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I continue to be amazed at the nuance of the characters who act within the context of their position in society, making me both feel deep hatred and immense compassion. With the span of a couple chapters, I was goaded into the same bloodlust for Letty as Robin felt (which was not a common reaction for me, violence is not typically my jam), and then was able to nod in understanding through the eyes of Letty in this interlude. Nothing outlined here was new or a surprise, it was just lost in the bigger tapestry, and the more front and center suffering of the other characters. The short interlude brought this so deftly into focus; a reminder that anyone who isn’t on top is fighting tooth in nail in the social dogpile for space to breathe and be seen, to be accepted.

No matter how morally suspect or potentially thoughtless the decision was, she too took action that aligned with her beliefs and convictions. Brutal. #SFFBookClub

@screamsbeneath@bookwyrm.social One of the few things I wish the book had expanded on is the difference between Letty and Professor Craft. Letty is presented as an understandable villain, in ways that Lovell and Playfair [appropriately] aren't, but I was left wondering if Craft had been like Letty once. Was there a different place Letty might have got to given more time? I'm not sure which is more believable, and I'd love to know which Kuang had in mind.

@screamsbeneath@bookwyrm.social Yeah. And I think part of it is that Lovell doesn't think of himself as any of those things, though he clearly is. He's so solidly speaking and acting within the bounds of the system that made him, that he can sincerely believe he has the moral high ground through and through.

Yesterday I read the scene in which Professor Lovell browbeats Robin into pretending contrition and giving up a scrap of information about Hermes. A different part of it is haunting me: the way Lovell never engages with a single moral claim Robin makes, just mocks and dismisses them out of hand. That part of the conversation, I've had personally with so many relatives and the occasional coworker / fellow student. And I keep reading reports of political and media figures doing the same - Lovell might as well have just said "woke" with that sneer they all do.

None of which is a criticism of the book! It was a painfully well-observed scene. #SFFBookClub

I'm enjoying how much Kuang ties the fantasy world of the book to the real world unrest that was happening at the same time, and how timeless the attitudes of the people fully bought into the system are. #SFFBookClub

I'm thoroughly enjoying this book so far, including among other things the descriptions of Oxford through the eyes of some new students. It's clear that Kuang has a lot of affection for the place even as she's setting the story up to be very sharply critical of it in important ways. And that's striking a very personal chord with me.

I interviewed at Oxford as a potential undergrad, and didn't get in. It was the one university I applied to that required an interview, and even though the interview itself was frustrating [I seemed to be evaluated on prior subject knowledge, for a subject they advertised as not needing prior background to study], the 3 days in Oxford in an autumnal fog around it were lovely. Looking back I'm reasonably confident that I was better off studying elsewhere, but every now and then I do get some longing for the place because it is so beautiful, and it is possible to fall for the illusion it has of itself as a town-sized temple of pure learning.

I think Robin and Rami's 3 days of freedom before term starts managed to capture a lot of that feeling. It's already clear the place isn't going to be as good for Robin as he thinks, but oh it's such a beautiful place it's easy to be charmed by it.

#SFFBookClub