Reviews - Martire! | The StoryGraph

14.4k reviews for:

Martire!

Kaveh Akbar, Kaveh Akbar

4.36 AVERAGE

thesonorista's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional 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

Ugh. Rip my heart out and stomp on it.

alexisdoingok's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

girlfart's review against another edition

5.0

UGH!!! I love when poets write novels. Martyr is so tender and fun and wonderful and deserving of all its praise and more.

I’m reminded of Angels in America: “If I can find hope anywhere, that’s it, that’s the best I can do. It’s so much not enough. It’s so inadequate. But still bless me anyway. I want more life.”

Just so lucky to be queer and alive and at the same time as Akbar and Asghar and so many greats of our time…resonated so deeply…love is so beautiful…

There is like a pain in my chest and also a great softness

taytay0531's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark 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

ngidda's review against another edition

4.5

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

sdrouse's review against another edition

5.0

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

sitcharliesit's review against another edition

4.0

The story of an Iranian American man who struggles with addiction and depression and is trying to channel his energy towards chronicling deaths that mean or meant something. This is of course precipitated by his own losses of both his parents. The theme of finding meaning to one’s death and how one finds joy while alive also touch on the role of language and art. a good read

harukoreads's review against another edition

3.0

I can see why this is so popular, and I think objectively it is a good book, but it's not the book for me. It's fairly philosophical about the meaning of life, and focuses quite a bit on youthful ennui, and those are subjects I rarely care for unless the characters or writing really grips me - and unfortunately that didn't happen here. I think maybe if we had spent more time with fewer characters I would have been more drawn in, but as it is this felt a little too disjointed for me to truly get invested.

Also the ending veers into magical realism/fabulism, which is always a hard sell for me.