Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

62 reviews

mystywitch's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I like a lot of the prose and have definitely tabbed some of it.
But the two major things that put me off in this book outside of the obvious problem are what feels like the author's own personal kinks slipping in and Elio being the most pretentious 17 year old in the world.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Homophobia and Alcohol

Minor: Cancer, Child death, and Death of parent

mimielizabeth14's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, and Vomit

Minor: Cancer and Death of parent

janisjay's review against another edition

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer

kimberlyswalters's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Cancer, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

violetdisposition's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I loved the writing style of this book - I would describe it as eloquent, overwritten, unreliable narrator vibes. The main characters are both terribly flawed and are destined to lose each other and yet there is so much in the story about relationships, self-discovery, the passage of time, memories, families, etc.
This is not a sweet love story, and I don't think it is trying to be one either. I would definitely recommend looking at content warnings before reading this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Cancer and Alcohol

Minor: Rape and Vomit

sleepywhippetbookclub's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Bloody hell. I mean, it's well written but Elio just gives total serial killer vibes doesn't he?

Like his

low key stalking, wishing Oliver was dead, forcing sex on others, his secretly wanking into Oliver's swim trunks when they're not even on speaking terms, wanting to EAT his swim trunks...

!? And that's just the start. Or perhaps it's his wanting to

cut Oliver's heart out

?

And that's before we get onto him

fucking the peach

!? Then describing it like

it'd been raped

? Not to mention

leaving it for hours on the side whilst he has a sticky nap covered in peach slush, only for Oliver to pop right in and willingly, INSIST on EATING. THE. DAMN. THING

!

When I read the blurb, I thought this was going to be, and I quote "like Saltburn but without the disturbing stuff". If anything, this felt more disturbing than Saltburn 😂

Ultimately is a book about obsession. Is it love? I'm not sure. At it's heart it's about a horny 17 year old, obsessively lusting over 24 year old college professor who's only there for the summer.

One quote from Elio sums the story up pretty well:

"Do I like you? I worship you"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

shaleen64's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

The exploration of sexuality and love is beautifully detailed. As are the views surrounding these topics.  

Each of the characters have a lovable or relatable quality to them. However, for me the most impactful scene was the conversation between Elio and his dad. 

Had the book not been overly wordy at times with exceptionally long chapters, making the beginning in particular difficult to get through, I would have rated higher but nevertheless I would still recommend this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Homophobia, and Sexual content

Moderate: Cancer

Minor: Child death, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

tkeeley's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Cancer and Death

librarymouse's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Call Me By Your Name really reminds me of Bernhard Schlink's The Reader, and despite its literary merit, I am similarly unsure that I enjoyed reading the novel. The writing is beautiful in some parts, but Elio's unhinged obsession and Oliver's acquiescence to the sexual advances of a minor are both cause for concern and not particularly enjoyable to read. Elio is damaged from the experience, unable to let his history with Olive go in order to form new and lasting bonds in adulthood, in a way that Oliver is not. The power imbalance in this novel is stark. Call Me By Your Name is considered a romance, but I don't see it as such. It's about obsession, miscommunication, and social expectations. There are also an egregious number of scenes that focus on feet.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Alcohol

Moderate: Cancer, Child death, and Terminal illness

Minor: Death, Homophobia, and Abandonment

amaralh's review against another edition

emotional reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Grief, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Child death, Excrement, Vomit, and Death of parent