Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski

108 reviews

modryzamek's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Gorgeous writing and storytelling. Reminded me of Embers by Sandor Marai, The Museum of Abandoned Secrets, and Evelyn Hugo. 

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ravensruin's review

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emotional hopeful sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.75


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columba_livia's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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elizlizabeth's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

4.5

A very melancholy read, tragic without sending the gays to (communist) super hell. I don't know much about Poland's history but I feel like the plot is understandable even without much context.

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kittkat's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
Also… Das ist gerade etwas schwierig zu bewerten. Ich habe mir zu viel Zeit gelassen und dadurch hat sich die Story zu stark langgezogen. Völlig mein Fehler. Eigentlich ist es eine wirklich sehr interessante, tragische Geschichte. Der Schreibstil und die Erzählperspektive haben mir sehr gefallen. Ich würde das Buch auf jeden Fall irgendwann nochmal lesen (und dann wahrscheinlich auch eher als physisches Buch).

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patriciapueyolopez's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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sophee_568's review

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

New all time favorite book. It's devastating. Made me cry. I love everything about this book and I can't wait to reread it. It gives off Call Me By Your Name vibes but without the weird age gap. No misogyny too. 💞

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murve's review against another edition

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3.0


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nefariousbee's review

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tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

this is a difficult book for me to say something about.
first, I'm a gen Z Czech person. I didn't live thru socialism but my parents did. at first, I was happy that the Slav authors finally seemed to start leaving ww2 behind and we can focus on more recent historical events that prominently shared our societies.
the issue is tho. this doesn't feel like a Pole wrote it. there's that typical self-righteousness of a westerner, writing about the underprivileged. and I hate it, it makes my hairs stand up, makes me see red.
and I'm sure there were good intentions, I'm sure the woke westerners will be swooning. but it feels like we're being put in a terrarium to be studied and pitied. it feels like it's saying that everyone who stayed is a loser or a bootlicker. it makes the westerners believe they'd also leave, like our protagonist, they would stand tall and proud. it does nothing to comment on the system, to try to create some nuance, to even describe the ordinary lives of the people to try the reader to relate.
there's much to say and I don't care enough to write and edit it all. if you want a book about socialist Poland, find a polish author, preferably one that lived thru it. 
and let me recommend you Operation Hyacinth on the topic of being gay in socialist Poland.

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cogowno's review against another edition

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challenging reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0


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