Reviews

His Brother by Philippe Besson

annboooksss02's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

aar505n's review

emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

mohanyu's review

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

4.0

loganmedrano's review

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

nithou's review against another edition

5.0

La mort d'un frère, touchante, bouleversante, emporté trop tôt par une maladie incompréhensible et injuste. Comme à chaque fois, Philippe Besson m'émeut, me retourne les tripes, m'amène les larmes aux yeux à travers des phrases-joyaux. Comme à chaque fois, impossible de lâcher le roman, où l'on se raccroche jusqu'à la fin, en espérant chasser l'indicible, retarder le point final, empêcher le drame, mais rien n'y fait. Une écriture magnifique, un roman touchant, remuant, qui hante.

romaine333's review against another edition

5.0

Cela fait plus de dix minutes que je suis assise dehors, mon regard dans le vide. Je n’arrive pas à trouver les bons mots pour décrire l’adoration et l’attachement que j’ai à ce livre. J’ai dévoré ce roman bouleversant qui m’a fait verser plusieurs larmes sans même m’ennuyer. À chaque fois que je tournais une page, je me disais que le livre ne pouvait pas être plus souffrant: je me trompais. La plume de Philippe Besson se rapproche d’Albert Camus, mais un peu plus descriptif et poétique. Son frère est officiellement mon roman favoris et je le recommande fortement; surtout si vous avez une relation profonde avec votre sœur/frère.

Je vais définitivement relire ce roman bientôt pour pleurer encore plus.

_mery98_'s review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.75

grgg's review against another edition

4.0

Même si l'écrivain nous dit la fin de l'histoire au début du roman, les derniers chapitres restent quand même bouleversants et émus.

annakpi's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

catdad77a45's review

4.0

4.5, rounded down.

{Warning: Semi-spoiler-ish material ahead!]

My first exposure to Besson was his most recent novel translated into English, [b:Lie With Me|40539136|Lie With Me|Philippe Besson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1555155235l/40539136._SY75_.jpg|54672500], which made my top books of 2019 list. I had seen the (excellent!) film adaptation of this one, so was interested in seeing what it was like to read also. It is rather bleak and harrowing, and like his other book, seems to be more autobiographical than a work of fiction (I could find no information as to whether Besson indeed had a brother who committed suicide over a fatal blood disorder, but Besson and the narrator of this book have the exact same birthdate, so suspect that might be the case).

Anyway, this was a quick and involving read, and wish more of Besson's work was available in English. I do intend at some point to read his first novel, [b:In the Absence of Men|477035|In the Absence of Men|Philippe Besson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1425042955l/477035._SX50_.jpg|465271], which has been translated.