orndal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Homophobia, Classism, and Bullying
rieviolet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Maurice's final speech to Clive was just *chief's kiss*, so so satisfying, I was in the background cheering him on and screaming "You tell him, you tell him!".
The prose was so rich and impactful, I've just finished reading it and I can't wait
to immerse myself in it again in the future.
Spoiler
His journey was nearly over. He was bound for his new home. He had brought out the man in Alec, and now it was Alec’s turn to bring out the hero in him. He knew what the call was, and what his answer must be. They must live outside class, without relations or money; they must work and stick to each other till death. But England belonged to them. That, besides companionship, was their reward. Her air and sky were theirs, not the timorous millions' who own stuffy little boxes, but never their own souls.
The novel had already been a roller coaster of emotions and then came the author's terminal word and I have to say he finished me off for good, but what a lovely way to go, what a lovely way! I hope we will come to an even kinder year.
A happy ending was imperative. I shouldn’t have bothered to write otherwise. I was determined that in fiction anyway two men should fall in love and remain in it for the ever and ever that fiction allows, and in this sense Maurice and Alec still roam the greenwood. I dedicated it ‘To a Happier Year’ and not altogether vainly.Spoiler
And in my experience though loyalty cannot be counted on it can always be hoped for and be worked towards and may flourish in the most unlikely soil.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Violence, Medical content, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Grief, and Toxic relationship
Minor: War, Bullying, Excrement, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Racism
michelangelo1987's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Spoiler
the fact that he suddenly stopped liking men was weird to say the least. i mean it served for a heartbreaking plot twist but was it realistic? at first i tried to think that maybe he wasn’t really attracted to men to begin with but thought he was because of his misogyny but by the way he described his feelings for maurice and for other men in his past he was genuinely attracted to men at least in a romantic way. so he definitely did like men at some point. then i thought maybe he’s bi and just stopped loving maurice and started loving a woman and that’s why he feels like he doesn’t like men in general anymore but he said that he’s no longer interested in men and actually thinking about men disgusts him. when it comes to sexualities i tend to accept them as they come but this didn’t make much sense to me. and after he stopped liking men he became a completely different person from who he was just close to a year earlier going from happily wanting to spend his whole life with a man to being a homophobe who slut shames his ex lover and gaslights him into believing he has a disease he can be cured of. he went from being free from conventions to enforcing them. and i don’t say this as a complaint for the writing because i could see this happening as a result of his newly found socially accepted heterosexuality but it still feels weird that he found it in the first place.now for the negative side. the only reason i’m not giving 5 stars is because of the main characters’ classism, elitism, and misogyny. their takes on poverty and class were outrageous and privileged af and i’m glad that other characters noticed them because that means that the author is aware that they weren’t okay and made sure there was someone calling them out. aside from that, it is explicitly said that they were misogynists because they saw women as incapable of doing anything that wasn’t trivial and whatever they did seemed silly to them. despite the mcs having intellectual debates about things, they failed to maybe take into consideration the fact that sexism and misogyny might be at fault for women not being able to participate in their intellectual exchanges since their opinions were always disregarded.
in conclusion, despite it having some questionable decisions and some problematic things going on, this story paints an excellent picture of the struggles of queer people in a heteronormative society of the twentieth century and is one of the most touching and heartbreaking stories i’ve ever read and one i will definitely remember for a lifetime.
Graphic: Classism, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Grief, and Medical content
Minor: Incest, Bullying, Excrement, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
kaabtik's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A bit difficult to read what with my copy not really meant to be read on my particular device, but definitely something I'd like to get a physical copy of some day.
Graphic: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, and Grief
Moderate: Classism and Sexism
Minor: Infertility and Bullying
mengzhenreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
Minor: Bullying
mrbonanza's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Bullying and Sexism
milton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Misogyny, Terminal illness, and Sexism
lucithefer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Grief, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Misogyny
Minor: Bullying, Excrement, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
conversion therapy, internalized homophobia, compulsory heterosexualitybiblioseph's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Moderate: Homophobia and Misogyny
Minor: Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, and Suicidal thoughts
Technically speaking, the episode with the hypnotist is a self-sought conversion therapy. It ends well though. There is also a moment when Maurice thinks about taking advantage of a teen boy but when the boy doesn't accept his advances, he realizes how terrible that almost was.