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kittkat's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
Also… Das ist gerade etwas schwierig zu bewerten. Ich habe mir zu viel Zeit gelassen und dadurch hat sich die Story zu stark langgezogen. Völlig mein Fehler. Eigentlich ist es eine wirklich sehr interessante, tragische Geschichte. Der Schreibstil und die Erzählperspektive haben mir sehr gefallen. Ich würde das Buch auf jeden Fall irgendwann nochmal lesen (und dann wahrscheinlich auch eher als physisches Buch).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Classism and Outing
Minor: Police brutality
sophee_568's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
New all time favorite book. It's devastating. Made me cry. I love everything about this book and I can't wait to reread it. It gives off Call Me By Your Name vibes but without the weird age gap. No misogyny too. 💞
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Outing
Minor: Violence and Police brutality
nefariousbee's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
this is a difficult book for me to say something about.
first, I'm a gen Z Czech person. I didn't live thru socialism but my parents did. at first, I was happy that the Slav authors finally seemed to start leaving ww2 behind and we can focus on more recent historical events that prominently shared our societies.
the issue is tho. this doesn't feel like a Pole wrote it. there's that typical self-righteousness of a westerner, writing about the underprivileged. and I hate it, it makes my hairs stand up, makes me see red.
and I'm sure there were good intentions, I'm sure the woke westerners will be swooning. but it feels like we're being put in a terrarium to be studied and pitied. it feels like it's saying that everyone who stayed is a loser or a bootlicker. it makes the westerners believe they'd also leave, like our protagonist, they would stand tall and proud. it does nothing to comment on the system, to try to create some nuance, to even describe the ordinary lives of the people to try the reader to relate.
there's much to say and I don't care enough to write and edit it all. if you want a book about socialist Poland, find a polish author, preferably one that lived thru it.
and let me recommend you Operation Hyacinth on the topic of being gay in socialist Poland.
first, I'm a gen Z Czech person. I didn't live thru socialism but my parents did. at first, I was happy that the Slav authors finally seemed to start leaving ww2 behind and we can focus on more recent historical events that prominently shared our societies.
the issue is tho. this doesn't feel like a Pole wrote it. there's that typical self-righteousness of a westerner, writing about the underprivileged. and I hate it, it makes my hairs stand up, makes me see red.
and I'm sure there were good intentions, I'm sure the woke westerners will be swooning. but it feels like we're being put in a terrarium to be studied and pitied. it feels like it's saying that everyone who stayed is a loser or a bootlicker. it makes the westerners believe they'd also leave, like our protagonist, they would stand tall and proud. it does nothing to comment on the system, to try to create some nuance, to even describe the ordinary lives of the people to try the reader to relate.
there's much to say and I don't care enough to write and edit it all. if you want a book about socialist Poland, find a polish author, preferably one that lived thru it.
and let me recommend you Operation Hyacinth on the topic of being gay in socialist Poland.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Police brutality, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Medical trauma, and Sexual content
cogowno's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
erika_winters's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.75
There were so many passages that I highlighted in this book! Jedrowski’s writing is so beautiful; every description is effortless and easy to visualize. The narrator, Ludwik, was so genuine and open about his complicated feelings of being gay in communist Poland, which also happens to be a very Catholic driven culture, so it was difficult for him to see himself as lovable or able to experience happiness as a gay man. Jedrowski choosing to have the narrative style be in second person (Ludwik constantly referring to the reader as “you,” to denote his ex-partner, Janusz, who is the target reader of the text) was something I had never read before, and found unique. This book taught me about communist Poland, something not discussed in the least here in the US, but also made me cry. The reason why it doesn’t have a 5 star rating is because it read slower than I like, but that what mainly from me highlighting so much as I went through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Minor: Death of parent
kwichris's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
3.75
I typically don't like reading books that center around romance. This book, however, managed to embed historical context and emotionally complex situations that added more to this story than a simple romance that cannot be. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I found myself relating to or finding understanding in the main character's reactions/feelings/thoughts regarding the situation they find themselves in - a love that they cannot express publicly, a country divided post-war, and uncertainty of their own future. For a first entry, the author has crafted quite a nice story, and I would recommend it to anyone that likes a little historical context and input that shapes the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Grief
Moderate: Classism, Alcohol, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Outing, War, Sexual content, Drug use, and Antisemitism
Minor: Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Police brutality, and Genocide
kaywhiteley's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-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
Gorgeous writing. I love queer yearning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Antisemitism and Suicidal thoughts
abicaro17's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
Wow. This book is amazing. A love story between two very different boys, tells the tale of political unrest and oppression coloring 1980s Poland. Told through second person letters, Ludwik tells the story of his upbringing, life in Communist Poland, and his complicated relationship with Janusz. The writing styles approaches dark subjects with an almost flowery language, making every bit a joy to read. Does it get a tad slow at times? Yeah. Does it absolutely ramp up towards the end? Yes! This is a short yet poignant tale of love and unrest is a worthwhile read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Body shaming, Cancer, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Homophobia, War, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Cursing, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Racism, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Death of parent, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, and Violence
_meganrose's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia