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A review by emmabeckman
Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan
4.0
I think this book ended up being like a 3.5 star read for me. It was a kind of bizarre mix of Conversations with Friends and Crazy Rich Asians (two books I loved). I think I understand why people don’t love Sally Rooney’s books now, though I will still love them with my whole heart. As a narrator, Ava was way too self-award for my liking. I would have preferred an omniscient third person narrator for that level of awareness. But I liked that Edith eventually made it very clear that that awareness really does not extend to other people around Ava, that Ava is extremely unaware of how the things she does affect people. I did really love all of the language/linguistics references though!
Also, I feel like Ava’s story of her life in Dublin would have been WAY MORE INTERESTING to read. I feel like this book could have been shorter as it was, and even better if it were longer and included her past in real time rather than as reflection. But I did appreciate the discussion of sexuality in this book!
Spoiler
Honestly, the break up scene was kind of my favorite scene in the whole book.Also, I feel like Ava’s story of her life in Dublin would have been WAY MORE INTERESTING to read. I feel like this book could have been shorter as it was, and even better if it were longer and included her past in real time rather than as reflection. But I did appreciate the discussion of sexuality in this book!