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sakisreads's review
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I initially wasn’t thrilled by this book, because the start was slow. I felt like I would have to drag myself through so many moments. However, from around ‘Somewhere Between an Atom and a Star’, the pace picked up and I was excited to keep reading 🥰 I am so glad to have persevered as well, because the characters were so lovable!
Ulysses was my absolute favourite; his kindness throughout the tale felt like a warm hug every time.
I also adored Alys. Her time with Romy was steamy and I was thrilled to get some queer representation in an older story 🏳️🌈 I also grinned when Romy came back to town and they got back together!
Cressy felt real to a lot of people, I am sure. His comforting words never failed to make me teary. What a man 👏🏼 The grief of losing him was also real 🥲
‘How sorrow ran tributary to beauty’ was a line that made me feel big things 🥹
I loved Evelyn as well but I wondered if the story could have been shortened 🥲 I loved finding out more about her and Livia but at this point I was so invested in everyone else I was ready to put it down 🙊
3.5 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and War
brekaboujie's review
emotional
reflective
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? No
4.5
Just so lovely, and broke the record of number of times I cried while reading a book. It was such a nostalgic and magical read, it was heartbreaking in the most normal and everyday way. I kept blubbering my way through descriptions of their dinner, let alone actual emotional plot points. It was written with such a beautiful flow that I found myself lost in it, and I just had so much love for every character. Such a heartfelt, realistic and glorious story!! I'd recommend this to anyone.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and War
Minor: Domestic abuse and Suicide attempt
tiannamaher's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, and War
flambingo's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Lack of quotation marks
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, and War
daree_222's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Murder, and War
nialiversuch's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Grief, Abandonment, and War
Minor: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
chasinggrace's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A beautiful snapshot of life.
The writing style purposefully flows like time - unrelenting, constant, not a pause or a playback in sight. This book is meant to be read on the beach, in the sun, in reflection. It single-handedly made me see the beauty in life again, in the small things and in humanity and in love and loss. I was choked up this entire book simply because of the beauty of it and its inevitable end.
Every single character was incredibly unique. All complex, all beautiful. No one was the “good guy” or the “bad guy” because they were intricate sculptures of real people. The acceptance of the multiple queer relationships was done so well, especially given the time period. Sex was explored so uniquely in this book.
The descriptions of Italy left me speechless. The references of art, of architecture, the descriptions of food and outfits and nature and people. The writing was immaculate.
Everyone will get something different from this story, depending on the season of life in which you read it. This book is meant to be consumed repetitively, on trains and beaches and in bed.
Peg was my absolute favorite, which is probably an unpopular opinion. Her character arc and the truly raw emotions she felt unabashedly spoke to my soul. And of course i loved Evelyn and Cress. Cried real tears when Cress and Claude passed away. Col’s character development too - stunning. And I identified so much with Alys.
This has become a Roman Empire book for me.
The writing style purposefully flows like time - unrelenting, constant, not a pause or a playback in sight. This book is meant to be read on the beach, in the sun, in reflection. It single-handedly made me see the beauty in life again, in the small things and in humanity and in love and loss. I was choked up this entire book simply because of the beauty of it and its inevitable end.
Every single character was incredibly unique. All complex, all beautiful. No one was the “good guy” or the “bad guy” because they were intricate sculptures of real people. The acceptance of the multiple queer relationships was done so well, especially given the time period. Sex was explored so uniquely in this book.
The descriptions of Italy left me speechless. The references of art, of architecture, the descriptions of food and outfits and nature and people. The writing was immaculate.
Everyone will get something different from this story, depending on the season of life in which you read it. This book is meant to be consumed repetitively, on trains and beaches and in bed.
This has become a Roman Empire book for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Sexual content, Grief, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Domestic abuse
ameliaclarkson's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse and War
pkc's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? No
5.0
This is a tough book to try and condense into a few words for a review. The story follows a cast of characters, each unique and uniquely identifiable, but linked by Evelyn Skinner and Ulysses Temper, who fatefully meet in Florence in 1944 as the Second World War rages across Europe.
Ulysses takes on the bulk of the narrative as characters weave in and out of his orbit, cementing themselves as friends and drawing from his wellspring of goodness as quickly as he can expel it. As a protagonist, the only word I can think of is gorgeous. He exudes kindness, complexity, grace, and beauty and his helpful nature is inherent throughout the novel.
I really don’t want to say too much because I could probably write an essay and I don’t want to do that. I will say that there is a parrot called Claude and I feel that our perspective as reader is similar to Claude’s perspective. We observe, we are moved by events but mostly, we drift through the story, pitching and sailing on the breeze through 22 years (plus 28 days in 1901…) of the lives of these remarkable human beings as the world changes around them.
It’s not the easiest read in the world. Like the truest of artists, Winman doesn’t baby the reader in any way, but the effect and impact of her prose is dizzying and rich, like a beautiful vino rosso. I dog-eared a few pages with beautiful quotes, but realistically you could just open the book and point to a line and it will no doubt be beautiful. Ugh. What a reading experience!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, Murder, and Alcohol