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isabelolsen's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
francesfincher's review against another edition
5.0
"I’m borne along by beauty, poetry, the sublime order of nature, this is my religion: the wind in the trees, the colour of the leaves as they turn, waves foaming on the shore, the sun slipping away and rising on another continent, the stars, the rivers and springs, the earth moving, its fiery core that I sense beneath my bare feet, the flowers that taste of fruit when I chew them - I draw strength from all this, my elixir of eternal life."
eren_reads's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wonder who in this crowd is newly in love, who has just been left, and who has walked out without a word, who is happy and who sad, who is fearful and who forging confidently ahead, who is hoping for a brighter future. I cross over the Seine, I walk beside nameless men and women, mirror images of me. Our hearts beat as one, we are one unit. We are alive.
lupitagonzalez's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I really enjoyed the way this was formatted, as vignettes of memories from the author's childhood in Algeria and France. I don't mind that it jumps around in time, but I do wish the jumps from past to present had a more logical flow. Overall I thought the writing was beautiful and poetic, and I liked the author's exploration of her sexuality and family trauma.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Racism and Sexual assault
Minor: Rape
leilamaarit's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
5.0
very short book, but took me a while to get through as i put it down a lot to reread parts that were beautifully written
gaylandtoo's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
i think some of this book quite literally got lost in translation; at times, it had a tendency towards sanctimoniousness. i still found the writing to be beautiful, and i thought it provided an excellent intersectional understanding of queerness in cultures i'm unfamiliar with.
iriwindel's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Murder, and War
Minor: Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Suicide
bookasaurusbex's review against another edition
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0