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ladymczyta's review against another edition
3.0
Przeklęta Mila Kunis.
Właśnie tymi słowami zacznę ten wpis, bo to właśnie ta aktorka mnie do niego doprowadziła. Zapowiedź tego filmu mnie zaintrygowała, a gdy odkryłam, że jest to ekranizacja książki, od razu ją zamówiłam. I to był mój błąd.
Już dawno żadna książka mnie tak nie wymęczyła. Niemal co kilka kartek chciałam ją odkładać, bo nie potrafiłam jej zdzierżyć. Powtarzałam sobie jednak „może się rozkręci, może w końcu coś zacznie się dziać” i z tym naiwnym myśleniem doszłam do końca książki i odetchnęłam z ulgą, że mam to w końcu za sobą.
Pierwszą czerwoną flagą, którą zignorowałam było nazwisko głównej bohaterki - TifAni FaNelli. Historia podzielona jest na dwie ramy czasowe - przeszłość, czyli losy czternastoletniej TifAni, która staje się ofiarą pewnych wydarzeń; oraz teraźniejszość, gdzie dorosła już Ani, wiodąca niemal idealne życie w Nowym Jorku, przy boku idealnego narzeczonego, decyduje się na udział w dokumencie o tragedii sprzed czternastu lat, w której brała udział.
Potencjał tej historii był bardzo duży, nie ukrywam, że ciekawiło mnie, co się wydarzyło, co jest sekretem, jednak droga do poznania tego wszystkiego była męką. Nie polubiłam głównej bohaterki, która w obu ramach czasowych była jak dla mnie nie do zniesienia, jej dorosła wersja to już w ogóle inna historia. Ewidentnie wydarzenia z przeszłości odbiły na jej psychice swoje piętno, ewidentnie tego nie przepracowała i zakładała na twarze maski. Chciała wieść idealne życie na pokaz, by wszyscy widzieli, że TA dziewczyna jest dzisiaj kimś.
Porusza się tutaj poważne tematy (nie będę ich wymieniać, bo byłby to spoiler), ale sposób ich przekazania do mnie nie trafił.
Opisy dotyczące teraźniejszości były dla mnie nudne, a komentarze i myśli Ani sprawiały, że miałam ochotę przewracać oczami.
Z kolei przeszłość była ciekawsza, ale nie potrafiła mnie porwać. Nie potrafiła mnie wkręcić w te wszystkie wydarzenia, bym mogła je przeżywać.
Po książkę sięgnęłam, bo byłam ciekawa filmu, ale teraz poważnie się zastanawiam, czy w ogóle się za niego zabiorę.
Właśnie tymi słowami zacznę ten wpis, bo to właśnie ta aktorka mnie do niego doprowadziła. Zapowiedź tego filmu mnie zaintrygowała, a gdy odkryłam, że jest to ekranizacja książki, od razu ją zamówiłam. I to był mój błąd.
Już dawno żadna książka mnie tak nie wymęczyła. Niemal co kilka kartek chciałam ją odkładać, bo nie potrafiłam jej zdzierżyć. Powtarzałam sobie jednak „może się rozkręci, może w końcu coś zacznie się dziać” i z tym naiwnym myśleniem doszłam do końca książki i odetchnęłam z ulgą, że mam to w końcu za sobą.
Pierwszą czerwoną flagą, którą zignorowałam było nazwisko głównej bohaterki - TifAni FaNelli. Historia podzielona jest na dwie ramy czasowe - przeszłość, czyli losy czternastoletniej TifAni, która staje się ofiarą pewnych wydarzeń; oraz teraźniejszość, gdzie dorosła już Ani, wiodąca niemal idealne życie w Nowym Jorku, przy boku idealnego narzeczonego, decyduje się na udział w dokumencie o tragedii sprzed czternastu lat, w której brała udział.
Potencjał tej historii był bardzo duży, nie ukrywam, że ciekawiło mnie, co się wydarzyło, co jest sekretem, jednak droga do poznania tego wszystkiego była męką. Nie polubiłam głównej bohaterki, która w obu ramach czasowych była jak dla mnie nie do zniesienia, jej dorosła wersja to już w ogóle inna historia. Ewidentnie wydarzenia z przeszłości odbiły na jej psychice swoje piętno, ewidentnie tego nie przepracowała i zakładała na twarze maski. Chciała wieść idealne życie na pokaz, by wszyscy widzieli, że TA dziewczyna jest dzisiaj kimś.
Porusza się tutaj poważne tematy (nie będę ich wymieniać, bo byłby to spoiler), ale sposób ich przekazania do mnie nie trafił.
Opisy dotyczące teraźniejszości były dla mnie nudne, a komentarze i myśli Ani sprawiały, że miałam ochotę przewracać oczami.
Z kolei przeszłość była ciekawsza, ale nie potrafiła mnie porwać. Nie potrafiła mnie wkręcić w te wszystkie wydarzenia, bym mogła je przeżywać.
Po książkę sięgnęłam, bo byłam ciekawa filmu, ale teraz poważnie się zastanawiam, czy w ogóle się za niego zabiorę.
funkymathwizard's review against another edition
4.0
I never read the back of a book before reading it. I don't like to ruin the surprise, so I had no idea what this book was about when I picked it up. In fact, I almost didn't finish it because I didn't like the main character right from the start. I have to admit, I felt bad for her throughout the book but actually never liked her.
I can't say that I enjoyed this book because it isn't a happy story, but I couldn't put it down. The author weaves together past and present effortlessly, drawing the reader into the story. I had to continue reading to find out what happened to TifAni in the past and where Ani ends up in the present. I definitely recommend this book.
I can't say that I enjoyed this book because it isn't a happy story, but I couldn't put it down. The author weaves together past and present effortlessly, drawing the reader into the story. I had to continue reading to find out what happened to TifAni in the past and where Ani ends up in the present. I definitely recommend this book.
ksnizzle13's review
dark
reflective
sad
5.0
It really took me time to make progress in this novel and I kept thinking to myself at every stopping point how incredibly realistic and dark it felt - only to find out that the party where Ani is gang raped, she wakes up confused, feels the pressure to maintain the status quo and keep the peace with her rapists, and wants to reinvent herself as someone else she believes is impenetrable the author has first hand knowledge of this 💔
Although the content made it very difficult to read, it really was a beautifully written novel. This is my second time reading one of Jessica Knoll’s novels, the first being Bright Young Women, and I really have a better understanding of her as a writer, in a sense. Bright Young Women evoked powerful emotions of anger, sadness, heartbreak, and injustice - this was also my experience with this novel. I love reading stories with characters that really embody the complexities of being human - the good, the bad, the flaws, the versions we present to the world vs the ones we keep to ourselves. I really love her voice and how she opens up a window for the reader into a different perspective.
Although the content made it very difficult to read, it really was a beautifully written novel. This is my second time reading one of Jessica Knoll’s novels, the first being Bright Young Women, and I really have a better understanding of her as a writer, in a sense. Bright Young Women evoked powerful emotions of anger, sadness, heartbreak, and injustice - this was also my experience with this novel. I love reading stories with characters that really embody the complexities of being human - the good, the bad, the flaws, the versions we present to the world vs the ones we keep to ourselves. I really love her voice and how she opens up a window for the reader into a different perspective.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Rape, Mass/school shootings, and Suicide attempt
blueberry31's review against another edition
4.0
This book is not a masterpiece of literature (though it is by no means badly written), but it's an important book nonetheless. It's important because it's so very raw, and real. It exposes the darkest and sickest problems of our modern societies: how normal rape culture has become, how a school shooting in the US is nothing but routine, how girls starving themselves to reach impossibly thin ideals has become common, how women giving up their lives to be nothing but wives to men is almost expected...
Slut shaming, victims blaming, bullying, misogyny... it's all there, exposed, in the small everyday things, in the seemingly "innocent" remarks, in the reactions of people, even in the way the main character, TifAni, thinks about herself and what she goes through. And this is why this book is important: it was such a realistic account of how things probably WOULD have gone if TifAni and her story had been real (except maybe for the Dean apology part). Reading the dialogue made me so angry because that is EXACTLY how so many people react to situations of rape, abuse and sexism.
"[...] the guy who raped me." Mom gasped. "Don't you speak like that!"
"You don't have a body like TifAni's and go to a party with all boys and drink too much and not know exactly what you're doing there. TifAni knew better. She knows what this family's values are."
"I don't condone what [he] did. Of course I don't. But you have to take responsibility for your part in this too."
I guess this book didn't feel like fiction, and from what I hear part of it isn't... I am curious now to read the author's testimonial on Lenny Letter, where she explains the tragic events in her life that were inspiration for this book.
It's a book that deserves to be read because it tells a horrible story of things that happen every day, today, in our modern "civilized" world.
Slut shaming, victims blaming, bullying, misogyny... it's all there, exposed, in the small everyday things, in the seemingly "innocent" remarks, in the reactions of people, even in the way the main character, TifAni, thinks about herself and what she goes through. And this is why this book is important: it was such a realistic account of how things probably WOULD have gone if TifAni and her story had been real (except maybe for the Dean apology part). Reading the dialogue made me so angry because that is EXACTLY how so many people react to situations of rape, abuse and sexism.
"[...] the guy who raped me." Mom gasped. "Don't you speak like that!"
"You don't have a body like TifAni's and go to a party with all boys and drink too much and not know exactly what you're doing there. TifAni knew better. She knows what this family's values are."
"I don't condone what [he] did. Of course I don't. But you have to take responsibility for your part in this too."
I guess this book didn't feel like fiction, and from what I hear part of it isn't... I am curious now to read the author's testimonial on Lenny Letter, where she explains the tragic events in her life that were inspiration for this book.
It's a book that deserves to be read because it tells a horrible story of things that happen every day, today, in our modern "civilized" world.
jolly_holly's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
jessdrewapic's review against another edition
2.0
SPOILERS
This book was tough to get through, and not so much because of the hard subject matter of rape and school shootings; more because the main characters rambling first person narrative is mainly focused on how skinny she is, how hungry she is, how ugly or pretty the women around her are, how rich she feels and even by the end of the book I didn't have much connection to her as a character even though I did have sympathy for what she went through. The writing style was also so pretentious it was painful. A real disappointment
This book was tough to get through, and not so much because of the hard subject matter of rape and school shootings; more because the main characters rambling first person narrative is mainly focused on how skinny she is, how hungry she is, how ugly or pretty the women around her are, how rich she feels and even by the end of the book I didn't have much connection to her as a character even though I did have sympathy for what she went through. The writing style was also so pretentious it was painful. A real disappointment
jaclyncrupi's review against another edition
4.0
What a deliciously great character study of a woman. I loved love-hating her for the first half of this sarcastic and biting book. Knoll cleverly manipulates her reader and the more we learn about deeply 'unlikeable' Ani the more we like and understand her. Clever and kind of a reverse Gone Girl. I enjoy well drawn 'unlikeable' characters and this book was perfection in that regard. Bullying, rape, consent, eating disorders, social class structures and violence all form part of this book and it's not as light as it appears. Unputdownable. There was some repetition of a couple of darlings that broke my heart. It was great material the first time and lost all power when repeated later. The twists and turns aren't always surprising and you see the ending coming a mile away but I was ok with that.
ecp2115's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5