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katewhite77's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have previously adored Still Life and When God Was A Rabbit and enjoyed A Year Of Marvellous Ways. Everyone one said what a masterpiece this was, so I decided to stop saving this for a rainy day and get on and read it.
You know what, those people weren't wrong. However, if you do read this, and I very much recommend that you do, you are going to need tissues throughout because it is the definition of heartbreakingly beautiful.
The story opens with a pregnant woman telling an abusive husband where he and she stand after coming home from winning a painting in a raffle.
We then flash forward thirty years, and Ellis starts to tell his own story, including meeting Michael, whose perspective we hear from later in the novel.
We follow them down the yellow brick road of life through the A.I.D.S. crisis to a point of self-acceptance. However, these two men both have very big hearts.
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Car accident
fatfrog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Medical content
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia
jsantia59's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Medical content, and Death of parent
foxglovefairy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent
berrytart's review against another edition
- 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
The relationships are well written, I feel like I could actually connect with the feelings of the characters!
Okay this is more of a pet peeve, nothing against the story, but I couldn’t stand the sentences having no quotation marks! It really isn’t that big of a deal and it was probably just a design choice but still!
(I am so sleepy when making this review, my bad for any mistakes lol)
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, Medical content, and Car accident
Minor: Abandonment
kelsea's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Death
Minor: Car accident
tetedump's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Medical content
CW for HIV/AIDSsofiajearally's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It reads like a stream of consciousness, interspersed with hard-hitting dialogue, then-and-now scenes nicely and seamlessly interwoven. But I would have liked to have more focus on some moments (like
It feels real. The yearning, the grieving, the regrets, all parts of the human experience depicted gracefully, heart-breaking in how ordinary and relatable they are (the wedding scenes broke me). I was personally deeply moved by how random acts of kindness are peppered throughout the book and how the characters respond to them. The side characters behind them are endearing, and the women are so g.o.o.d.
In a way, this book reminded me a lot of Brokeback Mountain, though the plot is different. But it's still about time, masculinity and taking someone for granted. And it's sad, man. Ellis 'I ain't queer' Judd *sigh*.
Overall, I'm a bit disappointed by the story, but the book is so full of gorgeous themes and mesmerizing lines that I'm still happy I read it. I think the no-plot-just-vibes sad people would appreciate it.
Graphic: Terminal illness
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity, Misogyny, Medical content, Car accident, and Alcohol
someonelikeblue's review against another edition
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Violence, Excrement, Medical content, Car accident, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
impeachnixon's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Grief, Car accident, and Abandonment
Moderate: Medical content and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use and Sexual content