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mary_do_12's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
first of all, what the fuck.
second of all, let me start from the beginning.
to be honest, i got this book recommended by chatgpt. i plead guilty. chatgpt told me that this book was similar to „the secret history“.
and it was, in the beginning especially.
the set of characters really drew me in from the start and there were certain similarities detectable between this friend group and the one in „the secret history“:
camilla — jade
francis — nigel
henry — charles
richard — blue
and so forth.
the problem with all this was that i really liked „the secret history“, in fact, it was the best book i’ve read this year and maybe beyond.
but „special topics in calamity physics“ — it might have been even better. and i feel like i’m betraying my dear darling boy (tsh) to this new book that is basically „the secret history“ in a different font.
even though i knew that hannah was going to die from the very first page on, my jaw literally dropped when i read the scene. i was flabbergasted. and from then on, it just kept on getting worse and worse.
this is also when it all kind of went astray from tsh (luckily? because i can view them as two separate things…?) and i was flabbergasted even more.
i believe a considerable amount of people would absolutely freak out at the unresolved ending, and though i’m not usually a fan of those either, this one tickled some part of my brain… but not in a bad way?
that‘s not to say i was happy with the ending, no, excuse me (may i repeat) what the fuck?, there’s so many loose ends that i can’t tie together myself.
yet i believe that the fact that i’m getting so worked up over this is a sign of the greatness of this book. it guarantees that i will be thinking about it for days (if not weeks).
i have questions, a lot of them, and they will all be left to my imagination. so beware if you open this book…you will never be able to close it again entirely.
second of all, let me start from the beginning.
to be honest, i got this book recommended by chatgpt. i plead guilty. chatgpt told me that this book was similar to „the secret history“.
and it was, in the beginning especially.
the set of characters really drew me in from the start and there were certain similarities detectable between this friend group and the one in „the secret history“:
camilla — jade
francis — nigel
henry — charles
richard — blue
and so forth.
the problem with all this was that i really liked „the secret history“, in fact, it was the best book i’ve read this year and maybe beyond.
but „special topics in calamity physics“ — it might have been even better. and i feel like i’m betraying my dear darling boy (tsh) to this new book that is basically „the secret history“ in a different font.
even though i knew that hannah was going to die from the very first page on, my jaw literally dropped when i read the scene. i was flabbergasted. and from then on, it just kept on getting worse and worse.
this is also when it all kind of went astray from tsh (luckily? because i can view them as two separate things…?) and i was flabbergasted even more.
i believe a considerable amount of people would absolutely freak out at the unresolved ending, and though i’m not usually a fan of those either, this one tickled some part of my brain… but not in a bad way?
that‘s not to say i was happy with the ending, no, excuse me (may i repeat) what the fuck?, there’s so many loose ends that i can’t tie together myself.
yet i believe that the fact that i’m getting so worked up over this is a sign of the greatness of this book. it guarantees that i will be thinking about it for days (if not weeks).
i have questions, a lot of them, and they will all be left to my imagination. so beware if you open this book…you will never be able to close it again entirely.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
lovelymisanthrope's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
4.5
I have read and adored Marisha Pessl's other two books, and I have been saving this book to read when I had a Marisha Pessl void.
"Special Topics in Calamity Physics" follows Blue, a very intelligent girl who is just trying to find her place in the world. Because her father is a professor, they move frequently, and Blue's latest new school is very elite. For the first time, Blue meets a cast of characters she wants to be friends with, and an even more interesting teacher, Hannah. Hannah's unexpected death causes chaos and unearths Blue's mysterious past.
This was my least favorite book from Marisha Pessl, but that is not saying much because I still loved it! Blue is such a bright, complex character. For a girl in high school, she knows how to follow a mystery and uncover the secrets that so many want to keep hidden. I enjoyed seeing her character develop throughout the course of the novel and for her to acknowledge what she wants from her life.
This story is captivating and kept me on the edge of my seat. I was entranced and needed to better understand Hannah's connection to Blue.
Marisha Pessl is an all-time favorite author, and I hope to be able to read something new from her one day soon!
"Special Topics in Calamity Physics" follows Blue, a very intelligent girl who is just trying to find her place in the world. Because her father is a professor, they move frequently, and Blue's latest new school is very elite. For the first time, Blue meets a cast of characters she wants to be friends with, and an even more interesting teacher, Hannah. Hannah's unexpected death causes chaos and unearths Blue's mysterious past.
This was my least favorite book from Marisha Pessl, but that is not saying much because I still loved it! Blue is such a bright, complex character. For a girl in high school, she knows how to follow a mystery and uncover the secrets that so many want to keep hidden. I enjoyed seeing her character develop throughout the course of the novel and for her to acknowledge what she wants from her life.
This story is captivating and kept me on the edge of my seat. I was entranced and needed to better understand Hannah's connection to Blue.
Marisha Pessl is an all-time favorite author, and I hope to be able to read something new from her one day soon!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Stalking, Death of parent, and Murder
ro_lux's review against another edition
dark
sad
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? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Grief, Car accident, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
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