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rcsreads's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
So, imagine American Psycho but he's French and it's written by a 26 year old woman! I love a du Maurier because you just never know what you're getting. She writes in every genre and sometimes there are sexy pirates and other times we're just drowning kittens!
Julius is probably the least likeable MC ever. The book takes us from birth to death and he's just a horrible person throughout, but Daphers still makes me enjoy reading it! The woman was a genius!
Julius is probably the least likeable MC ever. The book takes us from birth to death and he's just a horrible person throughout, but Daphers still makes me enjoy reading it! The woman was a genius!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, War, Sexual content, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Animal cruelty, and Death of parent
12dejamoo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love Daphne du Maurier's writing style, it's just so enchanting. And I'm pretty sure that nobody who read this book after reading her more popular stuff was expecting anything like this. I almost can't believe this was her third novel. The best word I have to describe it is 'haunting.' Despite the well crafted text and compelling character study I'm not sure I actually enjoyed the reading experience, but I kind of think that's the point. I don't know if I'd be able to come back to this one any time soon but I expect the weird feeling of it will stick with me a while.
Oh and the blurb is so annoying it gives something away that only begins to happen on page 215 and only really on like 270 so that's really my biggest complaint (although I suppose it's a character study not so much a narrative so it doesn't matter too much).
Oh and the blurb is so annoying it gives something away that only begins to happen on page 215 and only really on like 270 so that's really my biggest complaint (although I suppose it's a character study not so much a narrative so it doesn't matter too much).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Child death, Animal death, Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Physical abuse, War, and Suicide
Julius is not a nice man and therefore he does not nice things. I think the main thing that shook me was just his personality and complete inability to love - wouldn't necessarily list this as a trigger warning just as something particuarly haunting
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