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m4rtt4's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
At first I didn't like this book, then I did, and in the end I like it even less than before.
I don't think authors should always only write about people of their own kind, but in this case, Eco should have just kept to the straight white men. Racism, homophobia, misogyny, #menwritingwomen... even though the book was meant to be satirical, those parts didn't feel like it, and even if they were meant to be, they were not entertaining at all.
The love interest was made to seem more special by her own internalized misogyny and pejorative thoughts of other, more "basic" women. Also I felt like her "autism" was sort of fetishized to make her more unique, and whether she really was autistic or not, the remarks about her "quirks" were questionable and brought nothing to the story. All for nothing, the romance was unnecessary (although predictable and expected), and the main character's thought about him being "old enough to be her father" only further distanced me from their relationship.
I was interested in the journalistic parts, but the conspiracies weren't really related to the main plot at all. In my opinion those two topics should have been two different books, out of which I would have chosen the newspaper one (and probably liked it more as well).
I don't think authors should always only write about people of their own kind, but in this case, Eco should have just kept to the straight white men. Racism, homophobia, misogyny, #menwritingwomen... even though the book was meant to be satirical, those parts didn't feel like it, and even if they were meant to be, they were not entertaining at all.
The love interest was made to seem more special by her own internalized misogyny and pejorative thoughts of other, more "basic" women. Also I felt like her "autism" was sort of fetishized to make her more unique, and whether she really was autistic or not, the remarks about her "quirks" were questionable and brought nothing to the story. All for nothing, the romance was unnecessary (although predictable and expected), and the main character's thought about him being "old enough to be her father" only further distanced me from their relationship.
I was interested in the journalistic parts, but the conspiracies weren't really related to the main plot at all. In my opinion those two topics should have been two different books, out of which I would have chosen the newspaper one (and probably liked it more as well).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Murder, and War
Minor: Alcohol