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acechemicals's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Terminal illness, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Abortion, Homophobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Vomit, and Cancer
writingcaia's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
This book has become one of my favourites.
What an amazing storytelling, what a wonderful portrayal of life, humanity, the feeling of despair, of loss, of grief, of depression, of anxiety, the love that survives all, the family you are born in and the one you create, the art of life and the art of art.
Spanning almost four decades, from early 1980’s to 2021, with the background of NYC, we see the fight for the rights and medication study for AIDS victims, the suffering of the families and friends, the LGBT movement in the mix for obvious reasons, the women fighting to be heard amidst all when the country was solely focused on gay men. It is also a window into addiction, part of the AIDS victims, the disease and the loss of self and nuclear people.
Time elapses but the issues remain, fear mostly, but also the will to overcome, we see change in people, in feelings, diversions, always following my fave Millie, Matteo and a few other notables like Jared and Drew, and Hector, oh my Latino boy, such change in him over those four decades.
It’s an amazing story from an author that has been inside it all and therefore had a front seat, I’m sure, to many identical stories to the ones he shares in this book.
This book is hard to review without spoiling the big things, I just have to say these characters will stay with me forever, especially Millie, although we are so different in many ways I could see myself so much in her later years. But, the whole cast of characters was so real I feel like I have met them, and not only that I feel like I’ve lived NYC in the 80’s that I’ve seen the struggle and know more and am better for it.
So, of course, I’m blown away by how amazing and surprising this read was, since I had no expectations and no recs, just the high reviews on Goodreads pulled me to jump in, and I’m so very glad I did, even if it made me cry so hard, more towards the end, though.
Totally recommend this historical fiction, literary marvel 💜
Content Warnings
- Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Death, Drug use, Addiction, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Chronic illness
-Moderate: Sexual content and Abortion
- Minor: Medical trauma, Cancer, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Dementia, Death of parent, and Classism
What an amazing storytelling, what a wonderful portrayal of life, humanity, the feeling of despair, of loss, of grief, of depression, of anxiety, the love that survives all, the family you are born in and the one you create, the art of life and the art of art.
Spanning almost four decades, from early 1980’s to 2021, with the background of NYC, we see the fight for the rights and medication study for AIDS victims, the suffering of the families and friends, the LGBT movement in the mix for obvious reasons, the women fighting to be heard amidst all when the country was solely focused on gay men. It is also a window into addiction, part of the AIDS victims, the disease and the loss of self and nuclear people.
Time elapses but the issues remain, fear mostly, but also the will to overcome, we see change in people, in feelings, diversions, always following my fave Millie, Matteo and a few other notables like Jared and Drew, and Hector, oh my Latino boy, such change in him over those four decades.
It’s an amazing story from an author that has been inside it all and therefore had a front seat, I’m sure, to many identical stories to the ones he shares in this book.
This book is hard to review without spoiling the big things, I just have to say these characters will stay with me forever, especially Millie, although we are so different in many ways I could see myself so much in her later years. But, the whole cast of characters was so real I feel like I have met them, and not only that I feel like I’ve lived NYC in the 80’s that I’ve seen the struggle and know more and am better for it.
So, of course, I’m blown away by how amazing and surprising this read was, since I had no expectations and no recs, just the high reviews on Goodreads pulled me to jump in, and I’m so very glad I did, even if it made me cry so hard, more towards the end, though.
Totally recommend this historical fiction, literary marvel 💜
Content Warnings
- Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Death, Drug use, Addiction, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Chronic illness
-Moderate: Sexual content and Abortion
- Minor: Medical trauma, Cancer, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Dementia, Death of parent, and Classism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Death, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Sexual content and Abortion
Minor: Dementia, Pregnancy, Cancer, Classism, Homophobia, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
charlotte_rw's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Abortion
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