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owlsongs's review against another edition
3.0
This book opened with Ann Carson translating Sappho and Brillat-Savarin on pain and pleasure and I knew it would suck the marrow out of me. I'm surprised, both that it lived up to the hype and that it could speak so specifically to me, now, finishing my first year in New York, when it was about an utterly dissimilar experience. A visceral book. I want an expensive glass of wine, and to know what I'm talking about while I swirl it in my glass. I'm still working out when I can fit becoming a sommelier into my career plans. Definitely planning a trip to my fave Philly wine and cheese spot in the meantime.
rowandl's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
flerune's review against another edition
3.0
Impressively observant and sensual, however repetitive and I personally didn't like the lack of knowledge about the main character.
ms_kippes's review against another edition
4.0
Sweetbitter is a pretty impressive debut novel! Although I found it challenging to related to the main character (she's a bit of a anti-hero), I found the melding of lyrical narrative with straightforward prose and dialogue to be an interesting mix. Ultimately, I'd recommend this to a friend.
slysky4's review against another edition
slow-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
2.0
I enjoyed the book and reading about the restaurant life up until the book became like a fifty shades of grey love triangle… octagon… hexagon.. whatever idk. The Jake and Simone shit was just stupid as hell and ruined the whole book.
gindersl's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
dearesthannah's review against another edition
4.0
Okay, I thoroughly enjoyed this book so I don't really get all these people who hated it. Yes, the main character makes stupid decisions & whines about them... but she's in her early 20s so I didn't expect any different.
I feel like if you haven't experienced any of these life experiences in the book, you probably can't relate to it. It's a great book for a female in her early 20s that's feeling kind of lost.
Don't mind these reviews & read it for yourself.
I feel like if you haven't experienced any of these life experiences in the book, you probably can't relate to it. It's a great book for a female in her early 20s that's feeling kind of lost.
Don't mind these reviews & read it for yourself.
tairaxo's review against another edition
2.0
I’m really torn on whether or not to recommend this book. First off the book reads like poetry, the author is a true poet, it’s really beautiful to read. Secondly, it is absolute food porn if I’ve ever read one! However, the story-line, or lack thereof could have been so much better. This could have been a great book all around but, it didn’t deliver a great story and the ending was… blah! Maybe it’s just something I can’t relate to that made it a bit unappealing to me. You have this girl who arrives in New York City that can be anything she wants to be. She gets hired at one of the top restaurants and really wants to climb that latter to become a server. She stays out late, snorts coke, drinks til she’s belligerent all while trying to get the attention of Jake, the grungy bartender. Then there’s Simone, an older woman that I assumed was (maybe sort of is) a mentor to Tess. Jake and Simone have this weird relationship, weird meaning I don’t know if they’re romantically involved or mother/son type. Just a little gross. Anywho… you’ll have to read the book to find out the rest. It’s not a very long book so maybe it actually would be worth the time even if you agree that it was just… meh.
kristinj1119's review against another edition
1.0
I hated this book. I couldn't stop listening but I hated it.