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tigertheory's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
The End of Loneliness was a Five Star-Read for me so obviously I had to pick up another Wells. Well.
First, the good parts. The novel is well-planned and it’s written in a way that feels like it’s been (albeit somewhat badly) translated from English which is a fun gimmick. I like Wells' style, even though you can tell that he’s more of a novelist than a poet (don’t know if it was necessary to include verse). At some points you can tell that he is not intimately familiar with US-American culture but overall I would say his picture of 1980s Americana holds up. Some points for the portrayal of men’s emotions and different ways to handle them which I appreciate, especially in YA.
The parts on grief and the loss of a parent (not a spoiler, that’s literally the first sentence) ring true – maybe even a bit too much; I was counting on this being a comfort read and it had me bawling. Too close to home.
Anyway.
I’m not a big fan of YA to begin with (never was, even as a teen) and this one felt both very rigid and simplistic in its construction and above all, decidedly male.The culmination of everything being sex was incredibly disappointing, especially with Kristie, who I found rather unlikeable throughout the whole story. Wells' women characters are lackluster (did anyone say Madonna-Whore-Complex?) but I guess it’s also Sam’s perspective that’s skewing this a bit. Overall, I feel like he could’ve done more with the story.
First, the good parts. The novel is well-planned and it’s written in a way that feels like it’s been (albeit somewhat badly) translated from English which is a fun gimmick. I like Wells' style, even though you can tell that he’s more of a novelist than a poet (don’t know if it was necessary to include verse). At some points you can tell that he is not intimately familiar with US-American culture but overall I would say his picture of 1980s Americana holds up. Some points for the portrayal of men’s emotions and different ways to handle them which I appreciate, especially in YA.
The parts on grief and the loss of a parent (not a spoiler, that’s literally the first sentence) ring true – maybe even a bit too much; I was counting on this being a comfort read and it had me bawling. Too close to home.
Anyway.
I’m not a big fan of YA to begin with (never was, even as a teen) and this one felt both very rigid and simplistic in its construction and above all, decidedly male.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Animal death and Sexual violence
luananki's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.25
ich muss sagen, ich habe das buch nur angefangen zu lesen, weil ich mal wieder etwas deutsches lesen wollte und das buch nun mal in meinem schrank stand, aber ich wurde von anfang an positiv überrascht.
der schreibstil hat mich sofort überzeugt und auch wenn ich dem hauptcharakter erst skeptisch gegenüber eingestellt war, fand ich es so schön zu sehen, wie er mit allem, was ihm entgegen kam umgegangen ist und es geschafft hat, seinen eigenen weg zu finden.
die story war auf die beste art simpel und realitätsnah und es hat mir sehr gefallen, alle anderen in der geschichte bis zum ende besser kennenzulernen!
der schreibstil hat mich sofort überzeugt und auch wenn ich dem hauptcharakter erst skeptisch gegenüber eingestellt war, fand ich es so schön zu sehen, wie er mit allem, was ihm entgegen kam umgegangen ist und es geschafft hat, seinen eigenen weg zu finden.
die story war auf die beste art simpel und realitätsnah und es hat mir sehr gefallen, alle anderen in der geschichte bis zum ende besser kennenzulernen!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, and Alcohol
wvlly's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia and Racism
clarname's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
softbooknerd's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
"Der Tod ist nicht, was du gedacht hast.
Er ist nicht, was du nicht gedacht hast."
-
"Death is not what you thought it is.
It's not what you didn't think it is."
My second Wells! And damn, I cried again.
I love the colorful worlds Wells creates with his words. His writing style makes it so easy to imagine the city and the characters, it's really like a movie playing before your eyes.
The characters are almost all flawed and all are loveable! I especially adored Cameron and Brandon "Hightower"~
And I felt so much for the protagonist, Sam.
As I lost my mother a few years ago as well I fully understand his complicated feelings towards his. The anger, being annoyed, the shame, the emptiness and grief. It was all so well and realistically portraied.
Also I liked how the poems were intergrated into the story, it was really clever.
As some parts of the story take place in an old cinema Wells also included some "credits" at the end, which was a really cool idea!
All in all it was a deeply touching and inspiring Coming of Age book ❤️
Thanks to @wayfarewithbooks for lending me this beautiful beautiful book!
Er ist nicht, was du nicht gedacht hast."
-
"Death is not what you thought it is.
It's not what you didn't think it is."
My second Wells! And damn, I cried again.
I love the colorful worlds Wells creates with his words. His writing style makes it so easy to imagine the city and the characters, it's really like a movie playing before your eyes.
The characters are almost all flawed and all are loveable! I especially adored Cameron and Brandon "Hightower"~
And I felt so much for the protagonist, Sam.
As I lost my mother a few years ago as well I fully understand his complicated feelings towards his. The anger, being annoyed, the shame, the emptiness and grief. It was all so well and realistically portraied.
Also I liked how the poems were intergrated into the story, it was really clever.
As some parts of the story take place in an old cinema Wells also included some "credits" at the end, which was a really cool idea!
All in all it was a deeply touching and inspiring Coming of Age book ❤️
Thanks to @wayfarewithbooks for lending me this beautiful beautiful book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Minor: Racism
jojo_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Violence, Blood, and Vomit