Reviews

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

florm's review against another edition

2.0

2,5 estrellas.

¿Cómo criticar un libro que todo el mundo ama?
Claramente esta historia no fue para mi, se me hizo innecesaria, aburrida y me costó dos meses terminarla, en comparación con el primer tomo que lo termine en menos de un día.
Creo que mi problema fue que no estaba encariñada con los protagonistas y esta es un historia que apela a la nostalgia de reencontrarse con personajes que amaste alguna vez y hace mucho no leías, este no fue mi caso porque hace muy poco termine [b:Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe|12000020|Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Aristotle and Dante, #1)|Benjamin Alire Sáenz|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328320260l/12000020._SY75_.jpg|16964419] y si bien me gusto, no lo ame. Por lo que la nostalgia no funcionó en mi caso y la historia fue un slice of life de un personaje que me daba igual.
Entiendo porque todo goodreads lo ama y tal vez si hubiera leído el primer libro hace 10 años mi opinión sería diferente, pero tristemente no me gusto y obligarme a terminarlo fue un proceso lento y aburrido.

Pd: me choca mucho como hablan los personajes, se supone que son adolescentes pero parecen filósofos, en ningún momento me pude meter en la historia porque las conversaciones eran surrealistas. ¿Qué grupo de 17 años habla y se expresa de la forma en la que lo hacen lxs chicxs de este libro?

k4yc33's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.0

synnef's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

akinad's review against another edition

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? Yes

3.0

annagonzalez26's review against another edition

emotional funny 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? Yes

4.25

ali_magaa's review against another edition

5.0

libro bellissimo, che riconferma il mio giudizio sulla storia di Ari e Dante.
Ho pianto, riso e amato questo libro
Anche quest'anno il primo libro del 2023 è da 5 stelle!

starlightorchestra's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative 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? Yes

5.0

dianareadsalot's review against another edition

4.0

I was a little late coming to the Aristotle and Dante party. However, lucky for me I didn't have to wait a decade for the sequel the author didn't know he was going to write.

There are some books that make you think about things, things you never would have thought about had it not been brought to your attention in such a way. That is what happened with me and this book.

Like Aristotle and Dante, I finished high school in the late 80's. One of the main issues Aristotle and Dante struggle with in this book is the hatred for gay men. Please note, I do not want to discount the other issues with LGBTQ in this book, but my takeaway was it was directed towards gay men specifically. ( aside from Bernardo's crime). I remember the Aids epidemic and how that affected everyone. I remember how paranoid people were to catch Aids and I remember the times where fear drove peoples actions. We see those fears throughout this book.

Initially, I thought the pacing of this book was slower than the first, but I was wrong. The pacing was perfect, and the development of their relationship was really quite beautiful.

I love Aristotle and Dante, their love for each other is so tender and raw. While Dante is more assured in himself, Aristotle struggles with accepting he is gay in a way that makes it hard for him to connect with others. This book was more about Aristotle finding himself, releasing demons and learning to love, not only love others, but himself.

This was a perfect unplanned sequel. I highly recommend!

perleerose's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective 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

4.25

What really made this book for me was all the side characters, I loved seeing them all change and shift as they formed this little friend group. The ending did feel a bit rushed and doesn’t give me any sense of closure. I am glad I finally got around to reading it.
‘My love for him is silent. There are a thousand things living in that silence.’

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Death of parent

Moderate: Cursing, Homophobia, and Racism

c3lest1_sun's review against another edition

4.0

i did really enjoy the plot points presented throughout the book, but the main reason why it dropped from a 5 to 4 is because of how it felt like the first half dragged. it nearly put me in a reading slump, especially after i essentially consumed the first book in less than 24 hours so my expectations were probably too high. it was still enjoyable, but i suppose sequels are sequels.