Reviews

The Absolutist by John Boyne

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lonely_tamo's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

mrswift's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

sambam_42's review against another edition

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5.0

This book was a sad testament to the thinking surrounding the LGTBQ community at the beginning of the century. For me, having been part of the military community, it also struck me as heart-breaking at how men of that generation were treated if they didn't want to immediately lay down their life for their country.

jbash_lo_fi's review against another edition

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5.0

I couldn't put this one down, I loved it. Compelling characters, emotional, and more than a hard edge of politics. It's brutal in ways, but that's a necessary reminder of how awful WWI was, that there were no winners among everyday people. Thankfully there's a dry sense of humour throughout to balance things, which also grounds it and makes it all the more human and real.

dunnadam's review against another edition

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4.0

A great book that I really enjoyed which veered a little to melodrama at the end.

The book starts with a secret and it kept me going to find out what it was. Sometimes I find this device tiresome, as I would prefer to be let in on secrets, not have them kept from me. This book however the story and writing is good enough to carry you to the end on its own. The story of life in the World War One trenches was captivating, I had heard of the battles but never to this extent.

There were very moving passages, such as when the author spoke of coming home after a kiss, or of meeting new recruits who think “the only reason this blasted war is still going on is because the likes of him have not yet been involved in it.” Early on I looked for other books the author had written as the book was written so well.

I read this for my book club and only remembered four days before the meeting. Still this was a very engaging read and I quickly got through it in two days. A great story slightly let down by the ending.