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shaleen64's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A beautiful and enraging portrayal of the damage hate causes. For me, Patrick was the most beautiful character in this book, deemed an afraid artist, it was Patrick who lived his life most authentically in-spite of the possible and eventual consequences.
Had the start of the book been easier to get into, and had there been more chapters by Patrick it would have been far closer to a 5 star read. Having said that I would recommend this book to almost anyone.
Had the start of the book been easier to get into, and had there been more chapters by Patrick it would have been far closer to a 5 star read. Having said that I would recommend this book to almost anyone.
Graphic: Hate crime and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual content, Medical content, Lesbophobia, and Outing
Minor: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, and Pregnancy
aaliyahdreads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This book is simply the story of a married police officer who is in love with another gay man in the 50’s. The peaks into their love is beautiful and the turbulence within the novel feels rooted in the reality of being LGBTQ+ during that time. While I had sympathy for Marion she is also infuriating at other times for reasons that will become clearer near the ending of the book. I do wish the story focused more on Patrick and Tom and less on Marion. I understood why her perspective is important but it should not have taken up so much of the story. But on the whole the story does move at a very slow pace but is beautifully written and is a good read for those who prefer books that focus on characters rather than plot (aka me).
Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, and Medical content
Minor: Alcoholism and Domestic abuse
toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Yes, Harry Styles made me read this. I will not be taking critiques at this time.
This book tells the story of Marion, Tom, & Patrick. Tom is a young police officer that Patrick and Marion are both in love with - she as his wife, and he, as his lover in a time where it was illegal to be gay in the UK. The tale unravels from Marion and Patrick's perspectives in dual timelines and as the reader you come to see that no one in this book is an innocent - they each have their pain and they each inflict pain on each other in different ways, and it's often extremely sad to read, but the humanity and messiness of these characters are what made this book so readable and engaging to me, so that was the main thing I liked about it. The writing, too, I thought was gorgeous.
Some issues I had - I don't mind an age gap in a relationship as long as it's ethical as well as legal. Tom and Patrick's age gap itself didn't bother me, but I often felt a little grossed out by the way Patrick was always referencing Tom's youth, his boyishness. It felt....eeeehhh, weird. Didn't love that.
Other than that, I just have this feeling that there was something missing for me during this book. I can't figure out what it was exactly, and if I figure it out, I'll gladly post an update, but whatever it was, it left me feeling that I couldn't give this above a 3 even though I did enjoy it for the most part.
This book tells the story of Marion, Tom, & Patrick. Tom is a young police officer that Patrick and Marion are both in love with - she as his wife, and he, as his lover in a time where it was illegal to be gay in the UK. The tale unravels from Marion and Patrick's perspectives in dual timelines and as the reader you come to see that no one in this book is an innocent - they each have their pain and they each inflict pain on each other in different ways, and it's often extremely sad to read, but the humanity and messiness of these characters are what made this book so readable and engaging to me, so that was the main thing I liked about it. The writing, too, I thought was gorgeous.
Some issues I had - I don't mind an age gap in a relationship as long as it's ethical as well as legal. Tom and Patrick's age gap itself didn't bother me, but I often felt a little grossed out by the way Patrick was always referencing Tom's youth, his boyishness. It felt....eeeehhh, weird. Didn't love that.
Other than that, I just have this feeling that there was something missing for me during this book. I can't figure out what it was exactly, and if I figure it out, I'll gladly post an update, but whatever it was, it left me feeling that I couldn't give this above a 3 even though I did enjoy it for the most part.
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Outing, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Racism and Pregnancy
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Suicide, Transphobia, Vomit, and Death of parent
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