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megelizabeth's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
This is beautifully written, poignant, and utterly heart-shattering. I adored our main character, Ludwik, and absolutely ached for him throughout, and the relationships he has with some of the other characters completely broke me. This has so much to say about love, politics, poverty, family, and what the right way is to live or be, and it's definitely one that will stay with me. That being said, I think it would have had even more of an impact - and potentially been a 5* read - had it been a bit longer. It grapples with two very key central themes (the tragic love story and the brutal homophobia that goes along with this, and then the social commentary around Soviet socialism), and at times it felt to me a bit rushed and as if it would have really benefitted from being that bit longer and developing both strands more fully.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Police brutality, and Infidelity
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual harassment, War, Rape, and Drug use
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