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4.45 AVERAGE
4.45 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
I was expecting more of a story like "Philadelphia". The back drop of the AIDS crisis in the 80's in Chicago is almost like another character, an evil looming in the background. The story of the art collection and how it leads to every other part of the book make it interesting. I really had a more profound review, but I waited for too long after I read it.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
WOW Big beautiful powerful heavy expansive book. A braid of two stories - one of a friend group in 1980s Chicago during the AIDS epidemic and one in the present day, 2015, Paris as one of men's sisters searches for her estranged daughter. At first I had a hard time being equally drawn to both story lines (and even didn't realize they shared characters at first) but as the characters started to develop more and you began to see their desires and flaws I really couldn't put it down. The historical fiction element deepened the characters for me and made it feel even that more real (because even though it is fiction, these stories are not far off from truth). Also an engaging glimpse into the art world in both story lines was particularly interesting. But what really connected me to this was discussions of community, grief, love, pain, trust... No character was perfect but none were evil. Was hoping the whole read for a happy ending... but that wouldn't have been accurate and that made it hit even harder. Spent the last 50 pages of the book crying and just soaking it in.
My mom said "I like when books stay with you" and this one definitely will.
--
"He went back to the kiss in his mind. He could live there a long time. It was warm there, and good."
"But what a burden, to be Horatio. To be the one with the memory."
My mom said "I like when books stay with you" and this one definitely will.
--
"He went back to the kiss in his mind. He could live there a long time. It was warm there, and good."
"But what a burden, to be Horatio. To be the one with the memory."
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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
As a kid in the 80s, I was only vaguely aware of the AIDS crisis. And now I can read stuff about politics, moral panic, drug development, etc. But it’s difficult to imagine how horrible it must have been for individuals and communities. This book offers a glimpse of what it might have been like for many people. The story is so much more than this, but it’s one of the main takeaways for me.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
Such a beautiful read, preferred the Yale chapters over Fiona. Would recommend
Fave quote: But when someone’s gone and you’re the primary keeper of his memory—letting go would be a kind of murder, wouldn’t it? I had so much love for him, even if it was a complicated love, and where is all that love supposed to go? He was gone, so it couldn’t change, it couldn’t turn to indifference. I was stuck with all that love.
Fave quote: But when someone’s gone and you’re the primary keeper of his memory—letting go would be a kind of murder, wouldn’t it? I had so much love for him, even if it was a complicated love, and where is all that love supposed to go? He was gone, so it couldn’t change, it couldn’t turn to indifference. I was stuck with all that love.
Beautiful, heart wrenching narrative of the U.S. HIV/AIDS epidemic
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-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