Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

The Charioteer by Mary Renault

2 reviews

felix's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced
  • 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

3.5

i really like mary renault's prose. this book dragged on a bit for me, but mostly because i really liked one of the men in the protagonist's life and didn't like the other one, and that's a feature and not a bug. 
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anitaxlit's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Where do I even start? The Charioteer is delicate, emotional, nuanced and insightful. Each exchange between characters is charged with hidden meanings and sexual/romantic tension, and I feel like I've read the book twice already with how much I had to go back to read a conversation a second, third or even fourth time.

I identified so much with Laurie throughout the story. I particularly enjoyed his views on the gay community in the 40s, many of which I found applicable to the lgbt community today.
With him, I slowly fell in love with Andrew and his innocence, the purity of his affection. And still, I couldn't write off Ralph, who feels inevitable from the start.


I don't want to let go of these characters. I suspect I'll carry them with me for a long time.
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