Questions About The Magicians (The Magicians, #1)

by Lev Grossman (Goodreads Author)

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Answered Questions (47)

do you agree this is an extremely misogynistic book?

Autumn No, and you're not-so-cleverly disguising your opinion as a question--don't. But I'll bite and discuss anyway:

<spoiler>
The main character is a male, a…moreNo, and you're not-so-cleverly disguising your opinion as a question--don't. But I'll bite and discuss anyway:

<spoiler>
The main character is a male, and hence we see all the awful things he does. But a careful reader would notice that:

1)It transcends sex as he does awful things to both men and women. He happens to be straight, and a significant other is easy to hurt, so his treatment of his girlfriend shines out.

2)Every character in the book is broken, men and women alike. A book based on Janet, for example, would make her look just as awful as Quentin does.

3)Nothing Quentin does is out of misogyny. It is out of depression and pain, which can cause awful behavior--but not purposeful misogyny.

4)Even if a character acts misogynistic, the author doesn't ever condone it, so the book itself is not.

Whether you think this book is misogynistic because of how Quentin acts or how the women in his life do, it doesn't add up--nobody comes away looking good.
</spoiler>(less)

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is it appriopriate for an 8th grade...an avid reader

Clara No, I'd say not. There's too much mature content--sex and drugs, but also very complex emotional issues that I think an 8th grader isn't likely to und…moreNo, I'd say not. There's too much mature content--sex and drugs, but also very complex emotional issues that I think an 8th grader isn't likely to understand. Though high school students might read this, it's really a book for adults, not children.(less)

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Why is this book so hard to like? It's got all the main ingredients, it should be real good.

Yusuf Motara Why don't you end up with a cake if you randomly throw together some flour, sugar, eggs, butter, and so on in a baking tray? Because the process is ju…moreWhy don't you end up with a cake if you randomly throw together some flour, sugar, eggs, butter, and so on in a baking tray? Because the process is just as important as having good ingredients. The story gets bogged down in Quentin, and Quentin's failures are tediously predictable after a while - his whole over-privileged life is screwed-up by the fact that it's Quentin who's living it. And without a story to actually enjoy (for the longest time, Quentin simply ... exists ... and that's it!), or characters that you can relate to, there's nothing to like. The process is just as important as the ingredients!(less)

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It's funny how so many women are hating this book, and it appears they mainly hate Quentin. This is about a teenager who is lost, depressed, and going through a tough time mentally. If that doesn't interest you, and you don't want to step in the mind of a troubled man, don't read this book. Am I the only one who didn't like it, but it wasn't because of Quentin...?

Andrea So, I'm a woman who didn't like this book and who hated Quentin but that isn't the part I disliked the most. I will address the first part of your pos…moreSo, I'm a woman who didn't like this book and who hated Quentin but that isn't the part I disliked the most. I will address the first part of your post before I answer your real question.

"This is about a teenager who is lost, depressed, and going through a tough time mentally. If that doesn't interest you, and you don't want to step in the mind of a troubled man, don't read this book."

I whole-heartedly agree and I think this should have been stamped on the top left corner of the cover as a warning. The problem is, it wasn't. Unfortunately, the readership of this novel was a bunch of people looking for another wonderous fantasy series to get lost in like HP, Narnia or LOTR and it really didn't deliver on that. This book was marketed as an "adult Harry Potter" and not a book about a teenager suffering from mental illness. If it had been though, I have no doubt that there would still be a wide range of complaints about this novel, including the protagonist. I would also like to add that if this were simply a book about depression it wouldn't have been filled with such phony, arrogant, narcissistic characters. No, this book fills neither category satisfactorily.

Now to your question. Are you the only one who didn't like The Magicians but not because of Quentin? I don't know. I didn't like this book and I also didn't like Quentin. He wasn't the main part of my disdain for this book but he and most of the characters were a big part of it. Mostly, I didn't like the pacing and plot which could have redeemed the book if it had been done properly. Instead, the author focuses a lot of his attention on the inner turmoil of Quentin and his friends without actually delving in deep enough to call it a psychological novel. The author TELLS us a story about a magical world but doesn't SHOW us and thus, a lot of the readership, myself included, could not muster up the enthusiasm to really care about what happened or to who. Grossman gave us a taste of some pretty interesting concepts and storylines but then got lazy in the storytelling and wrapped up the conflicts or abandoned them without any flair. It was just a dismal story with over-privileged characters. Based on your question, I assume you like Quentin or at least sympathize with him. What is that you like about him and what didn't you like about the book?

Cheers,
Andrea(less)

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Isn't Fillory very similar to Narnia? I know that the emphasis is on different thing than the imaginary world, but still

Katie Yes, it is really, really similar. There are parts from almost all of the seven Narnia books in The Magicians and in my opinion this is not honoring N…moreYes, it is really, really similar. There are parts from almost all of the seven Narnia books in The Magicians and in my opinion this is not honoring Narnia but just stealing ideas because Grossman isn't creative enough to think up his own magical world. Literally almost everything in this book is stolen form one popular work or another and this is nothing that should ever be supported. (less)

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