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whoisrois's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The last 20% or so feels like a different, less brilliant book than the first 80% but this really ticked a lot of my boxes 🧠 ⚡️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Medical content, and Kidnapping
kaddictwithapen's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content and Kidnapping
Minor: Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Vomit, and Suicide attempt
bronzeageholly's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Beginning:
The main character is entirely unlikeable, she has a pernicious inner monologue which makes for an interesting unreliable narrator. It was very intriguing but also painful to hear how her self-hatred is a knife that she twists into everyone around her without even realising.
I found all the characters very considered and real; I reflected a lot on the varying power dynamics in different relationships. You think that the book is focused on titular Vladimir, or maybe it is all about John (the husband on trial and ‘ruining her life’), but is it really about any man at all? Men appear in every rumination, but at the end of each point it is about women and how each perceive each other and themselves that she deeply cares about but can’t admit.
At many points, it was difficult to hear the main characters’ obsessive thoughts and archaic perspectives (especially around the women who had accused her husband), and, after a while, I became a bit bored of the sameness of it. But then the middle arrives.
Middle:
What a wild mid-life crisis. Didn’t want to put it down.
End:
I don’t think the ending was for me. The wrap-up did not feel like it pushed me as a reader, especially after such an incredible and intense middle. I felt it would have been better to be left on a cliff-hanger. When Vladimir goes off in the kayak alone at night and John goes to bed in the cabin is where I think it should have ended. I wanted to be left with the mystery of whether anything would happen to Vladimir and how to case against John would go. I wanted to be able to reflect more on the characters and what I think they were portraying rather than be spoon-fed their futures. If I were to read this book again, I think I would rather stop reading it around chapter 20.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Sexism, and Alcohol
samanthaleereads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Moderate: Drug abuse
ivi_reads_books's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
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
3.0
Even though I found the main female character unlikeable I was intruiged by her. Presenting as a woman with liberal values while secretly being quite conservative. It was an interesting insight into the mind of a woman who doesn't truely support other women.
Where the book lost me was about 3/4 of the way through when the plot and the main characters became unbelievable
Where the book lost me was about 3/4 of the way through when the plot and the main characters became unbelievable
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
ifeanart's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction and Sexual content
inkylabyrinth's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
kekeli's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Sexual harassment
issyd23's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-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
3.0
Immensely captivating with a disappointing & rushed ending. Gives ‘I Love Dick’ by Chris Kraus energy 3❤️🔥
NB Personally disagreed with 90% of the protagonists’ thoughts & actions + her critiques of feminism, consent & cancel culture in a post me too era - but worth reading.
NB Personally disagreed with 90% of the protagonists’ thoughts & actions + her critiques of feminism, consent & cancel culture in a post me too era - but worth reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
beneduck's review against another edition
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
1.25
there's no super clear spoilers in here, but definitely strong allusions. proceed with caution.
major TW for eating disorders, substance abuse, suicide, sexual assault
----
After immediately finishing here are my thoughts. The protag has horribly inconsistent psychology. Her actions and reactions make no sense compared to how she is in other parts of the story. This carries over to how Vladimir acts (thinking or a specific chair incident!) and it just pissed me off! The ending was too clean and resolved. So unbelievable.
Also!! the protag will not shut the fuck up about her body and eating habits, which i found really upsetting at times. she's obsessed with appearing younger, skinnier, "healthier". for tons of other reasons, i hate her and i don't enjoy hating her, which takes most of the fun out of this book.
i found the dustjacket summary soooo misleading -- as well as the super sexed-up cover. this is NOT
" Propulsive, darkly funny, and surreptitiously moving," it's horrific, glorifying, and disheartening. the protag makes light of her students' worries about potential sexual assault and deals with the whole husband thing in a spineless manner and never seems to form her own concrete opinions -- really about anything. even her "obsession" with vladimir in the first half consists of daydreaming about sex with him -- hardly an obsession, more aptly named a crush. i was excited for a dark and sexy book, and i got one that was uncomfortable in a way that wasn't productive.
re: the chair scene: "I let her lead me to the scene, not sure if this event would actually happen. I love characters who do something questionable on an impulse and then must deal with the consequences." it sure as hell was impulsive -- but it felt like she was acting on some other character's impulse and not her own. our darling protag has yet to feel capable of something like she does, and when she does it, it feels horrific instead of exciting.
re: the author's treatment of sexual misconduct: "I still feel connected to a sense of sexuality as a form of freedom and as something that can be used against you. Protectiveness about sexuality, making sexuality feel traumatic or disturbing, can be used as a way to wield power over female sexuality. And that was something that was much more prevalent about the sexual politics of when I was in college and growing into adulthood. It was really about taking down all of those taboos." i! do! not! like! these! implications! it's not fair for me to disagree with an author's stance as a reason for not liking a book, but the treatment of sexual boundaries in this book is sickening. simply put, what was attempted as a reclamation of aged female sexuality is actually just attempted assault. to be the reader seeing this through a first person narrator was so unpleasant, and, yet again, not in a productive manner.
booooo!! this went from a fun hate read to a capital-H hate read. this prof works (or used to work? unsure) at my college. i hope i see her so i can try to make amends.
major TW for eating disorders, substance abuse, suicide, sexual assault
----
After immediately finishing here are my thoughts. The protag has horribly inconsistent psychology. Her actions and reactions make no sense compared to how she is in other parts of the story. This carries over to how Vladimir acts (thinking or a specific chair incident!) and it just pissed me off! The ending was too clean and resolved. So unbelievable.
Also!! the protag will not shut the fuck up about her body and eating habits, which i found really upsetting at times. she's obsessed with appearing younger, skinnier, "healthier". for tons of other reasons, i hate her and i don't enjoy hating her, which takes most of the fun out of this book.
i found the dustjacket summary soooo misleading -- as well as the super sexed-up cover. this is NOT
" Propulsive, darkly funny, and surreptitiously moving," it's horrific, glorifying, and disheartening. the protag makes light of her students' worries about potential sexual assault and deals with the whole husband thing in a spineless manner and never seems to form her own concrete opinions -- really about anything. even her "obsession" with vladimir in the first half consists of daydreaming about sex with him -- hardly an obsession, more aptly named a crush. i was excited for a dark and sexy book, and i got one that was uncomfortable in a way that wasn't productive.
re: the chair scene: "I let her lead me to the scene, not sure if this event would actually happen. I love characters who do something questionable on an impulse and then must deal with the consequences." it sure as hell was impulsive -- but it felt like she was acting on some other character's impulse and not her own. our darling protag has yet to feel capable of something like she does, and when she does it, it feels horrific instead of exciting.
re: the author's treatment of sexual misconduct: "I still feel connected to a sense of sexuality as a form of freedom and as something that can be used against you. Protectiveness about sexuality, making sexuality feel traumatic or disturbing, can be used as a way to wield power over female sexuality. And that was something that was much more prevalent about the sexual politics of when I was in college and growing into adulthood. It was really about taking down all of those taboos." i! do! not! like! these! implications! it's not fair for me to disagree with an author's stance as a reason for not liking a book, but the treatment of sexual boundaries in this book is sickening. simply put, what was attempted as a reclamation of aged female sexuality is actually just attempted assault. to be the reader seeing this through a first person narrator was so unpleasant, and, yet again, not in a productive manner.
booooo!! this went from a fun hate read to a capital-H hate read. this prof works (or used to work? unsure) at my college. i hope i see her so i can try to make amends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Alcohol
Moderate: Suicide attempt