Reviews with content warning for Racism - Call Me By Your Name

Prose like Proust. You can feel the longing on every page. Part three has some very strange moments that are either over my head or I just do not understand. It’s also the most troublesome, with racist and troublesome notes coming through from outside characters. Part four made my heart ache, but I’m an eternal softy who loves HEA.

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w's review against another edition

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emotional reflective relaxing 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

4.0

one of the most beautiful things i have read. sometimes you feel differently about your world after finishing a book and stepping back into it. this one, i know, will make my life richer in how i approach desire and getting older, going through time. but also, content warnings for: power imbalance in a relationship (age -- the boy is 17 years old!), racism, transphobia. and, obviously sexual content.

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gabbygarcia's review against another edition

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challenging reflective sad medium-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? Yes

4.0

I don't even know how to describe this book. The prose is absolutely stunning, incandescent... though, contrary to the back page's bold declaration, I would not call this a love story lmao

I would advise readers to research this book thoroughly and read the content warnings beforehand as many descriptions are quite graphic and uncomfortable to read.

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zhuilings's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

0.75

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youreawizardjerry's review against another edition

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sad tense slow-paced

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

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anjae's review against another edition

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emotional 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? It's complicated

3.0

This book made me feel things, so I can’t rate it that low. But, there were so many things wrong with this book that I can’t rate it highly.

I found Elio’s obsession with and possessiveness over Oliver fascinating and thought-provoking, but it’s obvious that Aciman did not intend for it to be so. Elio and Oliver’s relationship is not a social commentary, and its problems are never discussed or seen as bad. If there had been a reflection on the age-difference, or the power plays, or the nature of Elio’s awe and worship of Oliver, then I could have rated it higher. But because the unhealthy relationship is seen as healthy, I can’t morally rate it higher.

There were also a few moments where I was genuinely disgusted and uncomfortable, namely the few paragraphs after the “peach scene” (the scene itself didn’t bother me, more so the description of the peach that followed), and the racism and fetishization of trans people by the poet towards the end.

I was also bothered by the continued mention of Elio and Oliver’s Judaism, especially because Aciman is not himself Jewish, and the mentions are always in relation to Elio’s attraction to it, making it seem like yet another fetish of Aciman.

Finally, the fact that the age and power difference between Elio and Oliver is never mentioned makes me uncomfortable. Perhaps that is intentional, by way of showing the allure of summer in Italy, but I think it is bad regardless.

The ending kept this book from being a 2 star read, though. I think it was a beautiful representation of what it means to break up; how someone can be your everything but then no longer shares your life. But unfortunately the bad in the rest of the book outweighs the good at the end.

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