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letheii's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Death, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Death of parent
kimberlyswalters's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Cancer, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
violetdisposition's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
This is not a sweet love story, and I don't think it is trying to be one either. I would definitely recommend looking at content warnings before reading this book.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cancer and Alcohol
Minor: Rape and Vomit
emilyandthewhippet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Like his
And that's before we get onto him
When I read the blurb, I thought this was going to be, and I quote "like Saltburn but without the disturbing stuff". If anything, this felt more disturbing than Saltburn 😂
Ultimately is a book about obsession. Is it love? I'm not sure. At it's heart it's about a horny 17 year old, obsessively lusting over 24 year old college professor who's only there for the summer.
One quote from Elio sums the story up pretty well:
"Do I like you? I worship you"
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
jessicabearbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is so different. I fell in love with the writing style but also did struggle with it. If you're not a reader who usually reads classical novels, this one could take some getting used to. Although it took me a few chapters to really get into the way Aciman writes, I was touched by the story from the beginning. I would definitely recommend reading this while in Italy! Specifically the North though, I read this in the South and it didn't quite have the same effect. That being said, I started to see Elio and Oliver and their world everywhere I went.
Elio as a character should not be overlooked or underestimated. He is definitely unreliable and I found myself struggling to accept a lot of his decisions and thoughts. I also struggled to work out what was really happening and what was just Elio's imagination? However, it is crucial when reading this book to understand that this is NOT a romance. This story is from the perspective of a teenager discovering who he is. Call Me By Your Name is a coming of age story. Elio's mind is twisted, confusing, horny to a fault, and should be accepted as such. And if you can get past the preconceived negatives surrounding Elio and Oliver's relationship, then you'll be able to appreciate the innocence and gentleness of the story.
I found the whole thing unexpectedly funny! What do you mean I'm reading things such as "his apricock" and "Whoo-hoo the Witching hour". A lot of the characters are sweet and their motives are easy to get behind.
No I've never had sex with a peach, but parts of this story were relatable. I think It's important to take a step back while reading this book and remember we have all been in love. We've all been helpless to the thoughts of someone, and we've all been desperate to be noticed. This book is troubling on the bare occasions, but it is beautiful throughout.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content
Minor: Child death, Terminal illness, and Vomit
violet_carson's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity and Vomit
futureofmydays's review
Graphic: Vomit
librarymouse's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, and Terminal illness
Minor: Death, Homophobia, and Abandonment
ada_elisabeth's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Much like 'A Little Life,' this is a book that I thoroughly loved, but cannot, in good conscience, give 5 stars, no matter how much I would like to. (This took me quiet some time to read because I was away for a few days and hardly read anything-- the lack of chapter breaks made it a slower read than one might think, but it was short and wouldn't have normally took me this long.)
This (beautifully written, deeply emotional, poignant) novel struck me as being incredibly problematic. Oliver and Elio's relationship made me so uncomfortable-- why would a twenty-four-year-old want to date a seventeen-year-old? A seven year age gap is not outrageous if the involved parties are adults-- even if Elio had been twenty and Oliver twenty-seven, it wouldn't have seemed so bad. But I'm sixteen, and the idea of someone my age dating a grown adult rubs me the wrong way. I understand that this book takes place in a different country in a different time period, but it's a modern book, and the central relationship made me a little uncomfortable at times. (view spoiler) Also, casting a VERY young-looking Timothee Chalamet to play Elio in the movie was an interesting choice-- I watched the trailer and he looked younger than I do. Also, Elio's lusting after Oliver was a little creepy to me. Having never lusted after someone, I found the obsessive daydreaming, stalking, and otherwise creepy behavior on Elio's end to be somewhat unnerving. (view spoiler) Oh, and there was one sentence that spanned more than half a page and had twenty-five commas in it, which I found to be a tad bit excessive, but pop off I guess.
(view spoiler)
Despite that significant amount of criticism, I really, really enjoyed this book. It was heartbreaking and tender. The prose was lyrical and beautiful and so, so emotional. This was a great addition to ✨sad book summer✨, I teared up several times while reading. I understand what it's like when someone who you once spent every moment of every day with becomes someone who has faded painfully into the background of your life-- and I think that what makes this book so popular is that everyone does. For what is life if not loving and losing and moving on?
I'm choosing to leave this unrated for now, but I may come back to it in the future with an updated look at the world and change my rating to reflect that. I think I'm also going to watch the movie to see if that changes anything.
“He came. He left. Nothing else had changed. I had not changed. The world hadn't changed. Yet nothing would be the same. All that remains is dreammaking and strange remembrance.”
Moderate: Child death and Vomit
natraf_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The first being the prose was beautifully written. It felt like poetry the way descriptions flowed off the page. However, I felt that this thought stream coming from a 17 year old boy was incredibly unrealistic.
17 year old Ellio, finds himself magnetically drawn to 24 year old Oliver, a postdoctoral student studying abroad and staying with Ellio’s family. What starts as a fascination becomes more of an obsession. Every waking thought Ellio has is of Oliver.
Having a young person interested in an older, seemingly cooler, more put together person seems normal. But Ellio’s thoughts become focused on fantasies he has had about he and Oliver’s pairing. There is a lot of sexual content that seems very one sided. These are Ellio’s thoughts and fantasies. It’s not until over halfway through the book we see Oliver reciprocate any feelings or interest.
At which time there’s the pretty disturbing scene with Ellio and the peach that I’m just going to pretend I never read… but it’s fine.
Once joined, I feel that Oliver has continued to take advantage of Ellio and his obsession with Oliver.
We see once Oliver moves back home and comes back a few months later to visit, that he is engaged. He has a woman he’s been seeing the last few years, and pretty much just ends everything he and Ellio shared.
Years later, he still has pieces of memories they shared, Ellio who is still hoping for a chance to see his long lost love , knows he still wants more with Oliver, but can’t. Oliver even acknowledges that his eldest son is the same age as Ellio was when they met, and that he would never want that for him.
I thought the writing was beautiful. I felt that the emotions conveyed and the deep feelings Ellio held were beautiful - but kind of crossed into the territory of obsessive. I feel that Oliver took advantage of him. I feel that their whole relationship was unsafe.
It’s a hard balance between seeing the true romance this was intended as, and the twisted obsession it was.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Vomit