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A review by mssamanthanagel
Sex and Rage by Eve Babitz
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i enjoyed this read quite a lot. it is my first babitz, and knowing what i know about her so far, i can see how autobiographical it is, and i think that vulnerability makes it special to me.
this is marketed as a “coming of age” story, but i found it to be a story primarily about a young woman’s struggle with alcoholism and drug use while centering men’s approval. which is coming of age to some, yes, but i think i say it’s just a story of growing up makes the actual substance of the book sound watered down. it is deeply relatable to those it’s relatable too, but i wouldn’t necessarily consider this a relatable read across the board.
i agree with the reviews that say this book reads like a stream of consciousness. it’s not very prose-like, almost a more factual observation of what jacaranda is doing or saying. that isn’t my preferred style, but i thought it set the tone for the book.
i also appreciated that the story was written in slightly different tones as her alcoholism progresses, then as her sobriety shakily begins. i loved the occasional snarky satirical comments, especially the ones that made jacaranda the butt of the joke (example, the reference that jacaranda would understand her euphoria highs and then crying spells lows if only she would just go to AA).
i thought the arc was very beautiful, with the last page perfectly mirroring the girl we met who loved surfing and life on the first page.
one thing i didn’t love was that the narrator was 95% focused on jacaranda, but every once and a while it would head hop to another character for a paragraph or two. that’s my pet peeve in reading, so those few times made me feel pulled out.
i also didn’t enjoy reading the bulk of part 1, but i think that was more of a personal experience thing than it being hard to read generally. my enjoyment skyrocketed when part 2 began and her journey to new york started. and, i think we needed the vanity and self centeredness and self harm of part 1 to fully appreciate her changes in part 2.
this book also reminded me of malibu rising by TJR.
this is marketed as a “coming of age” story, but i found it to be a story primarily about a young woman’s struggle with alcoholism and drug use while centering men’s approval. which is coming of age to some, yes, but i think i say it’s just a story of growing up makes the actual substance of the book sound watered down. it is deeply relatable to those it’s relatable too, but i wouldn’t necessarily consider this a relatable read across the board.
i agree with the reviews that say this book reads like a stream of consciousness. it’s not very prose-like, almost a more factual observation of what jacaranda is doing or saying. that isn’t my preferred style, but i thought it set the tone for the book.
i also appreciated that the story was written in slightly different tones as her alcoholism progresses, then as her sobriety shakily begins. i loved the occasional snarky satirical comments, especially the ones that made jacaranda the butt of the joke (example, the reference that jacaranda would understand her euphoria highs and then crying spells lows if only she would just go to AA).
i thought the arc was very beautiful, with the last page perfectly mirroring the girl we met who loved surfing and life on the first page.
one thing i didn’t love was that the narrator was 95% focused on jacaranda, but every once and a while it would head hop to another character for a paragraph or two. that’s my pet peeve in reading, so those few times made me feel pulled out.
i also didn’t enjoy reading the bulk of part 1, but i think that was more of a personal experience thing than it being hard to read generally. my enjoyment skyrocketed when part 2 began and her journey to new york started. and, i think we needed the vanity and self centeredness and self harm of part 1 to fully appreciate her changes in part 2.
this book also reminded me of malibu rising by TJR.