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jackgoss's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Rape, and Death of parent
rworrall78's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I listened to this as an audiobook and I really didn't get on with the narrators voice to start it sounded really smarmy. But the narrator did a pretty amazing job doing all the many, many accents.
The characters were well set up, quickly which is often a challenge when you're telling a story from multiple viewpoints. I came to really love the characters and the invested in what was happening to them.
I was listening to something recently saying how it's really difficult to represent either sport or music in fiction. And I think it's pretty much impossible to describe musical things without it being a little bit cringy. The celebrity cameos were a bit ridiculous too, and as others have said they take you out the story, but equally I think they were done as well as those kind of things can be. And how else can you tell the story of the late 1960s music scene without having those characters appear?
I definitely enjoyed the human stories of the main characters more than the party scenes or even the gigs scenes.
I didn't love the dream scenes at all and I'm sure they were more symbolic than I realized. But I think Jasper's story was very cleverly done.
As with all writing that is very long and tells the story in almost slower than real time, I always wonder whether that level of detail was necessary, but when it's well done I begin to find myself reveling in it and I did with this book.
The characters were well set up, quickly which is often a challenge when you're telling a story from multiple viewpoints. I came to really love the characters and the invested in what was happening to them.
I was listening to something recently saying how it's really difficult to represent either sport or music in fiction. And I think it's pretty much impossible to describe musical things without it being a little bit cringy. The celebrity cameos were a bit ridiculous too, and as others have said they take you out the story, but equally I think they were done as well as those kind of things can be. And how else can you tell the story of the late 1960s music scene without having those characters appear?
I definitely enjoyed the human stories of the main characters more than the party scenes or even the gigs scenes.
I didn't love the dream scenes at all and I'm sure they were more symbolic than I realized. But I think Jasper's story was very cleverly done.
As with all writing that is very long and tells the story in almost slower than real time, I always wonder whether that level of detail was necessary, but when it's well done I begin to find myself reveling in it and I did with this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, and Violence
aine_'s review against another edition
5.0
oh wow what a beast of a book!!! literally bigger than my head but i loved every second even through i had the end spoiled lols. can’t recommend this enough!!! elf is my fav obv
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use
Moderate: Rape
versacrum's review against another edition
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Drug use, and Grief
Minor: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Rape, and Police brutality