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Love & Virtue

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Love & Virtue

By: Diana Reid
Narrated by: Emma Leonard
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About this listen

Whenever I say I was at university with Eve, people ask me what she was like, sceptical perhaps that she could have always been as whole and self-assured as she now appears. To which I say something like: ‘people are infinitely complex.’ But I say it in such a way - so pregnant with misanthropy - that it’s obvious I hate her.

Michaela and Eve are two bright, bold women who befriend each other their first year at a residential college at university, where they live in adjacent rooms. They could not be more different: one, assured and popular - the other, uncertain and eager to please. But something happens one night in O-week - a drunken encounter, a foggy memory that will force them to confront the realities of consent and wrestle with the dynamics of power.

Initially bonded by their wit and sharp eye for the college's mix of material wealth and moral poverty, Michaela and Eve soon discover how fragile friendship is, and how capable of betrayal they both are.

Written with a strikingly contemporary voice that is both wickedly clever and incisive, issues of consent, class and institutional privilege and feminism become provocations for enduring philosophical questions we face today.

©2021 Diana Reid (P)2021 W F Howes Ltd and Ultimo Press Coming of Age Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Women's Fiction

Critic Reviews

"Set to be one of the year's most talked about books." (Vogue Australia)

"Love & Virtue’s strength is that it is principled but not preachy, eloquent but accessible. This exceptional debut novel is an absolute must-read companion to Helen Garner’s The First Stone." (Books + Publishing)

"Diana Reid will be called the new Sally Rooney - you’re certain of it by the end of page one. By the end of this real, raw and startling novel, you know Reid is the talent to whom every smart young novelist who follows her will be compared - or hope to be." (Meg Mason, author of Sorrow and Bliss)
All stars
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This was a good book that discusses a heavy topic, something that is worthy of being written about. Made me uncomfortable but I think that’s the point.

Confronting with mixed feelings

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Loved this book - on many levels. The use of clever ideas and the intellect of the characters was particularly clever.

So we’ll written

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Enjoyed the fast pace and eloquent descriptions. I found it difficult to reconcile the events with the level of concern regarding them expressed in the book - I also struggled to equate the maturity of the conversations with the age of the characters. Overall, beautiful prose sets this book apart from others.

Beautiful Prose

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The voice performance is exceptional and the story is incredibly thought-provoking. You will want to talk about this book.

Brilliant and confronting

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Diana Reid has created such a compelling story I could hardly help consuming it at every opportunity. Beautifully drawn characters that feel universally recognisable. Such an incredible portrait of friendship. It truly delves into the world of academic enmity and jealousy whilst providing humour and pathos. Witty and engaging from beginning to end.

Compelling, clever and heartwarming

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coming of age stories seem to be very popular (Normal People, Where the Crawdad Sings, Such a Fun Age etc .) and a lot of them hit the mark and do well. this book only half way made it to the mark for me, confusing moral lessons which seems to backflip and end up not teaching anything.

confusing coming of age

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reminds me of a sally rooney novel based in sydney. captured my attention and very thought-provoking. filled me with rage and frustration at times but i guess that’s the tell of a good novel.

enjoyed it

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I’ve had this book recommended to me by several people since it was released but I’m 28 years old I didn’t get much out of it. The themes are interesting but explored on a superficial level and realisation the character comes to are ones I had when I was in my late teens, which makes sense as I think the author was young when she wrote it.

I’m probably too old to be the target audience

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This is so brilliantly written that it was captivating from start to finish such an interesting topic to highly recommended

Excellent!

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Topical and important topics to explore but I felt the narrative tried to do too much and ended up a little clunky. Perhaps because it was heavy on concepts and light on nuanced character development. Narration was great though.

Almost got there

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