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4.45 AVERAGE
4.45 AVERAGE
emotional
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
The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is because it took me sooooooo long to read. That being said, I loved it. Especially the parts in Door County. Also, I cried. Quite a bit.
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
How I felt about the book while I was reading and now is different, I suppose I mean to say it's grown on me. I didn't expect it to be as much about art and Paris as it was, I didn't expect to care so much about Yale and Fiona, and I didn't expect the thing I learned about Fiona's life by the end when I started the book.
I found the shifts between the past and the present slightly jarring, feeling like they always ended melancholy or on a small cliffhanger, and I'd have loved to have a full month to read it so I could really have a cup of tea after each chapter just to absorb. Jokes on me though, since I made the deadline myself (book club).
In the end the book is about life and loss, death and love, and being the sole person carrying the memory after the war. We're all a product of our past, but some of us are still, in some ways, still stuck in the trenches.
I found the shifts between the past and the present slightly jarring, feeling like they always ended melancholy or on a small cliffhanger, and I'd have loved to have a full month to read it so I could really have a cup of tea after each chapter just to absorb. Jokes on me though, since I made the deadline myself (book club).
In the end the book is about life and loss, death and love, and being the sole person carrying the memory after the war. We're all a product of our past, but some of us are still, in some ways, still stuck in the trenches.
It took me a few pushes to start reading this because it’s not my typical genre (I love a YA romance). I’m so glad I finally got on board. The author did an amazing job of engaging me in a narrative that teaches about a moment in the history of Chicago. I learned so much, because I constantly had to know what was coming next for characters that I was truly invested in.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ugly cried hard.
Was great to feel swept up in this beautiful tapestry of a community. The characters, the friend group felt authentic.
Had never heard of the author and upon completing the book was left really curious as to her why, especially being outside of the community. From some published interviews I gather she did a lot of thorough research and wrestled with her place in telling this story, which I commend, but I’m still left a bit curious as to her drive with it.
Was great to feel swept up in this beautiful tapestry of a community. The characters, the friend group felt authentic.
Had never heard of the author and upon completing the book was left really curious as to her why, especially being outside of the community. From some published interviews I gather she did a lot of thorough research and wrestled with her place in telling this story, which I commend, but I’m still left a bit curious as to her drive with it.
My Audible library is overflowing, so sometimes I just pick the book that has been waiting patiently the longest to read next. The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai had been sitting in my library for so long, I couldn’t remember what had piqued my interest in this book. As I started listening, I wasn’t sure if I was going to read the entire book or bail. The story begins in 1985 at a funeral reception held in someone's house. It felt like I stumbled into the deepest moment of a person’s life, and I had no idea what was going on. Based on the description, I suspected this was going to be one of those really long books that dove deeply into the characters’ lives, and I was going to be glad I finished it. And I was right.
The Great Believers is a dual-timeline story: 1985 Chicago, at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, and 2015 Paris. Initially, I thought these different settings were strange as they felt disconnected, but it all made sense in the end. The story is told from the perspective of two main characters. It begins with Yale Tishman, a young gay man, attending his best friend Nico’s funeral in 1985. Yale works for an art gallery in Chicago and is trying to acquire a rare collection of paintings from the 1920s. The story follows Yale’s promising career, his relationship, and his circle of friends. The crisis of the AIDS epidemic is central to Yale’s story. Fiona is the second main character — she is Nico’s younger sister, so the reader gets to know Fiona in both timelines. Fiona remains friends with Nico’s friends and is closest to Yale. During the Paris timeline, Fiona is looking for her daughter who disappeared when she joined a cult.
She stays with a friend who’s a famous photographer she knew back in 1980s Chicago. I really liked the 1980s Fiona, and it was interesting to see how the AIDS epidemic affected her life and how she dealt with it as she explored her relationship with her daughter.
It took me a while to get absorbed by the story. There are a lot of characters, and it was a bit tricky to keep track of how they all connected, especially since the story jumps between two different timelines. I really liked the length of the book, which was more than 18 hours on audio.
It allowed for the story to be detailed, and gave me time to bond with the characters. This book is definitely emotionally charged, and I’m so glad I finished it. Even though it was a tearjerker, it left me feeling both sad and hopeful for the characters. And the narration by Michael Crouch was absolutely fantastic!
I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog
The Great Believers is a dual-timeline story: 1985 Chicago, at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, and 2015 Paris. Initially, I thought these different settings were strange as they felt disconnected, but it all made sense in the end. The story is told from the perspective of two main characters. It begins with Yale Tishman, a young gay man, attending his best friend Nico’s funeral in 1985. Yale works for an art gallery in Chicago and is trying to acquire a rare collection of paintings from the 1920s. The story follows Yale’s promising career, his relationship, and his circle of friends. The crisis of the AIDS epidemic is central to Yale’s story. Fiona is the second main character — she is Nico’s younger sister, so the reader gets to know Fiona in both timelines. Fiona remains friends with Nico’s friends and is closest to Yale. During the Paris timeline, Fiona is looking for her daughter who disappeared when she joined a cult.
She stays with a friend who’s a famous photographer she knew back in 1980s Chicago. I really liked the 1980s Fiona, and it was interesting to see how the AIDS epidemic affected her life and how she dealt with it as she explored her relationship with her daughter.
It took me a while to get absorbed by the story. There are a lot of characters, and it was a bit tricky to keep track of how they all connected, especially since the story jumps between two different timelines. I really liked the length of the book, which was more than 18 hours on audio.
It allowed for the story to be detailed, and gave me time to bond with the characters. This book is definitely emotionally charged, and I’m so glad I finished it. Even though it was a tearjerker, it left me feeling both sad and hopeful for the characters. And the narration by Michael Crouch was absolutely fantastic!
I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog
Absolutely, utterly devastating. But also shockingly beautiful. A must-read.