chaoticbookgremlin's review
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
checkie's review
3.25
I enjoyed the descriptions of Oxford and university life in the first half but was put off by the plot in the second.
annekrag's review against another edition
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
3.5
beelliot123's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-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
4.0
oliviamarrrobinson's review
reflective
sad
medium-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
5.0
madsrgreen's review
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
lauratoria's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.0
emilybh's review against another edition
3.0
This is at some points a touching story about a northern boy's feelings of displacement when he arrives at Oxford - a discomfort repeated in his parents' visit at the end - and the bombing of John's home-town whilst he studies in the south is an important counter-point to the question of place and where he 'belongs'.
At other points, however, the protagonist is feeble, immature and simply unlikable: this is true of the 'Jill' storyline, which also highlights the characters' - and also the story's - problematic treatment of young women, who are alternately idealised and demonised.
At other points, however, the protagonist is feeble, immature and simply unlikable: this is true of the 'Jill' storyline, which also highlights the characters' - and also the story's - problematic treatment of young women, who are alternately idealised and demonised.
heartsneedle's review against another edition
3.0
2.5/5
Metaphor, Juvenilia
"He walked on, the letter in his hand. The College nurse passed him wondering if perhaps he had just received some bad news. He did not see her."
Overall: Jill is poetically staged with descriptive, sometimes erratic language drawing out observations of everyday life and particularities of places and emotions people hold. For a debut, intelligent, but graceless, the pacing is inconsistent and overwrought with self-pity for far too many pages.
Metaphor, Juvenilia
"He walked on, the letter in his hand. The College nurse passed him wondering if perhaps he had just received some bad news. He did not see her."
Overall: Jill is poetically staged with descriptive, sometimes erratic language drawing out observations of everyday life and particularities of places and emotions people hold. For a debut, intelligent, but graceless, the pacing is inconsistent and overwrought with self-pity for far too many pages.