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aggielexi's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I found this slow in the beginning, and a bit tedious and annoying, it does improve slightly as the book progresses, but I kept having to remind myself Margot is a child.
The plot was not as fulfilling as I'd hope it would be. Margot makes a childish decision. The adult she makes that decision with is a creepy man who treats her like an adult though she is 17. Maybe in France it's different and you are an adult at a younger age, but I hope regardless of the culture, adults in their 30's-40's do not treat children who are 17 as fully functioning mature adults. They have no idea what their decisions can do long term.
Do I feel like Margot is as mature as everyone around her thinks she is? No, I think she's just been left to fend for herself and learned not to draw attention to herself. Do I think that makes her mature? No, maybe just shy and/or introverted.
Do I feel that Margot learned any lesson here? Sure, did I need 9 hours of listening to realize she learned her lesson? No.
The plot was not as fulfilling as I'd hope it would be. Margot makes a childish decision. The adult she makes that decision with is a creepy man who treats her like an adult though she is 17. Maybe in France it's different and you are an adult at a younger age, but I hope regardless of the culture, adults in their 30's-40's do not treat children who are 17 as fully functioning mature adults. They have no idea what their decisions can do long term.
Do I feel like Margot is as mature as everyone around her thinks she is? No, I think she's just been left to fend for herself and learned not to draw attention to herself. Do I think that makes her mature? No, maybe just shy and/or introverted.
Do I feel that Margot learned any lesson here? Sure, did I need 9 hours of listening to realize she learned her lesson? No.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content
Minor: Suicide attempt
sianjkh's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
this was good. so good. the descriptive language covered my brain like a blanket. my mother asked at some point if i felt I was suspending disbelief and truly this book had me captivated at every moment. however, this book suffers from the Elena Ferrante effect. Gorgeous writing and then! suddenly! there is a relationship with an older man. if it wasn't for the ending it would've gotten 5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Infertility
Minor: Body horror, Child death, Cannibalism, and Suicide attempt
isabellabasile's review against another edition
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent
elizaaabeth's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
This book is… fine. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. Did finish it in like three days. The characters felt pretty flat and one dimensional, and I didn’t love the stylized writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Cannibalism
Moderate: Eating disorder and Death of parent
jessicaboi's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Curious to see whether this one sticks with me or not. Definitely liked it quite a bit, didn’t love but it might be the kind that stays with me and I love over time. Will definitely read more from this author- I like her style. Very introspective, well drawn And nuanced characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
gracer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was not as engrossing as I expected, but ultimately I really liked it. The premise is fascinating - there's all kinds of stories about affairs and secret families, but for some reason it seems so rare to actually get the perspective of the children of these affairs. The potential psychological effects of being the child of a "secret family" is... well. It's a lot.
In that regard I thought this was fascinating. It was also refreshing to read about a teenager in a book that isn't YA, because there's more room for such a character to do stupid things and make mistakes, and it seems more realistic. You also feel bad for her because she's just trying to figure things out, and if grownups around her are setting bad examples, or unrealistic expectations, it's not her fault for trying to follow in those footsteps, or to meet those expectations.
This may be leading you to think that there's a lot of that in this book, and there isn't, not too much. The best part about this book is definitely Margot trying to come to terms with her situation with her father. The married couple who come into her life are more interesting as motivating parties and less as what they ultimately become, but I also didn't mind that part. It seemed to make sense with the narrative as it went.
Overall, a really interesting read, about a perspective that truly felt unique.
In that regard I thought this was fascinating. It was also refreshing to read about a teenager in a book that isn't YA, because there's more room for such a character to do stupid things and make mistakes, and it seems more realistic. You also feel bad for her because she's just trying to figure things out, and if grownups around her are setting bad examples, or unrealistic expectations, it's not her fault for trying to follow in those footsteps, or to meet those expectations.
This may be leading you to think that there's a lot of that in this book, and there isn't, not too much. The best part about this book is definitely Margot trying to come to terms with her situation with her father. The married couple who come into her life are more interesting as motivating parties and less as what they ultimately become, but I also didn't mind that part. It seemed to make sense with the narrative as it went.
Overall, a really interesting read, about a perspective that truly felt unique.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Death of parent
lucyindc's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Abandonment
bella_cavicchi's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
There is a review quoted on the front cover that describes THE MARGOT AFFAIR as "exquisite." I have to agree. It's a story about betrayal and truth, but also -- and I think, truly, at its core -- the relationship between mothers and daughters and the desire to prove oneself. I absolutely loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Rape, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Eating disorder, Infertility, and Pregnancy
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