readwithdyl's review against another edition
4.0
Beautifully written but more disjointed than What Belongs To You. Not quite a collection of stories, but also not a novel. I do love Greenwell’s prose, though, and the way he perfectly captures feelings that are unique to the queer experience. Minor pet peeve: the letters are hard to keep straight, just use full names!
cpq's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.0
kelliebell'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sorthe's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
johhnnyinla's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
annrhub's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-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
2.75
eliocean's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
5.0
some parts felt like they were written for me to read and understand
thomasgoddard's review against another edition
4.0
After enjoying What Belongs To You, by Greenwell back on the 20th. I bought Cleanness as soon as it dropped into my little shop. And it's a signed copy too. I found the writing way more fantastic than the story in Belongs and wanted to see if Greenwell had more to offer.
I was absolutely not prepared for Cleanness. It's explicit in a really strange way. It's empty but deep at the same time. It doesn't hold your hand. The main character is a complicated and not entirely perfect construct.
An American teacher is leaving Bulgaria. He is prompted to remember the relationships that he's had while there. In a country that doesn't support gay rights.
So there is tension. There's a tinge of sadness and shame to things. Taboo impregnates the work.
But the narrator, despite being largely inert, is engaged in a form of exploitation. He, with the exception of once, is always in a position of power. It's either handed to him, or it's the result of the fact they are students. So, much younger. It was a hard thing to read at points. One wonders if the narrator isn't just a vehicle Greenwell uses to travel from sexual encounter to encounter. There seems so little else to him. Just a bundle of desires that spill out due to the fact they have to remain suppressed.
The sex scenes are graphic. Some of them might not be comfortable reading for some people as they include abuse. They're intense and descriptive and I was left wishing that the author had spent as much time working on the plot and characterisation.
Rating this is hard. Because I want to give it 3 stars, but it's still really well written. The language itself. The pathos. It's bleak. So it gets elevated to a 4.
If anyone has any suggestions for contemporary gay fiction that isn't loaded with abuse, Father issues and exploitation of minors... Chuck a suggestion my way
I was absolutely not prepared for Cleanness. It's explicit in a really strange way. It's empty but deep at the same time. It doesn't hold your hand. The main character is a complicated and not entirely perfect construct.
An American teacher is leaving Bulgaria. He is prompted to remember the relationships that he's had while there. In a country that doesn't support gay rights.
So there is tension. There's a tinge of sadness and shame to things. Taboo impregnates the work.
But the narrator, despite being largely inert, is engaged in a form of exploitation. He, with the exception of once, is always in a position of power. It's either handed to him, or it's the result of the fact they are students. So, much younger. It was a hard thing to read at points. One wonders if the narrator isn't just a vehicle Greenwell uses to travel from sexual encounter to encounter. There seems so little else to him. Just a bundle of desires that spill out due to the fact they have to remain suppressed.
The sex scenes are graphic. Some of them might not be comfortable reading for some people as they include abuse. They're intense and descriptive and I was left wishing that the author had spent as much time working on the plot and characterisation.
Rating this is hard. Because I want to give it 3 stars, but it's still really well written. The language itself. The pathos. It's bleak. So it gets elevated to a 4.
If anyone has any suggestions for contemporary gay fiction that isn't loaded with abuse, Father issues and exploitation of minors... Chuck a suggestion my way
mmr1320's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
steffi_r's review against another edition
4.0
Habe dieses Buch sowohl im Original als auch in der deutschen Übersetzung ( meiner Meinung nach hervorragend übersetzt von Daniel Schreiber) gelesen und es hat mir wirklich einiges abverlangt. Bin immer noch durchgerüttelt. Was habe ich da eigentlich gelesen? Sprachlich brillant.