Reviews

A Sport and a Pastime by James Salter

kaassneter42's review against another edition

3.0

Er is echt nauwelijks een structuur of plot, er zijn geen echte conflicten, de proza zelf, hoewel prachtig geschreven, leest alsof er 4 schrijvers tegelijk aan het schrijven zijn, het is super gedateerd en seksistisch, maar toch heeft het een magisch iets wat je door het boek heen trekt. De zinnen zijn soms zo creatief in de inhoud en verbanden tussen elkaar, erg cool.

Ik zit echt te twijfelen tussen 3 en 4, er is zo veel slecht en problematisch en onbegrijpelijks aan, maar tegelijkertijd vind ik het ook echt immens vet

jjuliasara's review

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

5.0

grumpkin's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

3.0

jessicaxmaria's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

shibaunited's review

adventurous emotional lighthearted reflective slow-paced

3.5

mikayla02's review against another edition

reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.75

Great writing but not the book for me.

anandazhu's review against another edition

3.0

not bad. the writing is elegant, and the plot has some solid points re: youth and intimate relationships, but large swaths of it simply failed to "elevate" above smut for fuc boys (which is...fine? but i'm just too cynical for this kind of story - perhaps it's better suited for a young man in their early 20's).

reseaseo's review

4.0

Never thought I could find an actual published book that writes about sex and a passionate relationship between two young people you know won’t end up together in a way that’s so poetic, the way I’m used to with fanfiction. Having the narrator be some random, unknown person is odd, slightly confusing, but only in the occasional instances when he makes his presence known, reminding you that it’s all in his head, or something. Can’t say I expected the ending but all roads led to it somehow. Amazing writing.

carokfulf's review against another edition

3.0

Beautiful prose, if tarred with the unthinking misogyny and racism of its time. I can see why this novel is held up as an example of good sex writing, but the conceit of the unreliable, voyeuristic narrator keeps true feeling at a remove. Felt at times like paging through a lengthy perfume ad in a fashion magazine.

thehazardofluce's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

2.0