Reviews
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“Enjoyable discussions about a wide range of books, movies, and other media. Be aware, though, about the casual tossing around of dates and historical events. They’re wrong more often than they’re right. A good example is saying that the James Bond books are 50 years old (closer to 65-70) or...”Read full review »
Cannot enter a nickname via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
08/07/22
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“Really love this show and respect Emily for monetizing herself. I listened regularly until the pay wall went up. Putting up half a show and then keeping the rest on Patreon is lame.”
bewareofleopard via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
07/28/22
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“I’m trying to catch up with this podcast and I’m just now in the 2020 season, but each episode is so great and makes me want to read the story discussed. I haven’t read most of the novels, but I still love listening to the discussions about them. Each episode has humor and honesty and the host...”Read full review »
🐓🦎 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
02/26/22
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“I’ve been listening to FBOL for awhile now and absolutely adore it. I am an ELA teacher and love sharing this show with all of my colleagues. I subscribe to the Patreon because Emily puts out quality content constantly. She blends the academic analysis with the wit in a way to make it accessible...”Read full review »
jld1119 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
11/23/21
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“Updated review: the show is now partially behind a paywall. If you want to hear the entire episode you have to subscribe on their Patreon. It’s sad because it prices people out. Why can’t they just get ads like other podcasts? I’d prefer they leave episodes free and maybe do special episodes for...”Read full review »
Jb.216 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
11/19/21
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“I found this podcast on Twitter and have gone back to work my way though the entire catalog. It has made me rethink several books, even my favorite, Jane Eyre. Here's to the Attic Wives!”Read full review »
Taunting Flamingo via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
11/08/21
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“I absolutely love this podcast - great mix of literature and just general chat and makes literature so much more accessible and entertaining!”
Georgiacwood via Apple Podcasts ·
Great Britain ·
08/02/21
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“FBOL had me laughing and learning! I love this podcast and wish I had them when I was in high school and college! I cannot recommend them enough!”
Rocky4Real via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
05/07/21
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“It’s a pretty good podcast, I listen to it while I wash the dishes. It’s funny and then a little serious. And then funny.”
Elieisawriter via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
04/27/21
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“You aren’t going to get a scholarly deep dive into classic literature from a podcast with this title, but that’s what I love about it. It’s irreverent, funny, fun, and it takes literature seriously while not taking it seriously at all. Always very enjoyable. A must for book fans.”
Gary 7 Infiltrator via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
04/19/21
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“If you love literature and have always wondered what a podcast of you and your friends talking about all the greatest hits would sound like, this is it!!! And if you’re some boring academic who only likes to read obscure journal articles that only you and your colleagues enjoy (because let’s face...”Read full review »
Audge717@gmail via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
04/19/21
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“I love the mix between deeper analysis and casual conversation in these podcasts. They can be really interesting, making you delve further into a character but they can also just be outright hilarious. No pretentiousness at all, just a real entertaining discussion - as you’d have with a friend....”Read full review »
RottweilerBlues via Apple Podcasts ·
Great Britain ·
04/19/21
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“I don’t listen to podcasts. I tried all the popular ones and failed to get into any of them. I stumbled across this podcast on accident. I think I followed their Twitter for like three months before I realized it was the main SM arm of a podcast. I gave it a listen and got hooked. It’s literally...”Read full review »
colleen/munchkinpower via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
04/19/21
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“I was really disappointed by the clear lack of research, lack of theoretical framework, lack of historical context, etc. Irritating to hear mostly uninformed opinions making assumptions and asking questions/hypothesizing over aspects of classic literary texts that have been analyzed and discussed...”Read full review »
D_TN via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
04/17/21
“Irreverent and delightful! Super smart discussions of the guys/gals in literature that you love to hate.”
LC1367 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
04/08/21
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“Smart and pointed criticism”
XdigilogX via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
04/07/21
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“LOVE this podcast, one of my favorites! Emily and her guests are smart, witty and insightful. Don’t miss if you’re a lit lover.”
RuthBourbon via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/22/21
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“Brilliant concept, host and guests are uniformly hilarious, and even at times when I don’t know the source material or, god forbid, disagree with an opinion presented, it’s always a good time listening!”
Digimon818 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/20/21
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“I love this podcast because it finally gives me a home for engaging with literature. I love reading it; I love how classical literature has meaning beyond time. But it also treats it with a bit of mild irrelevance which is refreshing. One of the things I hated about grad school was having to...”Read full review »
duchessmaraeva via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/20/21
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“This podcast is funny, and it’s smart, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.”
Mcterzakis via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/20/21
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“There are often too many people talking over each other”
asdtrew via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/16/21
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“Self congratulatory to the max. Please stop thinking your every little thought deserves a byline or recording equipment.”
Only Sane Floridian via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/15/21
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“I was an English major in college, so I really enjoy hearing the discussion and criticism of the various works of literature they cover. Emily is a very fun host who is good at bringing out her guests’ personality. Even though the opinions are often interesting and refreshing, Emily and her...”Read full review »
Jack DeSelle via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/07/21
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“Emily doesn’t hold back on her opinions and they’re always refreshing! I found this podcast well over a year ago and listen excitedly whenever the episodes drop! One of my favorite podcasts for sure.”
MaddieMarie23 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/02/21
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“You have to really love literature to call out the faults of some of your favorite characters while still loving those books. I look forward to it every week.”
esmeralda169 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/02/21
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“The first one I listened to was about a fictional work....and it just launches into a tirade about how horrible these people were and how toxic they were and blah blah blah...these are fictional characters that don’t exist. You don’t have to trigger yourself over fiction.”
Jon Diesel via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
02/26/21
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“So I find the concept entertaining and enjoy some of the references and opinions...but any time there’s more than one guest...y’all start talking at once and I can’t HEAR anything!”
snowdaygirl via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
02/25/21
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“Emily is a fantastic host who excels at driving the conversation of the pod, and the guests she has on for discussion have all been 10/10 as well. I can’t say how many new fun pods I’ve discovered through FBOL’s guests. While I look forward to the show every week, I admit I’m pretty guilty of...”Read full review »
LadyHollyhock via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
02/15/21
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“It’s a good podcast with good banter and candor. If you want to look at a book in a new light, this is the one for you.”
pdthorn via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
02/15/21
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“Good idea for a podcast. Subpar execution. Couldn’t handle listening after they implied clockwork orange was racist when it is 100% race-less.”
A clockwork white? via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
02/12/21
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“Fantastic podcast, really insightful points. Turned what I thought I knew about these books on its head. So many interesting parts of every episode so far — very worth a listen.”
uppercrusttrophy via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
01/27/21
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“Finally a podcast that answers the age-old question: “what the fukkkkkk”. Was I aware of how problematic & misogynistic most literature I’ve read is? Only slightly. But good news! You too can find out & scream internally forever! 10/10 would scream at the patriarchy again.”
H.Aaron via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
12/02/20
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“So happy I stumbled upon this podcast…and eventually got to be a guest! Emily’s critiques are spot-on and her observations are both wry and laugh-out-loud funny. It’s also feminist AF. Subscribe now!”
maybeimamazed02 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
12/02/20
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“I love the thought, time, and energy that goes into the podcast, it truly makes every episode shine. Each guest is well chosen and always a pleasure to listen to, and where do I even start with Emily.... always excellent, always hilarious and every episode I come away with new points of view!”
outofMT via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
12/02/20
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“l've only listen to a trio of episodes so far but I'm subscribed and anxiously awaiting new episodes.
Fun, funny, and thoughtful about the men who litter Western literary canon!”Read full review »
JWPortland via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
12/02/20
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“I clicked on this podcast based solely on the title. I thought it sounded like a comedy podcast and I was looking forward to some balanced, good-natured critique. All I got was some very toxic man bashing and acres of opinions. I heard about them through Bonnets at Dawn and I was deeply...”Read full review »
TArchibald via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
10/10/20
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“Though originally about the f**bois of lit, I feel like this has evolved beyond to just be about fun lighthearted takes of the craziness of some books. Very enjoyable and a fun time overall.”
Parkle Sparkle via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
10/08/20
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“Franny and Zooey episode is great. Going to listen to more episodes of this.”
EVillageNole via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
10/07/20
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“I freaking love this podcast. You do not need to read the books to enjoy the episodes, and in fact it can be really fun to have this as an entry point to books I’d probably never bother reading.
The host and her guests are incredibly smart and funny- a perfect listen for book nerds and comedy...”Read full review »
rshaff7 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
07/09/20
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“I really like this show, but one thing I have noticed over listening to many episodes is that there is usually a point in every show where the guest is starting a very interesting train of thought, but Emily interrupts them with an observation, and then we never get to hear the rest of that...”Read full review »
sharonirani via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
07/01/20
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“Interesting discussions about culturally significant books through a lens of modern culture. Enjoyable both for books I have read and ones I haven’t!”
Jon in New York via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
06/30/20
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“I'm newer to the podcast but going back and starting from the beginning. I don't know much about literature but I'm enjoying learning more about these books and Emily does a great job of keepiing it entertaining.”Read full review »
Smores0306 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/17/20
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“I love this podcast! Because of this podcast I wanna go back and reread all the classic lit”
Heart2Tell via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/12/20
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“Emily offers tongue-in-cheek humor about the ill-bred characters of classic literature. As an English major but not lit focused, I love how the host takes the piss out of the classics. (And a few newer books as well.) Ranging from sensational novels to required readings, the idea is to highlight...”Read full review »
Deconstructing Damsels via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/03/20
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“(Disclaimer: I have only listened to the Pride & Prejudice, Twilight, and Jane Eyre episodes so far.)
I am enjoying the discussion that Emily has with her guests on the various books/characters. It’s fun and thought provoking.
The one things that bugs me though (I imply mildly infuriating...”Read full review »
EveKra via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
02/19/20
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“Deleted off my feed after listening to the Jane Eyre episode. Why bother to talk about it if you’re going to get basic facts wrong and completely ignore the context? Honestly wanted to like this, as I love the concept, but found it to be a disappointing waste of time.”
jFAA23 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
02/18/20
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“The stories, concept, and discussion are all wonderful. The host is great, so interesting and honest. This is just a hands down great podcast!”
podcastgeek🤓 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
01/06/20
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“Entertaining, smart, and edgy. I am always entertained when I tune in, and also love having something that is intelligent and elevated to listen to in our shallow world of reality TV and superficiality. I feel like I’m back in my favorite AP English Lit class using my brain. Em is the best and...”Read full review »
Angelpipes via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
12/22/19
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