Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

376 reviews

julieta_sc7's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-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

4.25

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annabella's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I wasn’t a huge fan of the first book and so maybe it was right place right time but I really liked this book. I found it deeply emotional - a critique of the first for me was it was too dialogue heavy, though this was years ago. Here there were beautiful metaphors and I admit I had to just lean into some of the dramatic existential language of Ari but leaning into that made me love it and him, he had such strong character growth. The exploration into AIDS added another element for me and it was refreshing to have a queer love story which gave just as much love and focus to making supportive parents (although this was also heartbreaking at points), and it made me so angry at the world. A book that I was excited to pick up each evening and knew the tears would be flowing!
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allieskat17's review against another edition

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emotional 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

4.5

This was a nice continuation of the story of Aristotle and dante. In a way this is a less intimate continuation as it included the worldly at the time of the novel including AIDS. However the author did try to keep the intimacy with journal entries from ari. This was definitely a slower paced book than the first
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pagingmrsvarnum's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring sad 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

5.0

Don’t mind me SOBBING HYSTERICALLY while driving home from school and finishing this beautiful, wonderful, hopeful, devastating, inspiring story about two of the most lovable characters in literature since Frodo and Sam. And then you take Benjamin Alire Saenz’ poetic writing combined with Lin Manuel Miranda’s emotional narration… I loved every aspect about this book and will be thinking about it for a long, long time.

I was nervous that this sequel wouldn’t capture the emotion and magic of the first book, but I can honestly say that I loved it just as much. Ari’s growth that takes place in the first book just continues to deepen and develop, and so does the writing. There are so many beautiful lines in this story that I am very tempted to purchase hard copies so that I can highlight them all and refer back to them as I like. 

I am now of the age where I find myself relating more to the parents than the protagonists in YA books, and this book was filled with inspiration that spoke to me both as a parent and a teacher. I was inspired to be more understanding, vulnerable, and real with my sons and my students, as well as with others in my life.

This book is for anyone who has ever loved, who has ever thought deeply about life, who loves words, or who loves young people. I’m so glad I read this series and allowed it to sink deep into my heart.
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classicalhell's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? N/A

4.5

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yochananvered's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe did not need a sequel, but somehow this was the perfect follow up. Sáenz has a way of writing that feels incredibly real. Reading this felt like simply watching a boy’s life play out, rather than following a strict plot, and that sounds like it shouldn’t be a good thing, but it was oddly beautiful. 

The ending was pretty cheesy in my opinion, but it didn’t ruin the rest of the book for me. It was great seeing Ari’s evolution and him forming stronger connections to his parents and friends. This book gave closure for a lot of unanswered questions from the first book. Like I said, it didn’t need a sequel, and those questions didn’t necessarily need answers, but if was still great to have them. Reading this really felt like the story had already finished and now I was just seeing the aftermath. 

Despite having both their names in the title, this book is about Ari. Dante was really the worst part to me. This book was about Ari using the lessons he learned in the first book to live his life in a brighter way. This was a book where the morals have already been told, and it’s just a matter of the character implementing them now. There’s something comforting about seeing a character continue learning and growing after the initial plot has already come to a close. Like I said before, this felt less like reading a book and more like getting a glance into a person’s life. Not every book can accomplish making a reader feel that way.
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sam_xmc's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing 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

5.0

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joisaddler's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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robinks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

3.25

The pacing of this book was really strange, as there were parts I didn’t think needed to be drawn out so much and others that I wish could’ve been drawn out more. I liked the new characters and what the book had to show about platonic intimacy. I also liked how we got to see the teens empowered to advocate for themselves and each other.
What I didn’t like was how the relationship between Dante & Ari progressed, and I think part of it was due to the fact that Ari seemed to be a totally different person from the first book. If we had seen more of his growth, it would’ve been more believable. Also, I don’t know if I liked Miranda as the narrator of the audiobook.
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sunnylain's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective 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? No

5.0

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