emily_galloway's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.75
A beautiful book.
I loved the many different narratives going on - Charles relationship with his dad, his mum, worrying about the future and his exams, his friendships with his boys, the play, and his own internal battle. All of this as well as a sweet romance that made sense and was told beautifully.
This story was crafted really well and this author is so talented. What a joy to read. The story was paced really well in my opinion and you could easily be tempted to read this all in one sitting. Definitely one of my favorite books of this year.
I loved the many different narratives going on - Charles relationship with his dad, his mum, worrying about the future and his exams, his friendships with his boys, the play, and his own internal battle. All of this as well as a sweet romance that made sense and was told beautifully.
This story was crafted really well and this author is so talented. What a joy to read. The story was paced really well in my opinion and you could easily be tempted to read this all in one sitting. Definitely one of my favorite books of this year.
jeaniehealy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lulakat's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Managed to keep my interest longer than any fiction book had in a long time but still fell short for me. I liked the writing style (felt accurate to a teenager of the time), and the flicks between timelines was done well but overall lacked a lil je ne sais quoi.
booktokbrie's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
abstareading's review
5.0
“First love, it’s like a pop song, a stupid pop song that you hear and you think, well this is all I will ever want to listen to, it’s got everything, it’s clearly the greatest piece of music ever written, I need nothing else. Except we wouldn’t put it on now. We’re too hard and experienced and sophisticated. But when it comes on the radio, well, it’s still a good song.”
Wow. I had to keep reminding myself that this is a book multiple times when reading this cuz I was getting so worked up in my feelings
Wow. I had to keep reminding myself that this is a book multiple times when reading this cuz I was getting so worked up in my feelings
hjrdl's review against another edition
4.0
SUCH a cute book you have no idea. the ending sucked ass but the rest of it is so sweet. definitely a summer book❤️
wendydt's review against another edition
3.0
Nice book. Easy comfortable read but he does write like the screen writer he is.
ispeakbooknerd's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, Charlie Lewis.
Sweet Sorrow is a delicious, nostalgic, Shakespeare-filled morsel about the difficulties of coming of age, first love, and self-discovery. Set in the UK, Charlie is now 38 and soon to be married. He's received an email about a meetup with others who took part in a play he was in at 16. This causes him to think back on this important time in his life and recount it from start to end, to future, for the reader. Much of this time focuses on his first love, a girl named Fran Fisher.
The characters are rich and nuanced. My emotional strings were tugged and I found myself in tears on a couple of occasions, laughing at others, and remembering my own first love. Charlie grew tremendously as a person throughout the tale. And the telling of his first romance... so sweet.. it takes me back. I can remember feeling what he felt and thinking the things he thought and worried over. As a mother myself, there were also times I just wanted to give him a big squeezy, squishy hug. He endured things no kid should have to endure, although for the most part, his childhood was good.
The book is lengthy, but didn't 'feel' long in the reading. The language is mostly simple, although translating what Shakespeare is saying can be hit or miss for me, admittedly. I thought Nicholls did a fantabulous job of transporting me back to that age, even to that particular year, when I still would've been more of Charlie's younger sister's age. He referenced just enough events and music from the time period to make it work.
I would happily recommend this to anyone. It was a lovely read.
Sweet Sorrow is a delicious, nostalgic, Shakespeare-filled morsel about the difficulties of coming of age, first love, and self-discovery. Set in the UK, Charlie is now 38 and soon to be married. He's received an email about a meetup with others who took part in a play he was in at 16. This causes him to think back on this important time in his life and recount it from start to end, to future, for the reader. Much of this time focuses on his first love, a girl named Fran Fisher.
The characters are rich and nuanced. My emotional strings were tugged and I found myself in tears on a couple of occasions, laughing at others, and remembering my own first love. Charlie grew tremendously as a person throughout the tale. And the telling of his first romance... so sweet.. it takes me back. I can remember feeling what he felt and thinking the things he thought and worried over. As a mother myself, there were also times I just wanted to give him a big squeezy, squishy hug. He endured things no kid should have to endure, although for the most part, his childhood was good.
The book is lengthy, but didn't 'feel' long in the reading. The language is mostly simple, although translating what Shakespeare is saying can be hit or miss for me, admittedly. I thought Nicholls did a fantabulous job of transporting me back to that age, even to that particular year, when I still would've been more of Charlie's younger sister's age. He referenced just enough events and music from the time period to make it work.
I would happily recommend this to anyone. It was a lovely read.
littlesparrowreads's review against another edition
5.0
A gorgeous, slow-burning story of teenage love, written between adult hindsight and a nostalgically pertinent teenage perspective.
The use of a Shakespeare production to structure the plot inevitably leads you to compare the stories of Fran and Charlie with that of Romeo and Juliet, which was deeply satisfying and reminded me about why I love the play so much; not for it's romance, but the painfully accurate reflections of nauseating teenage romance.
David Nicholls is an expert of making the ordinary and grottier details of romance so special that you want to jot down a particular turn of phrase, or description. For instance, one of the opening chapters about year 11 leaver's day had me yearning to relive the last moments of school, just so I could sit back and spend an extra couple of minutes taking it in, as seemingly underwhelming as it was at the time.
The standout strand of Sweet Sorrow is the relationship between Charlie and his dad. The dynamic of a parent/child dealing with depression, alcoholism, and contagious anxiety was honest, unpreachy, and poignant. I haven't seen similar issues dealt with in such an openhearted tone before.
The use of a Shakespeare production to structure the plot inevitably leads you to compare the stories of Fran and Charlie with that of Romeo and Juliet, which was deeply satisfying and reminded me about why I love the play so much; not for it's romance, but the painfully accurate reflections of nauseating teenage romance.
David Nicholls is an expert of making the ordinary and grottier details of romance so special that you want to jot down a particular turn of phrase, or description. For instance, one of the opening chapters about year 11 leaver's day had me yearning to relive the last moments of school, just so I could sit back and spend an extra couple of minutes taking it in, as seemingly underwhelming as it was at the time.
The standout strand of Sweet Sorrow is the relationship between Charlie and his dad. The dynamic of a parent/child dealing with depression, alcoholism, and contagious anxiety was honest, unpreachy, and poignant. I haven't seen similar issues dealt with in such an openhearted tone before.
libbyfs's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.0