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A review by bookstorian
Love & Virtue by Diana Reid
3.5
Another book that has been on my shelves for too long, patiently awaiting to be chosen. I have been absolutely tearing through books this month and finally had the itch to pick up Love and Virtue, partly too due to Diana's new release 'Seeing Other People'.
Two College dwelling females, Michaela and Eve, meet during their first year of university, not only are they both studying philosophy, they also share adjacent rooms in Fairfax, one of the university's problematic Colleges. 'Love and Virtue' explores loneliness, belonging, sexual assault, consent, complex relationships, memory, institutional privilege and own voices.
Although I initially wasn't vibing with the pretentious and privileged College kids, I persisted with this novel, determined to see just where Michaela's relationships went and what Eve was truly up to. Although I didn't go to university in Sydney, the place was very easy to create in my mind and Diana's lyrical and poetic writing style was hard to look over. In addition, the way so many themes and topics were craft-fully explored was also a real triumph.
Some things that I struggled with, especially at the start of the book, was how long it took me to get into it - I even put it down at one stage thinking I wasn't coming back to it. It really wasn't until the half way point that the plot took a turn and my interest peaked. I think it was due to the fact that it was a world removed from my own university experiences (I don't doubt it exists though) so I struggled to sink in to it and I also found the characters to be tiresome, did I really want to read a book about them? By the second half of the book my perceptions changed, however it took some persistence to get there!
Overall, I am glad that I have read this book, while I struggled with some elements of it, I think it carries and important message about so many issues and is a reflection of many young peoples experiences in higher education institutions.
Two College dwelling females, Michaela and Eve, meet during their first year of university, not only are they both studying philosophy, they also share adjacent rooms in Fairfax, one of the university's problematic Colleges. 'Love and Virtue' explores loneliness, belonging, sexual assault, consent, complex relationships, memory, institutional privilege and own voices.
Although I initially wasn't vibing with the pretentious and privileged College kids, I persisted with this novel, determined to see just where Michaela's relationships went and what Eve was truly up to. Although I didn't go to university in Sydney, the place was very easy to create in my mind and Diana's lyrical and poetic writing style was hard to look over. In addition, the way so many themes and topics were craft-fully explored was also a real triumph.
Some things that I struggled with, especially at the start of the book, was how long it took me to get into it - I even put it down at one stage thinking I wasn't coming back to it. It really wasn't until the half way point that the plot took a turn and my interest peaked. I think it was due to the fact that it was a world removed from my own university experiences (I don't doubt it exists though) so I struggled to sink in to it and I also found the characters to be tiresome, did I really want to read a book about them? By the second half of the book my perceptions changed, however it took some persistence to get there!
Overall, I am glad that I have read this book, while I struggled with some elements of it, I think it carries and important message about so many issues and is a reflection of many young peoples experiences in higher education institutions.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, and Death of parent