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deathmetalheron's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
4.25
This is one of those books that comes with a lot of hype, a lot of culture surrounding it, and if you even dip your toes in it's hard to sort of step back and give an honest rating. I had never heard of it til this year so it makes sense that it's a "modern" classic, but it's important to sit back and give it a sober impression.
First off, there is so much good in this book--in spite of being slow-paced, it's an incredibly gripping read. Richard + crew are exactly what you want out of morally compromised protagonists, they are flawed and overall bad people but they are compelling enough to read about. The references and the overlying theme of Greek tragedy playing out slowing in postmodern Vermont is really a stroke of genius. You can get little treats if you go back and read the parts in ancient languages again, learning new aspects about the characters and early foreshadowing in some cases.
The strongest aspect of this book is its condemnation, or rather strong criticism of elite academia and university. While there is no "hammer to anvil" moment where Richard goes on a diatribe about why college/"university" is dumb (and the text is all the better for it), the overlying theme of this permeates the vast majority of the text and creates the relationship dynamic with Richard and thew crew. By the end Richard has his realization that while college was somewhere he wanted to go and where he felt he had to, to the other Classics (particularly Henry) life is nothing more than an extremely extended stint in college, due to their wealth. Julian (arguably the true antagonist and representation of the entirety of academic excess) is basically the end-goal for Henry.
The other factor that shines is how even though everyone is unlikable to some extent, Bunny, who features some of the more obvious detestable traits like elitism, bigotry, and begging for money, it isstill remarkably sad that his murder is what the story is framed around, and by the end when Henry and the rest are revealing their true characters you come to realize that in his soul Bunny was no worse than any of them. In that sense his death feels extremely tragic.
Now, where do I find critique with this text? For one, the obsession with the aesthetic of this damn book leaves a sour taste in my mouth--this is certainly one of those books where it's easy to get lost in "no, you don't get it, this is the real point" I do feel that moping around smoking cigarettes and wearing New England prep fashion is not exactly the takeaway you want from this book. I have the benefit of reading this in my 30s, and I knew people like the Classics when I was in college. The Magicians is much more hokey and goofy but it gets away with making fun of dark academia without making it feel sexy. The reaction to that makes me wonder if the themes of anti-elitism should have been more prominent and we didn't need to spend as much time going over the times Richard walks around drunk or how many Bloody Marys Charles orders and how fast he drinks them. At around 400 pages the prose begins to dip and we get extended, plodding sections that really betray the pace.
It's a phenomenal book, and I have so much good to say about it. But at the risk of falling into the milieu of takes on this book, there is a very clear set of themes to me, and yes, you can miss it if you get too lost in the aesthetic.
First off, there is so much good in this book--in spite of being slow-paced, it's an incredibly gripping read. Richard + crew are exactly what you want out of morally compromised protagonists, they are flawed and overall bad people but they are compelling enough to read about. The references and the overlying theme of Greek tragedy playing out slowing in postmodern Vermont is really a stroke of genius. You can get little treats if you go back and read the parts in ancient languages again, learning new aspects about the characters and early foreshadowing in some cases.
The strongest aspect of this book is its condemnation, or rather strong criticism of elite academia and university. While there is no "hammer to anvil" moment where Richard goes on a diatribe about why college/"university" is dumb (and the text is all the better for it), the overlying theme of this permeates the vast majority of the text and creates the relationship dynamic with Richard and thew crew. By the end Richard has his realization that while college was somewhere he wanted to go and where he felt he had to, to the other Classics (particularly Henry) life is nothing more than an extremely extended stint in college, due to their wealth. Julian (arguably the true antagonist and representation of the entirety of academic excess) is basically the end-goal for Henry.
The other factor that shines is how even though everyone is unlikable to some extent, Bunny, who features some of the more obvious detestable traits like elitism, bigotry, and begging for money, it is
Now, where do I find critique with this text? For one, the obsession with the aesthetic of this damn book leaves a sour taste in my mouth--this is certainly one of those books where it's easy to get lost in "no, you don't get it, this is the real point" I do feel that moping around smoking cigarettes and wearing New England prep fashion is not exactly the takeaway you want from this book. I have the benefit of reading this in my 30s, and I knew people like the Classics when I was in college. The Magicians is much more hokey and goofy but it gets away with making fun of dark academia without making it feel sexy. The reaction to that makes me wonder if the themes of anti-elitism should have been more prominent and we didn't need to spend as much time going over the times Richard walks around drunk or how many Bloody Marys Charles orders and how fast he drinks them. At around 400 pages the prose begins to dip and we get extended, plodding sections that really betray the pace.
It's a phenomenal book, and I have so much good to say about it. But at the risk of falling into the milieu of takes on this book, there is a very clear set of themes to me, and yes, you can miss it if you get too lost in the aesthetic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Murder, Sexual content, Classism, Drug use, Alcohol, Death, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, and Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Homophobia, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence
Minor: Antisemitism and Rape
k_arnold's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Incest
komiification's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
One of the greatest pieces of literary fiction I've ever read. Unsurprising that this created an entire subculture.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Murder, Gun violence, Death, Suicide, Drug use, Blood, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Grief, Mental illness, Classism, and Misogyny
Minor: Rape
rxdblxre's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.25
it’s a slow read but the last few chapters had me hanging on to every word. Richard is a very complex character as well as the others. You’d have to reflect on who you are and what you believe to truly appreciate this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Incest, and Suicide
aliengirlreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Murder
toadie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Suicide
Moderate: Drug abuse, Homophobia, and Alcoholism
Minor: Sexism
kenna13's review against another edition
dark
slow-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Mental illness, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Death, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Car accident, Incest, and Animal cruelty
corkadillo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My flatmate and my best friend revealed one day that this was their favourite book. One of many spooky shared tastes, having not known one another at all before I introduced them. My flatmate lent me his copy and I devoured it in little over a day, awakening naturally at 3am, and reaching straight for it.
The writing is exquisite. The characters have depth and mystery. The plot unfolds deliciously from the very first line. I can't wait to read it again.
The writing is exquisite. The characters have depth and mystery. The plot unfolds deliciously from the very first line. I can't wait to read it again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Suicide, Emotional abuse, and Violence
berrytart's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
dear lord this book was hard to get through, i like the thought of the book and the way it ended. but i nearly cried tears of relief when it was over. everyone was insufferable which i did like!! i’ll most likely never reread this book again though 😃
(francis best character!!)
(francis best character!!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Classism, Racism, Incest, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Death, Islamophobia, Cursing, and Murder
Moderate: Rape, Antisemitism, and Car accident
Minor: Cancer, Suicide attempt, and Suicide
milooo's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
you know what, maybe the booktok girlies were onto something with this book… it’s beautifully written and probably one of the most artistic and cinematic novels i’ve ever read. every atmospheric description felt like a still from an old surrealist film, so much so that i could almost hear the crackle of an old film reel in the background as i was reading. the characters are supremely interesting and as awful and flawed as they all are, that’s kind of the point to them. i really shared Richard’s sentiment of having this “fatal tendency to try to make interesting people good”, but all of their flaws make them so nakedly human, which makes the reader empathise with them despite their better judgement (although i mainly empathise with these people’s livers, my god these bitches need HELP). this book truly sucks you into its world, and that is aided by the long chapters, which i surprisingly didn’t mind that much. you really have to sit down and read a whole chapter in one sitting to have the best reading experience. i would’ve rated this 5 stars if it weren’t for a few key things. firstly, the narrative randomly veers into an /almost/ really good exploration of racism and how easily people can take advantage of visibility and attention to push their own racist agenda. that all could’ve added a relevant and important layer to the story, but it’s just… dropped? secondly, i really disliked how little agency camilla had as a character. as the only lead female character i kind of saw this coming, but it was quite disappointing when she is ‘sexy lampshade’-ed in most scenes. my final qualm is to do with the pacing, which (and this is purely personal taste) dragged a bit near the end. However, i had a great time reading this, and would definitely recommend it (even though If We Were Villains will always be my baby)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Alcoholism
Moderate: Incest and Murder