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stellahadz's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
"Can you love my brain even when it is small? When it is malevolent? When it's violent? Can you love it when it doesn't love me?"
A beautifully written story about two people who connect on an intellectual level and love each other intensely and passionately but destructively. I loved getting to know the characters, even the aspects of them that weren't likable, and I was rooting for them both to heal. I can't say enough about how brilliant Blake's prose is, right down to the acknowledgments at the end of the book; some might find it pretentious, but I love the way she captures the characters' thoughts and emotions. If you liked Normal People, you'll probably like Alone with You in the Ether.
A beautifully written story about two people who connect on an intellectual level and love each other intensely and passionately but destructively. I loved getting to know the characters, even the aspects of them that weren't likable, and I was rooting for them both to heal. I can't say enough about how brilliant Blake's prose is, right down to the acknowledgments at the end of the book; some might find it pretentious, but I love the way she captures the characters' thoughts and emotions. If you liked Normal People, you'll probably like Alone with You in the Ether.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Sexual content
Minor: Drug abuse and Abandonment
paigehf's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual content
dlrosebyh's review
emotional
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
5.0
It’s only January, and it will be most likely impossible to find a better book than Alone With You in the Ether for the whole year. And that says a lot.
I refused to read this book for so long as I kept hearing mixed reviews. Some said that the romance was horrible, some said that the realism made them feel things. I also heard that it was insta-lovey, and I was like ‘no, thank you’.
Alone With You in the Ether is about two people who meet in the armory of the Art Institute by fate. Aldo is a PhD student who, before they met, uses compulsive time travel calculations to control his negative impulses. Regan, on the other side, is a bipolar counterfeit artist receiving treatment under court order. Those things remain the same following their meeting. But everything else is a little bit different. From the time they first meet, Aldo and Regan, who have both eccentric and obsessive personalities, finding it difficult to stay apart. Because of the facts—that she is a crafty liar with a history of self-sabotage, and he is a severely depressed, anti-social theorist—their dependence on one another grows more alarming as their love grows.
Now, if you have known me for a long time, you know that I love a good cry. And as someone who relates to Aldo in a deep and personal level, I definitely did. Truth is, if someone expects this to be a romance novel, then they’re expecting really different things. This love story was definitely not rainbows and sunshine, yet it was so raw and so mesmerizing. And I guess that’s because it’s literary fiction.
This is not my first encounter with Olivia Blake, and as someone who always heard how good the prose in this book is, I was DYING to see how godly it is, and oh. my. god. I felt every word injected to my veins. Every word was crafted perfectly. Literally no misses. Pardon, my beloved philosophers, but THIS is how you understand the human condition. If I was not busy with school, I, for real, would have never put this book down from beginning to end.
If you haven’t read this book yet, I really recommend it to you, and just give it a try. It’s definitely not for everyone, but there is beauty in it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Mental illness, and Drug use
Moderate: Drug abuse and Addiction
cooloquirk's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
paigeinthepages_sg's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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
A story of love, art, math, time, and bees. A study of what it means to be human and to be loved. This novel by Olivie Blake now holds the title of my favorite book. Blake's unique style shifts throughout the book, allowing you to see the story unfold from different angles. I found it impossible not to adore Aldo the theoretical mathematician and what he learns from the elusive Charlotte Regan in six conversations.
This is the first book I have ever tried annotating and it was an incredible experience, I found myself wanting to underline half the book. Here are some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes:
"Was it contrived, god descending from machine, or was it because she had been vacant where he was vacant, and therefore both would inevitably seek to be filled?"
"He contemplates formulas and degrees of rationality and they all turn into her. He thinks about time, which has only recently begun, or at least now feels different. He thinks: The Babylonians were wrong; time is made of her."
"Yes it is perilously wonderful to suffer so sweetly with you"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Drug use and Drug abuse
gtutu5's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I didn’t know what to expect from this book because Jack Edwards spoke highly of it but when reading the blurb I couldn’t envision myself liking it at all! Nonetheless, I was surprised. The writing was sublime and I found the first few chapters enthralling and poetic. I loved how their relationship is developed at the start and how the reader gets a first seat to their relationship building, even before it becomes romantic. Sometimes two characters in a book fall in love and it’s not remotely believable, but I really enjoyed them together. I loved the buildup between their six conversations, and I found the church scene so wildly sensual, even though nothing happens. Again, the writing had me in a chokehold. Once the character got together and generally in the second part the pace was less effective, and also I didn’t enjoy a big chunk of the text being in 3rd person, I wish I could have been inside their heads instead. At times I wasn’t a fan of how codependency and going off your meds were portrayed and had i not read the acknowledgements i would be much more wary of it. All in all, the relationship or the characters may be quite flawed but I ended up rooting for them and enjoying it so much
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Addiction
Minor: Suicide attempt
annasorrenti's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Drug abuse
lucyswarby's review against another edition
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Drug abuse
kittkat's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Fuck Marc🤬!
Regan arbeitet in einem Museum, sie wollte mal Künstlerin werden, aber stattdessen ist sie fast im Gefängnis gelandet. Regan hat einige Probleme, die sie aber nicht ganz offen mit allen teilt, nach außen wirkt sie für alle wie ein kompliziertes Problem, das man sowieso nicht lösen kann, also warum sollte man sich näher mir ihr beschäftigen?
Aldo ist wohl der furchtbarste Mathe Prof aller Universitäten der ganzen Welt. Meistens denkt er über theoretische Mathematikprobleme, Quantenphysik oder Bienen nach (die Reihenfolge hier ist arbiträr). Sein größtes Problem als Dozent ist jedoch nur, dass er nichts wirklich verständlich erklären kann und er will das auch gar nicht können. Ignorant king 💁♀️! Aber dahinter stecken auch ganz viele eigene Probleme und vielleicht braucht er einfach diese Distanz zu anderen.
6 Gespräche könnten alles ändern. Oder auch nicht, aber sie werden nicht mehr zu ihrem vorherigen Leben zurückkehren können. 🤭
Schreibstil: 12/10 - genau so wie ich mir perfektes Storytelling vorstellen. Wenn ichs beschreiben müsste, würde ich sagen, es ist sehr „stream of consciousness“ (= so wie wir denken-mäßig)
Charaktere: sind echt/10 - ich kann nicht mehr ohne sie leben
Marc: -∞/10
Regan arbeitet in einem Museum, sie wollte mal Künstlerin werden, aber stattdessen ist sie fast im Gefängnis gelandet. Regan hat einige Probleme, die sie aber nicht ganz offen mit allen teilt, nach außen wirkt sie für alle wie ein kompliziertes Problem, das man sowieso nicht lösen kann, also warum sollte man sich näher mir ihr beschäftigen?
Aldo ist wohl der furchtbarste Mathe Prof aller Universitäten der ganzen Welt. Meistens denkt er über theoretische Mathematikprobleme, Quantenphysik oder Bienen nach (die Reihenfolge hier ist arbiträr). Sein größtes Problem als Dozent ist jedoch nur, dass er nichts wirklich verständlich erklären kann und er will das auch gar nicht können. Ignorant king 💁♀️! Aber dahinter stecken auch ganz viele eigene Probleme und vielleicht braucht er einfach diese Distanz zu anderen.
6 Gespräche könnten alles ändern. Oder auch nicht, aber sie werden nicht mehr zu ihrem vorherigen Leben zurückkehren können. 🤭
Schreibstil: 12/10 - genau so wie ich mir perfektes Storytelling vorstellen. Wenn ichs beschreiben müsste, würde ich sagen, es ist sehr „stream of consciousness“ (= so wie wir denken-mäßig)
Charaktere: sind echt/10 - ich kann nicht mehr ohne sie leben
Marc: -∞/10
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, and Addiction
allisonz6's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Drug abuse and Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcohol