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Reviews tagging 'Violence'
Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
83 reviews
addie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia and Violence
Minor: Terminal illness
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-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
5.0
Aristotle and Dante give me hope, make me laugh, make me cry. Rarely does an author so clearly understand and intimately describe what it means to be human and more importantly, what it means to love and be loved. This book made me feel so many things. I can’t express how important this book is — for so many people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Homophobia, Hate crime, Murder, Outing, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, and War
ang_mendoza's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
I read the first book (Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe) a couple years ago and loved it. Now, I feel like in those two years I've grown up with Ari. While the first book carried the characters angst, this one embodies all the hope and emotional intelligence he's learned. I would just stop and gape at how Ari grew as a person from the first book. So beautiful. I'm obsessed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual content, Violence, Racism, and Transphobia
alyssadavis's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.25
My father traced his name on my heart. And his name will remain there. And because his name lives there, I will be a better man for it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Hate crime, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol, Violence, Sexual content, and War
martapsalvado's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
You know when people say "sequels are never as good as the original"? Yeah... Benjamin Alire Sáenz showed up and said "not this time".
I love Aristotle and Dante. I love those two boys since the first time I read the first pages of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the World. But it's not only that. I love their families, their friends, their teachers, their hometown. This book is such a world in itself and I feel like I dove into it and returned with love, lessons and inspiration. And it's so beautifully written. I feel so priviledged for having the opportunity to experience reading this.
I love Aristotle and Dante. I love those two boys since the first time I read the first pages of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the World. But it's not only that. I love their families, their friends, their teachers, their hometown. This book is such a world in itself and I feel like I dove into it and returned with love, lessons and inspiration. And it's so beautifully written. I feel so priviledged for having the opportunity to experience reading this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, Death of parent, Grief, and Homophobia
Minor: Pregnancy and Violence
gabbygarcia's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
3.0
The second half of this book was significantly better than the first half. It had the momentum and powerful character arcs that I was looking for. I would've rated this book higher if not for the first half--it was quite slow, very repetitive, and not much happened. In my opinion, it could have been condensed significantly.
Additionally, I felt the discussion of AIDS was quite forced; discussion of AIDS did not exist in the first book at all, so it felt like the characters had never thought about it before, and all of a sudden they were experts on the subject. Also, the adults in this book were almost too accepting (??) and nearly always had the right thing to say about everything, which felt like an unrealistic departure from the first novel. People aren't perfect; they don't always know how to talk about difficult issues that are affecting their kids and students.
That being said, I'm glad I finished it. It made me cry, it made me laugh. The second half was really beautiful and powerful. I just wish it was shorter (and a little less preachy... show! don't tell!!)
Additionally, I felt the discussion of AIDS was quite forced; discussion of AIDS did not exist in the first book at all, so it felt like the characters had never thought about it before, and all of a sudden they were experts on the subject. Also, the adults in this book were almost too accepting (??) and nearly always had the right thing to say about everything, which felt like an unrealistic departure from the first novel. People aren't perfect; they don't always know how to talk about difficult issues that are affecting their kids and students.
That being said, I'm glad I finished it. It made me cry, it made me laugh. The second half was really beautiful and powerful. I just wish it was shorter (and a little less preachy... show! don't tell!!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, and Violence
AIDS epidemicmenomica's review
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
I think this book was a chronology of the life a gay teen boy growing up in the 80’s. It was really sweet to see Ari’s life develop how watch him connect more with people. It was pretty clear that a lot of the thoughts and reflections in the book were thoughts of Sáenz. Idk. Very much enjoyed this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia, Pregnancy, Racism, and Bullying
Minor: Religious bigotry, Child death, Murder, Transphobia, Violence, and Hate crime
rileyblancett's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia, Violence, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Deadnaming, and Child death
contre_qui's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This is a really beautiful follow up to the first book, but it's much sadder. The first one feels realistic, this one feels real. The rest of the world finally comes into play, and it's scary because being a gay teen in the 80s was scary. But it's also beautiful. It's not a smooth ride, but there is a happy - or at least hopeful - ending.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, Grief, Pregnancy, Transphobia, and Violence
luluslittlelibrary's review against another edition
emotional
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
2.0
If you enjoyed reading Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. I enjoyed the original, but the sequel ruined it for me. My main issue with this book is that the writing was just bad. Ari and Dante seemed to somewhat lose their connection once they were in a relationship. The female characters were poorly written and underdeveloped. The dialogue felt fake. Overall, none of this book seemed very realistic. There were also so many plot holes and parts that were just skipped over. And it was way too long and felt repetitive. I'm really disappointed by this book, especially because I really enjoyed the first one so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Murder, Transphobia, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol and Outing
Minor: Sexual content