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hannahbailey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
TW: homophobia, outing, toxic relationship, suicide, imprisonment
A well written book -- the setting was particularly well crafted. I could really sense the tense and unforgiving atmosphere both of the time and in between the characters. I hope that the author made these characters deliberately unlikeable, if so, then its excellent storytelling. I'm still unsure whether this novel is a product of its time (2012 :/) or a novel ahead of its time in that it leaves you feeling conflicted. That probably doesn't make sense unless you've read the book, but Marion's actions were unexpected and pretty shocking. I didn't really sympathise her, although I felt like the narrative was perhaps asking readers to, which is why I'm unsure of the author's intent here!
This is a very sad and depressing book, do not pick this up if you're looking to read about queer joy -- you won't find it here!
A well written book -- the setting was particularly well crafted. I could really sense the tense and unforgiving atmosphere both of the time and in between the characters. I hope that the author made these characters deliberately unlikeable, if so, then its excellent storytelling. I'm still unsure whether this novel is a product of its time (2012 :/) or a novel ahead of its time in that it leaves you feeling conflicted. That probably doesn't make sense unless you've read the book, but Marion's actions were unexpected and pretty shocking. I didn't really sympathise her, although I felt like the narrative was perhaps asking readers to, which is why I'm unsure of the author's intent here!
This is a very sad and depressing book, do not pick this up if you're looking to read about queer joy -- you won't find it here!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Suicide, Police brutality, Terminal illness, and Confinement
sierrabowers's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I think that this book was a great way to showcase how hard it was to be gay in the 1950s. I do think that this book sheds light on an important subject and I loved reading about a place that I’ve actually been to (Brighton, England) and it brought back memories of my own. It was a sad read, and there wasn’t much of a plot other than a love triangle. I thought it would be better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Alcohol, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
bstar03's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Outing, Toxic relationship, Hate crime, and Gaslighting
Minor: Suicide, Infidelity, Sexism, Abortion, Misogyny, and Toxic friendship
toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Yes, Harry Styles made me read this. I will not be taking critiques at this time.
This book tells the story of Marion, Tom, & Patrick. Tom is a young police officer that Patrick and Marion are both in love with - she as his wife, and he, as his lover in a time where it was illegal to be gay in the UK. The tale unravels from Marion and Patrick's perspectives in dual timelines and as the reader you come to see that no one in this book is an innocent - they each have their pain and they each inflict pain on each other in different ways, and it's often extremely sad to read, but the humanity and messiness of these characters are what made this book so readable and engaging to me, so that was the main thing I liked about it. The writing, too, I thought was gorgeous.
Some issues I had - I don't mind an age gap in a relationship as long as it's ethical as well as legal. Tom and Patrick's age gap itself didn't bother me, but I often felt a little grossed out by the way Patrick was always referencing Tom's youth, his boyishness. It felt....eeeehhh, weird. Didn't love that.
Other than that, I just have this feeling that there was something missing for me during this book. I can't figure out what it was exactly, and if I figure it out, I'll gladly post an update, but whatever it was, it left me feeling that I couldn't give this above a 3 even though I did enjoy it for the most part.
This book tells the story of Marion, Tom, & Patrick. Tom is a young police officer that Patrick and Marion are both in love with - she as his wife, and he, as his lover in a time where it was illegal to be gay in the UK. The tale unravels from Marion and Patrick's perspectives in dual timelines and as the reader you come to see that no one in this book is an innocent - they each have their pain and they each inflict pain on each other in different ways, and it's often extremely sad to read, but the humanity and messiness of these characters are what made this book so readable and engaging to me, so that was the main thing I liked about it. The writing, too, I thought was gorgeous.
Some issues I had - I don't mind an age gap in a relationship as long as it's ethical as well as legal. Tom and Patrick's age gap itself didn't bother me, but I often felt a little grossed out by the way Patrick was always referencing Tom's youth, his boyishness. It felt....eeeehhh, weird. Didn't love that.
Other than that, I just have this feeling that there was something missing for me during this book. I can't figure out what it was exactly, and if I figure it out, I'll gladly post an update, but whatever it was, it left me feeling that I couldn't give this above a 3 even though I did enjoy it for the most part.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death, Hate crime, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Violence, Ableism, Outing, and Confinement
Moderate: Pregnancy and Racism
Minor: Fatphobia, Transphobia, Suicide, Child abuse, Vomit, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, and Death of parent
mallory10100's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
i enjoyed this. i wish we got Tom’s perspective and less of Marion’s.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual content, Cursing, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, and Misogyny
Moderate: Gaslighting, Medical content, Mental illness, Classism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Abandonment, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Bullying, Transphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Dementia, Confinement, Lesbophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Violence, Miscarriage, and War
can’t wait for the movie to come out!!itsmemiana's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this book was so much better than I was expecting. it's historical fiction which is something I don't usually lean into, but this surprised me so much that I might actually decide to read more historical fiction.
even tho the characters are very explicitly flawd, specially Marion and Tom (in my opinion), I still really enjoyed this.
I also absolutely love the way it's written. the writing is so beautiful.
this is set in Brighton, UK in the 50's and I loved the descriptions of this place. it made me really wanna visit it someday.
after reading this I'm even more excited to see the movie and to see Tom being played by Harry Styles.
Btw, since this is an LGBTQ+ story set in the 50's in the UK when it was illegal to be apart of the community, pls note that there is a lot of homophobia and other things that might trigger some people, so look up trigger warnings before reading.
even tho the characters are very explicitly flawd, specially Marion and Tom (in my opinion), I still really enjoyed this.
I also absolutely love the way it's written. the writing is so beautiful.
this is set in Brighton, UK in the 50's and I loved the descriptions of this place. it made me really wanna visit it someday.
after reading this I'm even more excited to see the movie and to see Tom being played by Harry Styles.
Btw, since this is an LGBTQ+ story set in the 50's in the UK when it was illegal to be apart of the community, pls note that there is a lot of homophobia and other things that might trigger some people, so look up trigger warnings before reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Outing, and Hate crime
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Alcohol
lenni_sc's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Outing, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Misogyny, Lesbophobia, and Transphobia
Minor: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Suicide, Sexual assault, and Grief
fatemamemon's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Homophobia
kate_lemer's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I cannot believe I let myself finish this book. Just another proof that some hype is really just not worth it. In the beginning I really liked it - the descriptive language roused a very familiar melancholia within me - after years of not travelling, I longed to be in England again. That did not hold for long.
The author mentions doing some research into the topic (being a homosexual in the 20th century), so I will not dispute that. What I wonder about is her remarks about Marion - how accurate could her depiction of life in 50s England be? Or is it just the author's biased projection onto the past?
Regarding the characters, I'm confused. Tom is not acting consistently at all.As your husband, I command you... There certainly weren't any signs that he is a raging misogynist. The way Marion is portrayed is very misleading as well. Does the author really want us to feel sympathetic towards a homophobe? In the beginning, she is extremely naive. This becomes glaringly obvious after reading Patric's part. She's whiny, hides behind I'm a woman, I can't even take a piss without the permission from the whole wide world.
The reading experience - reading the first half - is also spoilt by the fact that something must happen for their lifes to come crashing down. Reading the second half is spoilt because naive little Marion just have to be a spiteful bitch. She really is a piece of work. Nasty. In some ways, I think Tom and her deserve each other. They both like playing up the victim role. Also, I find it very strange that the author went so far as to make it to diary entries of Patric and Marion (Marion having the largest share of telling by far) and not letting us see Tom's perspective. The ending was horrible too. Can't imagine being in the pair's place and reading what the wretched woman had done. She caused Patric to go to prison for goodness' sake! Isn't she capable of even an ounce of self-reflection?
If I wanted to read homophobic drivel, I would've selected something written in that period.
The author mentions doing some research into the topic (being a homosexual in the 20th century), so I will not dispute that. What I wonder about is her remarks about Marion - how accurate could her depiction of life in 50s England be? Or is it just the author's biased projection onto the past?
Regarding the characters, I'm confused. Tom is not acting consistently at all.
The reading experience - reading the first half - is also spoilt by the fact that something must happen for their lifes to come crashing down. Reading the second half is spoilt because
If I wanted to read homophobic drivel, I would've selected something written in that period.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Misogyny
marireadsbooks's review against another edition
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Homophobia, and Misogyny