Scan barcode
A review by shanaqui
Sailor's Delight by Rose Lerner
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
Rose Lerner's Sailor's Delight is a slow burn, despite being a fairly short book, helped by the fact that there is a real sense of history between the two right from the start. The fact that Elie is Jewish and Brine is a sailor really shapes the story, through the Jewish holiday and Elie's exploration of his feelings about and obligations toward people are all shaped by his beliefs and experiences as a Jewish man.
I don't really know how to comment about the portrayal and whether it would satisfy someone looking for specifically Jewish queer romance (especially as Brine is not Jewish), but Rose Lerner has written in the past about being Jewish and the importance of Jewish representation, and I think the whole backbone of this book is about doing that.
The relationship between Elie and Brine is full of yearning. There's obvious physical attraction as well, but also they obviously think about each other all the time, try to help one another, try to mesh their lives together, etc. It ends up surprisingly intense very quickly, and yet the steam level for the book is pretty low (no on-page sex).
All in all, it was one I enjoyed, though I needed the right moment for it -- the intensity of Elie's apparently unrequited longing was a bit much for me at one point, so I took a break from the book!
I don't really know how to comment about the portrayal and whether it would satisfy someone looking for specifically Jewish queer romance (especially as Brine is not Jewish), but Rose Lerner has written in the past about being Jewish and the importance of Jewish representation, and I think the whole backbone of this book is about doing that.
The relationship between Elie and Brine is full of yearning. There's obvious physical attraction as well, but also they obviously think about each other all the time, try to help one another, try to mesh their lives together, etc. It ends up surprisingly intense very quickly, and yet the steam level for the book is pretty low (no on-page sex).
All in all, it was one I enjoyed, though I needed the right moment for it -- the intensity of Elie's apparently unrequited longing was a bit much for me at one point, so I took a break from the book!