Reviews

Charming Young Man by Eliot Schrefer

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storystruck's review

emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

I thought this was a great character study and exploration of both queerness and wealth in 1890s France. I was thrown off by the ending and I thought the main love interest could have been developed more but I’ll definitely be seeking out more books by this author.

casspom's review

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challenging hopeful

Strong character development? Yes

5.0

Gay history is so interesting!! I love knowing more about the era and the fine line between acceptable and unfashionable.
Leon was a cute character and his coming of age story was refreshing! Robert was enigmatic enough and Marcel was cunning. The dynamics were great and complex.
I saw the ending coming, but I am not disapointed none the less..
After reading Dorian Gray not too long ago, it was a perfect amuse bouche.

bumblb12's review

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reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

shamelesslyash's review

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.5

racheldrazzle's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

margaretfrances's review

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i’m in a reading slump and i tried this on audiobook but the narrator was bad i think maybe. no setting or characters came to life in the writing either and the slump continued..

drakoulis's review

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4.0

Eliot Schrefer completely changes genre and prose by moving from The Darkness Outside Us to Charming Young Man.

A historical fiction set in the late 19th century Paris, inspired by the life a real person: young pianist Léon Delafosse.

Eliot's worldbuilding is once again flawless and immerses the reader in the social structure of the era, the constant self-doubt a poor outsider is feeling and how foreign the treacherous game of the high class feels to him.

Léon's thoughts are always with Felix, his best friend from the countryside and his experiences in cosmopolitan Paris are the door he needed to be opened for him.

It was a nice read overall, much more quiet and less groundbreaking than TDOU and with a bit of an open ending I dare say, I would prefer a more definitive one.