warfare between old and new money, the dilution of art, etc. etc.. Miranda is the classic rich artsy girl, Fred is the insidious ‘new money’. Fascinating, I suppose, but written in a way that wasn’t in fact fascinating. Especially when it was coming from the mouth of an absolutely heinous ‘love’ interest from her past.
The entire book was also riddled with weird grammar errors which interrupted the flow completely because I had to reread to confirm that I had no idea what was just said.
Overall this was an average read - it was not what I was expecting necessarily when I picked it up, but the architecture of the storytelling and the discourse I think warrant a read if you are so inclined.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Gaslighting
Minor: Rape
ellaep's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Physical abuse
booksofautumn's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
billiesgotbooks's review
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Racism and Injury/Injury detail
funkypenguin3000's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
OK i was so bored at the beginning (esp the beginning of part 2 like ugh get on with it babe) but got into a reading frenzy in the last 80 or so pages and the end freaked me out sooooo much, like, it was so absurd (but also not?? like i could see that happening) but so freaky and ahh
like when miranda's part started i found it a fucking drag. hearing her talk about her life outside the room. but about halfway through i really began to see myself in her, i think the author had a really good way of describing like. quarter life crisis and wanting to be a good person but being conflicted. also, the stockholm syndrome esque development was fun to explore. i especially liked how ferd thought she was truly warming up to him but she wanted to escape the whole time. but still felt bad for him? and i get that like honestly i kinda related to ferd at points as well
There were so many quotes in mirandas part that i thought were really touching? i cant find them now and of course i didnt write them down when i saw them lol. but i loved how her diary entries seemed so real. how they were at times sooo pretentious but i could see the woman behind them. or how she could see the irony. theres so much irony in this book you could talk for ages about it. like all of ferds offhand comments are honestly kind of funny. like when he was like "im normally not prone to do anything absurd" or something and like??? buddy. you literally just kidnapped someone!
My final note, is I should have known that there was no chance (for him or miranda) when he decided to put a bright orange carpet in the cellar. and he thought it looked lovely
Graphic: Confinement, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, and Stalking
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, and Violence
Minor: Death, Drug use, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Death of parent, and Dysphoria