The Procrastinators Book Club discussion
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Yellowface
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★Buddy/Group Read Retirement★
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Yellowface (June 2023) Buddy Read Discussion - Katie & Sam, Jen
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I’m just going to lurk here I already read it and have so many thoughts I want to discuss. Looking forward to reading what you all think.
I'll try and join, I've seen so many good reviews
I'd love to join!
Hi I'd love to join!
I'd like to take part in this one if I can - been dying to read this :)
everyone and anyone is welcome :) I'm really excited to jump into it next week!
Me too, I keep seeing great reviews!
Hi, I would also lovee to join I've been so excited for this book to release!!
Anyone read the first 3 chapters yet?
I did! Finished a little while ago. The narrator is doing a masterful job of painting herself to be the victim so far.
I know! I love how unreliable she is as a narrator. I feel sorry for Athena - you get them impression she's really a pretty lonely person if she keeps June around no?
Totally got distracted by The Fourth Wing but will catch up tonight.
Caught up through chapter 9. OMG I love how uncomfortable this is to read. I can't believe that she whitewashed the book on top of stealing it. The changes she made are awful and she apparently has no clue nor is she interested as evidenced by her treatment of Candice Lee. She recentered the book on white people and herself. June is so unreliable. Fascinating how in one breath the book really is her writing yet all the edits are fixing Athena's faults. I'm glad to be going slow on this one. It is a lot to take in because she is so awful.
Read until Chapter 9June is such an interesting narrator the way she is so oblivious to her wrongdoings is so fun to read.
I also really enjoy all the details about the publishing world. It's clear that the author wanted to expose a bit of everything that goes on in the publishing world and I am eating it up.
I'm also caught up through Ch. 9. I agree with Jen that it's good to do this in small chunks. I think my blood would boil over if I tried to read this all at once. June tries so hard to justify her actions. I'm glad some people are starting to call her out.
I'm sad to say I've fallen behind schedule for reading. Work and life has been hectic as everything, but as far as I have made it:** I've included some quotes, but they avoid spoilers**
June seems to admire a perfectionist idea, either you are great from the start or you are a nobody. And she projects that image onto Athena.
Additionally, right off the bat June discusses the saturation in the publishing market - authors who represent the majority (white authors) have dominated the market to the point where anyone trying to break into the publishing world would be left behind, pushed to the side and quite possibly forgotten as mentioned with her comments about "some guy named Garrett" having most likely forgotten about her.
She further questions whether authors are being promoted solely based off of their writing merits, or if it is the person who is being marketed. - Bemoaning when "everyone has a shitty debut experience "(4), including herself - viewed as a right-of-way for authors, but then arguing that Athena was able to rocket to stardom right away, although praising her writing, stating her "star power is so obviously not about the writing. It's about her." (5)
I have only made it 6 pages in, but this novel has me questioning a lot about the dynamics of the publishing industry as well as how we, as readers, determine who is a popular (or worthy of being popular) author. . . This week is going to be a bit calmer, so I'm hoping to catch up to the schedule.
Side note but love that this is set in DC! My office was 2 doors, across the canal, from the Graham and have definitely spent several happy hours on the rooftop for frose and the view. Also across the street from Baked and Wired and the cupcakes are definitely worth ordering. All the references she makes are so spot on.
just catching up. the part about Athena's ex was interesting. also, how June used her BIL to help find out who it was? she really has no boundaries. like someone else said, it's amazing how she can justify what she does because each time it's just a little thing - I just added in a few words...I just finished a paragraph...I just changed out the character...i just rearranged the narrative so it flowed.
I am a ways behind at chapter 3, but I've noticed an interesting amount of saviour complex coming through in June's comments. She views herself as rescuing the manuscript and polishing it to perfection. It's also intriguing how she earlier derided Athena for paralleling her writing process to that of birthing a child, but then once she sees the possibility of success uses the same comparison for her own writing.
I'm ahead so I'm trying to avoid giving spoilers and chatting ahead!aren't that group of authors June messages just horrid? so stuck up!
Also can't believe she took something else! I love how the story sort of drip feeds up information and how June is always twisting the narrative to suit her agenda.
I also found it very interesting how Athena was painted about her taking the stories of people she met and kind of rewriting their trauma for her own books
Read through chapter 15, agree that "Eden's Angels" are awful. They are mean and gossipy and make June feel that she is right when she really isn't. She nailed the boyfriend and then seriously, she missed being talked about? After all the stress?
It is terrible that the media turned on Athena so quickly and when she can't defend herself because she is dead. Pretty terrible and worse for June to enjoy it. I'm so intrigued to see if she gets away with it all or if karma comes back for her.
Well that's certainly an interesting twist with the Athena instagram account popping up! I'm enjoying watching June sort of fall apart to be honest. Nothing less than she deserves. Also, how sweet is Athena's mum? When June persuaded her not to hand over the notebooks, how awful must that have been for her to contemplate? But to maintain her daughter's privacy showed what a good person she is...unlike June
I finally managed to get a copy from the library! Will be starting as soon as I find a gap in my crazy BR schedule
I finished this one on the plane today and wow, June is just awful. The industry has serious issues too.
Made it to 30% today. Totally agree that June is absolutely awful. The author is so good at trapping us in her perspective too. June really is 100% convinced that she’s right in all this. Yeesh!! It’s twisted but also addictive somehow. I want to see her get torn down.
I have finished my read-through. I have so many comments, but without going into detail. . . The deep look into the publishing industry - how bestsellers are handpicked and predetermined before the novel is actually published, The discussion of racism - both found within June's own narration and the interactions within the literary community, The comments on the forced rivalries between authors (both competing to break into the industry, and competing to remain relevant and noticed once published). . . Plus June's own spiral into madness and obsession.
There is so much more involved and I am absolutely in love with this novel!!
I’m at 78% now and June’s life is like a car crash in slow motion you just can’t look away from… she’s SO awful that it almost makes it difficult to read. But I keep going because I want her to fail haha
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Each day we will be reading by chapters or page numbers. Page numbers are an approximation based on the hardcover or paperback that is the default on Goodreads. The suggested Buddy Read discussion schedule is as follows:
Week of 06/07
June 7: Ch. 1-3
June 8: Ch. 4-6
June 9: Ch. 7-9
June 10: Ch. 10-12
June 11: Ch. 13-15
Week of 06/12
June 12: Ch. 16-18
June 13: Ch. 19-21
June 14: Ch. 22-24
PARTICIPANTS
~ Katie
~ Sam
~ Jen