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acdavid1995's review against another edition
3.25
Overall plot was enjoyable, but the stream of consciousness writing became unbearable after a while. Also, many characters and plot points just left open ended.
travisclau's review against another edition
5.0
A hallmark of gay literature that will leave you breathless.
stiofanob's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ers's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
5.0
castawaycove's review
3.5
“We’ll be asked to fight for Ireland, sure I know that.”
“But what is Ireland that you should want to fight for it?”
“Sure I know that too. It’s Doyler.”
“Doyler is your country?”
“It’s silly, I know. But that’s how I feel. I know Doyler will be out, and where would I be but out beside him? I don’t hate the English and I don’t know do I love the Irish. But I love him. I’m sure of that now. And he’s my country.”
ok soooo r u joking me or what.. jamie o’neill my lawyers will be in contact soon so that we can arrange ur payment for my therapy sessions because what the fuck
amesbond's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jacehan's review against another edition
5.0
The book is so Irish and so set in its time that the prose, at first, left me feeling lost at sea. With writing like this, one has two options: refer often to search engines and annotations, or let the words just wash over you. I chose the latter (with the occasional Wikipedia search) and found it to be a wonderful experience, really starting to come into its own around Chapter 8 and crescendoing amid the increased tension of the background historical events. All my emotions are still swirling having just closed the book.
I do also appreciate that, while it is a tragic love story, it is tragic because of their Irishness, not their queerness.
I do also appreciate that, while it is a tragic love story, it is tragic because of their Irishness, not their queerness.
inthelunaseas's review against another edition
2.0
I feel so bad for disliking this book because it's evident a lot of people like it. Worst of all, I can see why people would enjoy this book. It feels very cultural relevant to LGBTQ+ Ireland, and I can tell that a lot of historical research has been done while writing it.
But God, I could not get past the language barrier.
A lot of this was written in Irish English dialect, particularly the dialogue. I could feel myself going crosseyed at certain points and needing to go and turn phrases over so I could understand what was being said. The stream of consciousness style this was written in didn't help matters at all, because as soon as I settled into one scene, it would suddenly shift locations or view points and I'd have to start over (MacMurrough and Scrotes, anyone?).
Worst of all, the characters were entirely flat. I didn't gravitate to any of them. They were all so dull and awful in various ways. Doyler and MacMurrough were repeat rapists, Jim seemed horribly naive, Eveline annoyed me and MacMurrough, once again, seemed to be a pedophile. Were we meant to root for him? Were we meant to like his relationship with Doyler or Jim? Are we meant to just accept him paying Doyler for sexual favours? I don't get it.
I don't know how this ended up on my library 'to-read' list and I wish it hadn't.
This book really is 1.5 stars, and I only rounded it up to two because it's clear so many people enjoy it.
But God, I could not get past the language barrier.
A lot of this was written in Irish English dialect, particularly the dialogue. I could feel myself going crosseyed at certain points and needing to go and turn phrases over so I could understand what was being said. The stream of consciousness style this was written in didn't help matters at all, because as soon as I settled into one scene, it would suddenly shift locations or view points and I'd have to start over (MacMurrough and Scrotes, anyone?).
Worst of all, the characters were entirely flat. I didn't gravitate to any of them. They were all so dull and awful in various ways. Doyler and MacMurrough were repeat rapists, Jim seemed horribly naive, Eveline annoyed me and MacMurrough, once again, seemed to be a pedophile. Were we meant to root for him? Were we meant to like his relationship with Doyler or Jim? Are we meant to just accept him paying Doyler for sexual favours? I don't get it.
I don't know how this ended up on my library 'to-read' list and I wish it hadn't.
This book really is 1.5 stars, and I only rounded it up to two because it's clear so many people enjoy it.
mldias's review against another edition
5.0
I don't have it in me to write an extensive review of this. There's just too much to say. My senior seminar in college was on James Joyce, and I am one of those crazy people who read and enjoyed the hell out of Ulysses. This book is a worthy successor to that beautiful, rambling mess. And the love story? Ouch. The angst. It hurt so good.
juradosalado's review against another edition
4.0
Tengo que reconocer que no estoy seguro de qué opino de esta novela.
Los personajes me han parecido muy buenos y bien construidos, y toda la ambientación también está genialmente lograda.
Mi problema con la historia es que quizá esperaba otra cosa. Como que la historia parecía tratar de dos chicos pero yo la he entendido como un poliamor?? No sé, ha sido extraño. Después ha habido escenas que me han sabido a poco, y otras donde me sobraba narración.
No le doy 3 estrellas porque me la he leído en 4 días. Y es que, no sé bien por qué, pero no podía parar de leer este libro. Supongo que eso será porque algo bueno tiene.
Como digo, creo que me ha gustado la novela pero no termino de estar seguro, tengo muchos sentimientos encontrados. Aun así, creo que mis problemas han sido subjetivos, por lo que si buscas una novela con personajes homosexuales que se salga un poco de los libros románticos lgbt, te aconsejo que leas Nadan, dos chicos.
Los personajes me han parecido muy buenos y bien construidos, y toda la ambientación también está genialmente lograda.
Mi problema con la historia es que quizá esperaba otra cosa. Como que la historia parecía tratar de dos chicos pero yo la he entendido como un poliamor?? No sé, ha sido extraño. Después ha habido escenas que me han sabido a poco, y otras donde me sobraba narración.
No le doy 3 estrellas porque me la he leído en 4 días. Y es que, no sé bien por qué, pero no podía parar de leer este libro. Supongo que eso será porque algo bueno tiene.
Como digo, creo que me ha gustado la novela pero no termino de estar seguro, tengo muchos sentimientos encontrados. Aun así, creo que mis problemas han sido subjetivos, por lo que si buscas una novela con personajes homosexuales que se salga un poco de los libros románticos lgbt, te aconsejo que leas Nadan, dos chicos.