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aghie's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Car accident
katiejane's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Listened to the audiobook nicely narrated by Emma Leonard.
Nothing super new here, but I'm glad I read this book. Reid was just 24 when she wrote it, and it was interesting to see how a young person in 2021 was thinking about these issues.
I found the characters and dialogue believable. And I think Reid's done well to capture the tendency in academia to analyse, philosophise and extrapolate meaning from personal experiences often to the detriment of the person trying to process/live with them. And that doing this without the person's consent is another way to violate them. And that there's a tension here between wanting to think deeply and conceptually about things without becoming and object yourself. There's more to unpick here, but I think the novel's strength is its unending cry for its protagonist to be seen as a whole messy person wanting as much agency and autonomy as possible despite the labels thrown on her.
Nothing super new here, but I'm glad I read this book. Reid was just 24 when she wrote it, and it was interesting to see how a young person in 2021 was thinking about these issues.
I found the characters and dialogue believable. And I think Reid's done well to capture the tendency in academia to analyse, philosophise and extrapolate meaning from personal experiences often to the detriment of the person trying to process/live with them. And that doing this without the person's consent is another way to violate them. And that there's a tension here between wanting to think deeply and conceptually about things without becoming and object yourself. There's more to unpick here, but I think the novel's strength is its unending cry for its protagonist to be seen as a whole messy person wanting as much agency and autonomy as possible despite the labels thrown on her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Car accident, and Alcohol
annabelle6969's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicide, Car accident, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
cashewmilk's review against another edition
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Vomit, Car accident, and Alcohol
grace_9613's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
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
2.5
Eh. It just felt very ‘high school’. The romanticising of the teacher/student relationship was a bit ick. There were so many good themes presented but the exploration of them was so superficial. I just think I wasn’t the target audience, despite being a university student myself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault and Car accident
crispy_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Death, Sexism, and Car accident
Minor: Death of parent
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Love and Virtue follows Michaela through her tumultuous first year on a scholarship to a prestigious Australian university college, and explores a friendship she develops with a fellow student named Eve. It’s a story with some heavy themes and plot points. There’s sexual assault, toxic friendship, classism, heavy alcohol and drug use, a death that could be a suicide, feminism, power, consent, the sexual double standard, a sexual relationship between a student and a professor and more. I also thought it was an interesting take on the own voices concept that raises issues like who has the right to use a story and whether we have an obligation or responsibility to tell our stories for the good of others. I loved thinking about the many shades of grey in the choices Michaela and Eve made, as well as the possible reasons underpinning them. There’s so much nuance to unpack. This would make great book club book - so much to discuss. It would also be perfect to share and discuss with any young women heading to university for the first time. It kept me engrossed from beginning to end, with the added bonus of bringing back (thankfully good) memories of a summer I spent at an Australian college.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Car accident
balfies's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Do you like reading complex, intimate, witty, intelligent stories about consent and power and morality and the cultures of the colleges at The University of Sydney? Read this regardless of your answer.
It's also surreal to read about usyd, but about MY usyd, and about where in feminist space-time the campus was when I was there. Also wild to read a book set in the suburb I live in.
I really need to emphasise just how nuanced and precise and cutting and bright this book is, though. An absolute must read, 10/10 for me.
It's also surreal to read about usyd, but about MY usyd, and about where in feminist space-time the campus was when I was there. Also wild to read a book set in the suburb I live in.
I really need to emphasise just how nuanced and precise and cutting and bright this book is, though. An absolute must read, 10/10 for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
ju1iet's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, and Car accident
iliah14's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Body shaming, Suicide, Gaslighting, and Alcohol