Reviews

Marii încrezători by Rebecca Makkai

bthlrn'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

5.0

Amazing and heartbreaking. The characters felt so real and complex, and the way the story weaves around art is also incredible. This book will stay with me a long time and is one of the best I've read in a second.

elwood's review against another edition

5.0

My heart is broken

erynmarieliz's review against another edition

4.5

Had this book been a little longer with a little more character depth and no different timelines, I really think it could’ve made me feel like A Little Life did 

hayforrest's review against another edition

dark emotional informative 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

cubergirl420's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

lexis2772's review against another edition

challenging 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

4.5

akstark's review against another edition

4.5

I sobbed 

kristenelizabeth's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

This book is so important. And absolutely devastating. 

me_cara_ree's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

bibliobrandie's review against another edition

5.0

I loved this book so much. It's as close to perfect as I've read. This great cast of characters sustain you on this long read and everyone has a voice, no one is a caricature. I loved all the story lines...the group of friends banding together during the AIDS pandemic, Fiona's search for her daughter in Paris, the secondary stories of art told through Fiona's aunt's 1920 art connections and Richards photography. The book spans back and forth through time starting in 1985 in Chicago at the beginning of the AIDS outbreak and then alternating chapters 30 years in the future in Paris. This is a story about friendship and family. It's about love and loss. It's about memory and what it means to survive.

The Great Believers is beautifully written and I can only imagine the amount of research that went into writing this novel. I actually love to imagine that part because I am a terrible writer but would love to do the research for a book. I read the last 20 pages really slowly because I didn't want it to end, didn't want to leave the world that Makkai so expertly puts you into. Definitely one of my favorite books of the year.

I loved Michael Cunningham's review here