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Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'
Tuyo, con pasión: Un retelling de Orgullo y prejuicio by Gabe Cole Novoa
255 reviews
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, Dysphoria
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, Dysphoria
the way i read a few chapters in august and then binged the entire audiobook in 2 days (with 3 days break because school)
ANYWAYS i think this is my favourite book ever
i'm going to have to process it but there is going to be a proper review very soon i'm so passionate about this book i swear i could talk about it for hours on end
the portrayal of transness in this book made me cry in the best way possible and hello the main character is a gay trans man! like me!!
excuse me while i try to cope with the fact that it's over and there isn't a sequel... i don't think it needs one but i do, i need one, i'm in love with these boys
ANYWAYS i think this is my favourite book ever
i'm going to have to process it but there is going to be a proper review very soon i'm so passionate about this book i swear i could talk about it for hours on end
the portrayal of transness in this book made me cry in the best way possible and hello the main character is a gay trans man! like me!!
excuse me while i try to cope with the fact that it's over and there isn't a sequel... i don't think it needs one but i do, i need one, i'm in love with these boys
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Transphobia, Dysphoria
I'm honestly always a little bit picky about Pride and Prejudice retellings, because I think the original is just so good it's hard to compete with it. That being said, I did enjoy this queer interpretation of the story with Oliver as a trans man instead of Elizabeth. Honestly, I think my biggest complaint is that this book was too short and didn't quite have enough time for me to really feel the romance developing like I think it should have. Overall a lovely read that has shockingly little transphobia and quite a lot of acceptance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Homophobia
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
A beautifully written book about Oliver’s journey as a trans man in a not so welcoming society.
Pros: I loved how the author described Oliver’s journey through dysphoria and coming into himself as the man he was always meant to be.How proud Mr Bennet was to call Oliver his son had me in tears. He was so happy to accept him 🥹
Cons: I personally believe at times the story felt a bit rushed.I was really hoping to see more of Darcy and Oliver’s relationship But none the less I am happy they ended up together the way they did.
An overall amazing book.
Pros: I loved how the author described Oliver’s journey through dysphoria and coming into himself as the man he was always meant to be.
Cons: I personally believe at times the story felt a bit rushed.
An overall amazing book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Misogyny, Transphobia
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexism, Outing
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Transphobia, Dysphoria
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
i was so excited to read this book, i’ve had the tab open on my phone since june of 2023. it did not disappoint and i loved the narration and the added historical points. very special time to live in to see books get queered and not be unbearable to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia
I came for the gorgeous cover by Marlowe Lune and stayed for the deeply charming tale of Oliver Bennet.
Making Darcy a gay man who doesn't hate women but just isn't interested in pretending to like them and making Elizabeth Bennet a trans man living a double life was SUCH a brilliant way to interpret this timeless and beloved story. I found myself giggling and gasping and screeching with excitement and tension in all the right moments as I rooted for these characters and their happiness amidst the social obstacle course that is higher society of 19th century England.
The pacing was quick and consistent and the writing was so engaging that had I not been so busy these past few days, I have no doubt I would've finished this in one sitting. My only wish is that the end had maybe one more chapter somewhere amidst the last few scenes, as it felt like it needed just a little more meat to finish fleshing itself out. (Perhaps a moment with Jane? I just found myself craving a bit more, though I find that a testament to the strength of the rest of the story.)
Overall, an adorable and tender romance about how there isn't really such thing as a right time to be yourself, but there is such a thing as a right way to be yourself.
CW: misgendering, deadnaming, dysphoria, homophobia, transphobia
Making Darcy a gay man who doesn't hate women but just isn't interested in pretending to like them and making Elizabeth Bennet a trans man living a double life was SUCH a brilliant way to interpret this timeless and beloved story. I found myself giggling and gasping and screeching with excitement and tension in all the right moments as I rooted for these characters and their happiness amidst the social obstacle course that is higher society of 19th century England.
The pacing was quick and consistent and the writing was so engaging that had I not been so busy these past few days, I have no doubt I would've finished this in one sitting. My only wish is that the end had maybe one more chapter somewhere amidst the last few scenes, as it felt like it needed just a little more meat to finish fleshing itself out. (Perhaps a moment with Jane? I just found myself craving a bit more, though I find that a testament to the strength of the rest of the story.)
Overall, an adorable and tender romance about how there isn't really such thing as a right time to be yourself, but there is such a thing as a right way to be yourself.
CW: misgendering, deadnaming, dysphoria, homophobia, transphobia
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Transphobia, Dysphoria
Moderate: Homophobia
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you to the publishers for providing an e-ARC through Netgalley!
REVIEW
I have conflicted feelings about Most Ardently.
On one hand, it was a quick, fluffy read, which did an excellent job at portraying the suffocating experience of being queer and closeted in an extremely hetero normative, misogynistic, gender essentialist society. I liked Oliver's relationship with Jane--I always love to see healthy, supportive sibling relationships in fiction.
The narrative is, at its core, YA wish fulfillment featuring a gay trans man x Pride and Prejudice. It's an easy, quick read.
Additionally, as someone who has no strong feelings about the Pride and Prejudice novel, nor has watched the 2005 movie, I still enjoyed the book as I read it and feel that, in this particular case, having read the original brought very little extra to the retelling reading experience. So this can totally be read without having read the original.
On the other hand, once I thought about the narrative beyond that very surface level wish fulfillment, I found to have several problems with Most Ardently.
I'll get the less in-depth one out of the way first.
As other reviewers have pointed out, the last quarter of the book feels very rushed. The ending is a happy one, yes, but I personally found it unfulfilling due to how rushed it was. For example,Mrs. Bennet--despite being extremely gender essentialist throughout the novel and disapproving of Oliver wearing trousers--immediately turns around and not only fully accepts but fully understands the concept of Oliver being a man. I'm not saying she should have rejected Oliver or not been accepting, but the choice to felt in opposition to her character. As a queer person, I would have liked to see a more realistic moment of an accepting but uneducated parent, rather than the sudden, perfect about heel to being cool with Oliver not being a woman that we got.
The more in-depth issue I have has to do with how the narrative handles gender.
First, most of the female characters essentially stop being characters at all. The sisters (beside Jane) barely exist, and Mrs. Bennet is even more shallow and annoying than she is in the original novel. Oliver's friendship with Charlotte, as discussed more in-depth below, is purely a device to have a side conflict.
Pride and Prejudice is such an iconic novel because of its sharp, witty social critique. While this novel retains most of the wit from the original, particularly in the dialogue, it only offers social critique on a very basic surface level: misogyny bad, queer people should be able to be happy.
There are moments where the novel begins to approach that social critique. Conversations between Oliver and his best friend, Charlotte, explore what it means to be a queer AFAB person in this society.
Charlotte's position is that marriage is a matter of survival, especially for people who are of a lower social class, and that marriage is an option that Oliver may eventually have to consider. Oliver's position is that marriage would be suffocating for him, and that entering a marriage would not be survival but death.
Both of these stances are valid. As a queer person, I am intimately aware that choices about gender expression, marriage, and financial support often have to be made as a question of survival, and the answer to those questions differ depending on the person. On the other hand, queer people do deserve joy and acceptance, and shouldn't have to hide themselves simply just to survive. However, deciding to come out and choose "authenticity" is not an option for many, many people.
However, the novel does not fully explore this dichotomy in a nuanced, caring way.
This conflict comes to a head in an argument between the two when Charlotte tells him that she is marrying Collins. (Quote taken from the e-ARC copy. May differ in final version.)
REVIEW
I have conflicted feelings about Most Ardently.
On one hand, it was a quick, fluffy read, which did an excellent job at portraying the suffocating experience of being queer and closeted in an extremely hetero normative, misogynistic, gender essentialist society. I liked Oliver's relationship with Jane--I always love to see healthy, supportive sibling relationships in fiction.
The narrative is, at its core, YA wish fulfillment featuring a gay trans man x Pride and Prejudice. It's an easy, quick read.
Additionally, as someone who has no strong feelings about the Pride and Prejudice novel, nor has watched the 2005 movie, I still enjoyed the book as I read it and feel that, in this particular case, having read the original brought very little extra to the retelling reading experience. So this can totally be read without having read the original.
On the other hand, once I thought about the narrative beyond that very surface level wish fulfillment, I found to have several problems with Most Ardently.
I'll get the less in-depth one out of the way first.
As other reviewers have pointed out, the last quarter of the book feels very rushed. The ending is a happy one, yes, but I personally found it unfulfilling due to how rushed it was. For example,
The more in-depth issue I have has to do with how the narrative handles gender.
First, most of the female characters essentially stop being characters at all. The sisters (beside Jane) barely exist, and Mrs. Bennet is even more shallow and annoying than she is in the original novel. Oliver's friendship with Charlotte, as discussed more in-depth below, is purely a device to have a side conflict.
Pride and Prejudice is such an iconic novel because of its sharp, witty social critique. While this novel retains most of the wit from the original, particularly in the dialogue, it only offers social critique on a very basic surface level: misogyny bad, queer people should be able to be happy.
There are moments where the novel begins to approach that social critique. Conversations between Oliver and his best friend, Charlotte, explore what it means to be a queer AFAB person in this society.
Charlotte's position is that marriage is a matter of survival, especially for people who are of a lower social class, and that marriage is an option that Oliver may eventually have to consider. Oliver's position is that marriage would be suffocating for him, and that entering a marriage would not be survival but death.
Both of these stances are valid. As a queer person, I am intimately aware that choices about gender expression, marriage, and financial support often have to be made as a question of survival, and the answer to those questions differ depending on the person. On the other hand, queer people do deserve joy and acceptance, and shouldn't have to hide themselves simply just to survive. However, deciding to come out and choose "authenticity" is not an option for many, many people.
However, the novel does not fully explore this dichotomy in a nuanced, caring way.
This conflict comes to a head in an argument between the two when Charlotte tells him that she is marrying Collins. (Quote taken from the e-ARC copy. May differ in final version.)
"But you aren't friends with Lu!" Oliver protested. "How will you ever be happy pretending to love someone you never could? You're in love with Lu, not Collins!"
"But I can't marry Lu, can I?!" Charlotte cried. Oliver's mouth snapped closed as his friend wiped at her glassy eyes. He'd never seen Charlotte cry before, and he'd certainly never imagined the first time would be because of him.
"Of course I would marry Lu if could, Oliver, but it's impossible!" she went on. "And even without marriage—which, by the way, would be crushing to me in and of itself—we'd never survive on our own. I can't—" Her voice tightened with emotion, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I can't live in a fantasy that will never happen. It's time to grow up. This is the best I could possibly hope for."
Oliver was frozen, his friend's pain blazing hot in his chest, mingling with his own. It wasn't until he tried to speak that he realized his own voice was strangled with the tears he was fighting to keep at bay. "I can't accept that," he said. "I refuse to settle for a future that will deny me the happiness I deserve-the happiness we both deserve."
"Then don't," Charlotte said, her voice frosting over. "But if it never comes to pass, don't say I didn't warn you."
(Emphasis mine)
Charlotte has to make a horrible, difficult choice--the best choice she can make, considering her position.
After the wedding, Oliver visits Charlotte; during this visit Charlotte says that
In other words, once that specific argument between them is over, the narrative washes its hands of her. The reality of Charlotte's difficult choice, the danger it inherently puts her in, and
That last point also leads me into another, minor complaint; Oliver is extremely self-centered, in a way that seems unintended. This makes him extremely dislikable in moments when we are supposed to empathize with him (see discussion re: Charlotte).
The ending also does not reckon with or consider the power Oliver now holds as a man, nor does its characters actively challenge gender roles. For example, the fact that Oliver can now inherit property is a gender-affirming moment, not a horrifying reflection of misogyny. Oliver does not consider how he can use his manhood to help those around him, or the new power it gives him over his sisters and how that may change his relationship with them.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Ultimately, Most Ardently is just fine and that's it. Inoffensive if you don't think about it and might hit that feel-good wish fulfillment vibe for some readers. However, if you want a well-written woman or a thoughtful, nuanced exploration of queerness, you'll need to look somewhere else.
Thank you again to the publishers for the e-ARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Misogyny, Sexism, Transphobia, Dysphoria
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Lesbophobia, Outing
The suicidal thoughts never become planning or specific ideation.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this audiobook!
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
If you love Pride and Prejudice (2005) and you're part of the LGBTQIA+ community then I'm certain you will love this story!!! I may be biased because I love every Pride and Prejudice story that I've ever read (so far at least) but each iteration is so stunning and different, while at the same time honoring the source material, that it's hard not to love it.
Oliver and Darcy are perfect together and I loved how strong and brave they both were to move about in a world that isn't kind to queer people. I have to admit that I was very teary eyed during much of the bottom half of the story, especially with the scene between Mrs. Bennet and Oliver.
I loved that Wickham AND Mr. Collins were both the villains in the end and were rightfully humiliated. In some renditions of the story, they never seem to meet the full consequences of their actions. I was also very glad that Wickham didn't end up marrying Kitty as he normally does.
I was looking forward to Lydia, Kitty and Mary's reactions to meeting their brother but that wasn't part of the story unfortunately. I like to imagine that they were giggling and squealing and generally very excited. I also thought Charlotte might make one final appearance to reprimand Mr. Collins but she didn't which I guess is fine in the end.
Overall I loved this story and it's characters and everyone's easy acceptance of Oliver. It was beautiful and heartwarming and I can't wait to read more Remixed Classics/read more novels from Gabe Cole Novoa!!
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
If you love Pride and Prejudice (2005) and you're part of the LGBTQIA+ community then I'm certain you will love this story!!! I may be biased because I love every Pride and Prejudice story that I've ever read (so far at least) but each iteration is so stunning and different, while at the same time honoring the source material, that it's hard not to love it.
Oliver and Darcy are perfect together and I loved how strong and brave they both were to move about in a world that isn't kind to queer people. I have to admit that I was very teary eyed during much of the bottom half of the story, especially with the scene between Mrs. Bennet and Oliver.
I loved that Wickham AND Mr. Collins were both the villains in the end and were rightfully humiliated. In some renditions of the story, they never seem to meet the full consequences of their actions. I was also very glad that Wickham didn't end up marrying Kitty as he normally does.
I was looking forward to Lydia, Kitty and Mary's reactions to meeting their brother but that wasn't part of the story unfortunately. I like to imagine that they were giggling and squealing and generally very excited. I also thought Charlotte might make one final appearance to reprimand Mr. Collins but she didn't which I guess is fine in the end.
Overall I loved this story and it's characters and everyone's easy acceptance of Oliver. It was beautiful and heartwarming and I can't wait to read more Remixed Classics/read more novels from Gabe Cole Novoa!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Sexism, Transphobia
Moderate: Outing