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gabrielleclarke05's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Wow.. this was gross in multiple parts. Elio compared the peach to a SA victim🧐 I’m glad the film cut out the problematic bits. This book just felt like the author writing down his weird fetishes
The movie overall is better and this book just felt creepy and the author is a self proclaimed pedophile so take that as you will
The movie overall is better and this book just felt creepy and the author is a self proclaimed pedophile so take that as you will
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Biphobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Excrement, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Body shaming, and Sexual assault
calthequeer's review against another edition
2.0
** spoiler alert **
while i think i had some moments in this book where i was really invested in both the characters and the story
i think the age cap and VERY MAJOR pedophilia made me uncomfortable (Oliver is 24 while Elio is 17!!!!)
also i think the fact that Oliver took advantage of Elio made me upset (in the sense that Elio was easy to be taken advantage of for 1) being young and 2) Oliver being his first love) In my mind Elio deserved way better and didn’t deserve to be left high and dry while Oliver was (once again) carefree by marrying another woman (LIKE DO YOU LOVE ELIO OR NOT!!!??!??)
anyways the only reason i’m giving this a 2 star (and not a 1) is my enjoyment (which was very little) in reading this book and beautiful writing.
now if you’ll excuse me i’m gonna try to get the traumatizing image of peaches out of my mind (🤢🍑)
while i think i had some moments in this book where i was really invested in both the characters and the story
i think the age cap and VERY MAJOR pedophilia made me uncomfortable (Oliver is 24 while Elio is 17!!!!)
also i think the fact that Oliver took advantage of Elio made me upset (in the sense that Elio was easy to be taken advantage of for 1) being young and 2) Oliver being his first love) In my mind Elio deserved way better and didn’t deserve to be left high and dry while Oliver was (once again) carefree by marrying another woman (LIKE DO YOU LOVE ELIO OR NOT!!!??!??)
anyways the only reason i’m giving this a 2 star (and not a 1) is my enjoyment (which was very little) in reading this book and beautiful writing.
now if you’ll excuse me i’m gonna try to get the traumatizing image of peaches out of my mind (🤢🍑)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
mmina's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Okay so being older I now understand how problematic the book and film are, yet for the 3/4 years since I first watched the film, it has been my comfort film that I always go back to. Finally reading the book was so much better than I ever anticipated, the writing and details were beautiful. Even though it's so messed up I do think it will forever be one of my favourite books because of the amount of attachment I hold to it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pedophilia and Adult/minor relationship
hannersenreads's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
isabelaoliveira's review against another edition
Although I like the writin style, the story was making me uncomfortable and sometimes disgusted. I hated the love interest and I was very, very disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia
qi_'s review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
update but i still don't know what is going with armie hammer (like he is still getting jobs after a sexual abuse and cannibalism scandal? that's hollywood, baby but also completely irrelevant)
to keep it brief i had a lot of fun re-reading this over like a month, it was fun dipping in and out of the story since i used this as my going out book for when i waiting places or before my english exam. from reading it in such a disjointed way i noticed how immersive the writing is since i could just pick it up and it flowed really nicely.
i carry the same praise that this book has gotten by all the critics and whatnot but in hindsight the relationship is really weird. compared to the film there is definitely more self-awareness from elio but it's still a tricky situation. (to say the least)
i feel like that is most evident in the fourth and final part where elio is still held back by the relationship while oliver has moved on, had kids, etc. though, the imbalance in their relationship can be seen all over the book.
i will say that elio's dads monologue in the last part is fucking amazing .. it's just is big old punch in my gut, soul and heart.
to keep it brief i had a lot of fun re-reading this over like a month, it was fun dipping in and out of the story since i used this as my going out book for when i waiting places or before my english exam. from reading it in such a disjointed way i noticed how immersive the writing is since i could just pick it up and it flowed really nicely.
i carry the same praise that this book has gotten by all the critics and whatnot but in hindsight the relationship is really weird. compared to the film there is definitely more self-awareness from elio but it's still a tricky situation. (to say the least)
i feel like that is most evident in the fourth and final part where
i will say that elio's dads monologue in the last part is fucking amazing .. it's just is big old punch in my gut, soul and heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Vomit
Moderate: Toxic relationship
ediefmullen's review against another edition
3.0
Pedo and I just didn’t like
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia
grayisasleep's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.25
i was around 14-15 when i first read this book and i wanted to reread it now, when i’m 18 to see how my opinion has changed. i plan to do this again in my 20s. when i first read it i rated it a 5/5 easily. i thought it was the most beautiful, emotional, raw piece of writing on intimacy ever written. but i was 15.
looking back on this story now i have many mixed feelings. my love for this book was so strong that it has deepened how i feel about it now. i want to resent this book— and i do, i just wish i did more. this is not a love story. it is a story of grooming, and it is difficult to see that because we are in elio’s mind. i was so deeply infatuated with this book at 15, and while rereading it i felt those feelings come back. the giddiness, the “beauty” of this book— of this “relationship.” reading this at 15 has my warped perception on it just as elio’s perception of oliver was warped. i hope by my next reread in my 20s i’m over it.
i’m not going to write a whole essay on this book because hundreds of people already have but there’s just so many problems with it. the author adds in incredibly gross scenes because he thinks he can just excuse it as “complete and total intimacy.” like no dude it’s just straight up gross.
the writing is what really saved this for me the second time around though. it really is the most beautifully written book i’ve read in my life (thus far that is.) i need so many quotes from this book engraved into me.
but yeah, in conclusion; pretty writing but oliver is a disgusting, manipulative person and i wish more people saw this book for what it really was.
looking back on this story now i have many mixed feelings. my love for this book was so strong that it has deepened how i feel about it now. i want to resent this book— and i do, i just wish i did more. this is not a love story. it is a story of grooming, and it is difficult to see that because we are in elio’s mind. i was so deeply infatuated with this book at 15, and while rereading it i felt those feelings come back. the giddiness, the “beauty” of this book— of this “relationship.” reading this at 15 has my warped perception on it just as elio’s perception of oliver was warped. i hope by my next reread in my 20s i’m over it.
i’m not going to write a whole essay on this book because hundreds of people already have but there’s just so many problems with it. the author adds in incredibly gross scenes because he thinks he can just excuse it as “complete and total intimacy.” like no dude it’s just straight up gross.
the writing is what really saved this for me the second time around though. it really is the most beautifully written book i’ve read in my life (thus far that is.) i need so many quotes from this book engraved into me.
but yeah, in conclusion; pretty writing but oliver is a disgusting, manipulative person and i wish more people saw this book for what it really was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Homophobia, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Antisemitism
Minor: Child death, Death, and Death of parent
char233's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Pedophilia, and Sexual content
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Vomit
hannahmayhere's review against another edition
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This book.... yikes. Where to even begin? The premise is something I just can’t get behind. Main character is 16. Older dude who is a college professor comes into the picture and a “romance” ensures. The entire book portrays their explicitly sexual relationship as this once in a lifetime love experience and I just have a fundamental issue with that.
Also, the completely weird and just not okay peach and toilet scenes. Unacceptable.
Add in the fact that the main character fantasizes about rape? And also about the “love interest” being killed to relieve him of his desires? And that at one point the wishes the other character would be in a wheelchair so that he would “be superior to him”?? And in one line the main character casually compares a peach to a rape victim? Wayyyy crosses multiple lines for me.
There are some ways the author writes that I appreciate and found some passages to be beautifully written - hence the 2 stars and not 1. But I would not recommend this book to anyone.
Also, the completely weird and just not okay peach and toilet scenes. Unacceptable.
Add in the fact that the main character fantasizes about rape? And also about the “love interest” being killed to relieve him of his desires? And that at one point the wishes the other character would be in a wheelchair so that he would “be superior to him”?? And in one line the main character casually compares a peach to a rape victim? Wayyyy crosses multiple lines for me.
There are some ways the author writes that I appreciate and found some passages to be beautifully written - hence the 2 stars and not 1. But I would not recommend this book to anyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia
Moderate: Ableism and Homophobia
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault