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helloanagu's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
murakamikarakteri's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
mmtav's review against another edition
5.0
FUCKKKKK MYYYYYY LIFEEEEEE
"And you know in your soul
When it's time to go" it's time to go
This book is actually paining me so bad, and I'm having a mental breakdown about it at 5am. The author words everything in such a beautiful way to the point where I ACTUALLY fell in love too. Feeling alone, loveless, and without direction in Manhattan is a feeling I experience quite often as well
"And you know in your soul
When it's time to go" it's time to go
This book is actually paining me so bad, and I'm having a mental breakdown about it at 5am. The author words everything in such a beautiful way to the point where I ACTUALLY fell in love too. Feeling alone, loveless, and without direction in Manhattan is a feeling I experience quite often as well
writer6's review against another edition
5.0
Swimming in the Dark definitely lived up to all of the hype that I’ve seen people giving it! I would definitely recommend reading this book! :)
My rating/score: 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads' rating system / 10 out of 10 on my own personal scoring system.
My rating/score: 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads' rating system / 10 out of 10 on my own personal scoring system.
kajaglede's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
pain. agony even.
𓆝 𓆟
𓆝 𓆟
We kissed. You were mine. I realised then that this was the only thing that counted. Nothing else had ever existed. Just our lips and hips and sighs. I fell into different galaxies through you, your mouth a porthole to a better universe.
No matter what happens in the world, however brutal or dystopian a thing, not all is lost if there are people out there risking themselves to document it. Little sparks cause fires, too.
I avoided you, so that you couldn’t avoid me.
Because you were right when you said that people can’t always give us what we want from them; that you can’t ask them to love you the way you want. No one can be blamed for that.
The odds had been stacked against us from the start: we had no manual, no one to show us the way. Not one example of a happy couple made up of boys. How were we supposed to know what to do? Did we even believe that we deserved to get away with happiness?
Some people, some events, make you lose your head. They're like guillotines, cutting your life in two, the dead and the alive, the before and after.
𓆝 𓆟
tennekrone's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
4.25
bethebluebook's review against another edition
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
garini's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
the ending 😞 i wanna crawl in a hole and kms!!!! fucckk!!! 😭
ludzio speaking his truth to hania near the end. "I felt as if something dead and heavy inside had been expelled, as if I'd been carrying a leaden ghost within me all that time." queer shame will kill you!!! repression will destroy you from the inside out!!!! but courageous are those who seek to live their truth!!!! and power to those who can't!!!
for me the major drawback of this being 1st person pov is not being able to Fully understand the inner workings of janusz and how he views himself and his relationships (with ludwik and hania) But it's also pretty easy to grasp that yes queer repression and the desire to conform are very strong!!! not to mention how his poor background plays into his desire to become a "successful man" that others aspire to be.
anyway Yes i cried over the note janusz left in ludzio's copy of giovanni's room
"Despite Karolina's letter, despite the marriage, I've held on to the idea of us, scanning faces for a scrap of something known, searching for the familiar in the alien. When really, the familiar had already turned alien, and home had ceased being home. Both have gone on living and changing without me."
for me the major drawback of this being 1st person pov is not being able to Fully understand the inner workings of janusz and how he views himself and his relationships (with ludwik and hania) But it's also pretty easy to grasp that yes queer repression and the desire to conform are very strong!!! not to mention how his poor background plays into his desire to become a "successful man" that others aspire to be.
anyway Yes i cried over the note janusz left in ludzio's copy of giovanni's room
kellingway's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.5
lovelylittleladd's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
I think this is one of those books that will stick with me for a long time. I finished it about an hour ago and I still just keep thinking about it, pondering many of the concepts it makes you think about. I love historical fiction. I think this does a great job of being realistic for the place and time period it’s set in. I’m not the biggest fan of second person, but Jedrowski made it very likeable for me. It made sense with the narrative and Ludwik writing to Janusz.
There is a LOT that can be discussed about this book which is super impressive to me considering it’s not even 200 pages! There are so many different lenses you can look at it from and discuss. I applaud Jedrowski. The pacing never feels too quick with it being a smaller novel. It feels quite natural!
As a lesbian in the southern United States, I really admired the different takes the characters have on how to live and go through life. Although I don’t live in a communist nation and am in the 21st century, there’s still a lot that I resonated with. In the Southern United States, especially in the “Bible Belt,” there’s the constant question of “do I play it safe and abide by the traditions I’ve grown up around or do I choose a path of freedom that might feel quite lonely and alienating at times?” Sometimes, it’s a battle Queer people fight their whole lives. Some choose to be like Ludwik. Others choose to be like Janusz. Some go back and forth. Some never admit they are like either character. I don’t think there should be shame surrounding these choices. Oftentimes, the cards feel stacked against you as a Queer person in the world just simply trying to exist, especially in areas and countries where it doesn’t feel safe to do so. I really liked having the different perspectives and it made me reflect a lot.
I also really admired that despite this not having a typical “happy ending,” it still gives you hope. I wouldn’t necessarily consider this a tragedy. It is sad, but unfortunately it’s quite realistic. It shows you that hope can always exist alongside pain. You can look for that light even when it feels dim or blown out. You can swim in the dark. You can do hard things.
There’s so many other aspects of this book I could get into but I’ll choose to save it for book club. I cannot wait to discuss this with my book club tomorrow night!! Wonderful first book of the semester.
There is a LOT that can be discussed about this book which is super impressive to me considering it’s not even 200 pages! There are so many different lenses you can look at it from and discuss. I applaud Jedrowski. The pacing never feels too quick with it being a smaller novel. It feels quite natural!
As a lesbian in the southern United States, I really admired the different takes the characters have on how to live and go through life. Although I don’t live in a communist nation and am in the 21st century, there’s still a lot that I resonated with. In the Southern United States, especially in the “Bible Belt,” there’s the constant question of “do I play it safe and abide by the traditions I’ve grown up around or do I choose a path of freedom that might feel quite lonely and alienating at times?” Sometimes, it’s a battle Queer people fight their whole lives. Some choose to be like Ludwik. Others choose to be like Janusz. Some go back and forth. Some never admit they are like either character. I don’t think there should be shame surrounding these choices. Oftentimes, the cards feel stacked against you as a Queer person in the world just simply trying to exist, especially in areas and countries where it doesn’t feel safe to do so. I really liked having the different perspectives and it made me reflect a lot.
I also really admired that despite this not having a typical “happy ending,” it still gives you hope. I wouldn’t necessarily consider this a tragedy. It is sad, but unfortunately it’s quite realistic. It shows you that hope can always exist alongside pain. You can look for that light even when it feels dim or blown out. You can swim in the dark. You can do hard things.
There’s so many other aspects of this book I could get into but I’ll choose to save it for book club. I cannot wait to discuss this with my book club tomorrow night!! Wonderful first book of the semester.