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juliarchetype's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, and Sexual content
Minor: Death and Grief
bisexualwentworth's review against another edition
Does this book have literary merit? Yes absolutely. Would I recommend it to anyone? No I would not.
Holly is definitely a compelling character and I understand why she’s had such a lasting cultural impact (though that’s mostly just people’s images of Audrey Hepburn). I felt like this book was getting at something interesting in its depiction of a glamorous but tragic woman who’s been LITERALLY GROOMED to think that all of this should be normal for her. And her friendship with the narrator (no, that are not any romantic undertones, thank goodness) has a lot of compelling moments.
But, in addition to the grooming, this book contains so much lesbophobia and SO MUCH racism that it was really hard to get through. You expect me to care about characters who are just constantly using slurs to describe everyone they know? No thanks.
Holly is definitely a compelling character and I understand why she’s had such a lasting cultural impact (though that’s mostly just people’s images of Audrey Hepburn). I felt like this book was getting at something interesting in its depiction of a glamorous but tragic woman who’s been LITERALLY GROOMED to think that all of this should be normal for her. And her friendship with the narrator (no, that are not any romantic undertones, thank goodness) has a lot of compelling moments.
But, in addition to the grooming, this book contains so much lesbophobia and SO MUCH racism that it was really hard to get through. You expect me to care about characters who are just constantly using slurs to describe everyone they know? No thanks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Racial slurs, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Miscarriage
sillyduckie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I gave this a 4 when I read it in 2013 but I must’ve been high, or else I read a very different edition.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, Stalking, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Blood, Pregnancy, and War