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friendlypoet's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
paigereitz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I struggled with how to rate this book. I didn't hate it. But it's very clearly dated, a relic of another time that does not hold up particularly well. As a Buffett Bookcase staple, I felt obliged to give it a shot - the story of a white man who buys a hotel on a whim in the Caribbean and gets his ass handed to him in his white superiority nonsense is, in fact, an important story. But the dated racial and homophobic language was gross, and the story dragged at times. It took me a while to chew through, in starts and stops, but it wasn't all bad. But it wasn't a top read of 2023 either.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Antisemitism, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Deportation