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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Characters in this book made me so angry. I can understand what author has done and he had done it well. But the main two characters are so self absorbed and melodramatic that it made my blood boil. The only character I have some sympathy is Juliette.
‘What are you waiting for to marry?’
‘To have forgotten a great many things,’ I replied, and watched her blush.
‘Which you are hoping to forget soon?’
‘Which I do not hope ever to forget.’
"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." - Matthew 7:14.
This entire book can be well summarised by a single word: Languish.
This is a tale of pine and grief in the face of love which both Jerome Palissier and Alissa Bucolin faces.
Without a doubt, Andre Gide is a powerful inditer who seems to craft words ceaselessly. However, what the fuck Andre?
What is Jerome but a victim of Alissa's fanatical obsession with virtues and redirecting Jerome's love for her towards God? I get where she is coming from but.... What the fuck?
Anathema.
8/10.
‘To have forgotten a great many things,’ I replied, and watched her blush.
‘Which you are hoping to forget soon?’
‘Which I do not hope ever to forget.’
"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." - Matthew 7:14.
This entire book can be well summarised by a single word: Languish.
This is a tale of pine and grief in the face of love which both Jerome Palissier and Alissa Bucolin faces.
Without a doubt, Andre Gide is a powerful inditer who seems to craft words ceaselessly. However, what the fuck Andre?
What is Jerome but a victim of Alissa's fanatical obsession with virtues and redirecting Jerome's love for her towards God? I get where she is coming from but.... What the fuck?
Anathema.
8/10.
sad
slow-paced
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Strait is the Gate is purposefully deceptive title which lures the reader into the same delusion as Jerome. Jerome is convinced that him and Alissa are meant to be, and the steps he takes to maintain and advance their relationship despite his distance is the work he must do bring their love to reality.
Alissa certainty loves Jerome, but is resistant to that love, both seemingly out of self loathing and confusion and due to her faith in God; desire to put that faith before all. She spends a decade seemingly uncertain whether or not she wants to be with Jerome, deciding multiple times that it's better for them not to be together. But Jeromes continued persistence that he's convinced himself of always gives her the opportunity to tempt the relationship again despite its clear dysfunction.
At least, that is what the book is going for, I'm not entirely convinced it nails it. It's beautifully written, in a very high class 18th century light, but the characters don't feel well rounded enough to me to bring the relationships struggles to life. A lot of the book is treading the same ground over and over, which does "make sense" for whats being attempted, but does make the timeline slightly difficult to grasp. The book is largely saved by it's last chapter which flips the perspective from Jerome to Alissa for a few pages and really gives Andre the opportunity to flesh her out more than the image that Jerome perceives; an image the author, Alissa, and eventually Jerome agree is shallow.
I'm hesitant to say I think the book would be improved by having both POVs present throughout the whole book, but I do think being less focused on Jeromes POV might have helped communicate things better.
Despite that I did enjoy the book, I think its a good relationship story with two engaging enough main characters that feel cruelly built for each other. Side characters tended to be a bore and I think some parts of the structure are sloppy, but a good book nonetheless.
Alissa certainty loves Jerome, but is resistant to that love, both seemingly out of self loathing and confusion and due to her faith in God; desire to put that faith before all. She spends a decade seemingly uncertain whether or not she wants to be with Jerome, deciding multiple times that it's better for them not to be together. But Jeromes continued persistence that he's convinced himself of always gives her the opportunity to tempt the relationship again despite its clear dysfunction.
At least, that is what the book is going for, I'm not entirely convinced it nails it. It's beautifully written, in a very high class 18th century light, but the characters don't feel well rounded enough to me to bring the relationships struggles to life. A lot of the book is treading the same ground over and over, which does "make sense" for whats being attempted, but does make the timeline slightly difficult to grasp. The book is largely saved by it's last chapter which flips the perspective from Jerome to Alissa for a few pages and really gives Andre the opportunity to flesh her out more than the image that Jerome perceives; an image the author, Alissa, and eventually Jerome agree is shallow.
I'm hesitant to say I think the book would be improved by having both POVs present throughout the whole book, but I do think being less focused on Jeromes POV might have helped communicate things better.
Despite that I did enjoy the book, I think its a good relationship story with two engaging enough main characters that feel cruelly built for each other. Side characters tended to be a bore and I think some parts of the structure are sloppy, but a good book nonetheless.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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:
Yes