Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - My Policeman

Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

My Policeman by Bethan Roberts

305 reviews

insanelyfruity's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

"You were looking at Tom without smiling, with an expression of deep absorption. You considered him, in the same way that others in the room were considering the displays."

I think the quote above sums up the relationships between the characters very well.
it took me a while to read this book because I could feel just how sad it was and that made it hard for me to read. everytime I picked up the book I was immediately engrossed and wanted to know what would happen but I had to pace out the reading for the sake of my mental peace.
this book is so gorgeously written and even though I wasn't alive in Brighton in the 50s-60s, I'm sure it's very accurate about the time period it mentions. I'm so glad that the author chose to deal with a sensitive topic like this with the proper care and respect by doing research and not romanticising terrible moments in history. the movie recently came out and I think because of all the details in the book, the book is more impactful than the movie.
I am so glad I stuck with this book. definitely would recommend.

Content Warnings

tgbdscrapbook's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

nere's review against another edition

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Saturday, September 24, 2022

“Perhaps, then, that despite all this, the idea of normality fills you with complete dread?”

Content Warnings

averagemark's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

beckyyreadss's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wanted to read this book due to the upcoming film and as a Harry Styles fan, I wanted to get ahead and read the book before watching the film. I hate to say this, and it always kills me, I hope and pray that the film is better because this book was rough.

From the moment Marion first lay eyes on Tom – her best friend’s big brother, broad, blond, blue-eyed – she is smitten. And when he comes home from the National Service to be a policeman, Marion who is a newly qualified teacher is determined to win him. Unable to acknowledge the signs that something is amiss, she plunges into this marriage, sure that her love is enough for both of them. But Tom has another life, another equally overpowering claim on his affections. Patrick who is a curator at the Brighton Museum, is also besotted with his policeman, and opens Tom’s eyes to a world previously unknown to him. But in an age when those of “minority status” were condemned by society and the law, it is safer for this policeman to marry his childhood friend. The two lovers must share him, until one of them breaks and three lives are destroyed. This book is set in 1950s in Brighton.

This book was tough. I was expecting it to be a gay love story from either Patrick’s and Tom’s point of view. Having half of the book in Marion’s point of view, wasn’t expected and dragged. I was wanting more for forbidden love story that just sort of never happen. I feel like there was too many gaps in this book. One minute Marion and Tom are children, then teenagers, then old, but then not old again. It all got very confusing. I struggled to get into this book and fell like it was one big rant. I would have loved to maybe have a few chapters from the “minor” characters like Sylvie and Michael and to hear what they thought. I would have loved some chapters from Tom’s point of view and seeing how he felt, we only know how we think he felt from Marion and Patrick’s point of view. Marion was horrible, horrible woman. She knew what she was signing up for and expected Tom to change who he was for her.

Overall, this book is not a love story or a forbidden romance. It is a brutal and a difficult read especially from what happened to Patrick whilst he was trying to live his true life. I hope to God for once they change the ending of in this book in the movie adaptation.

Content Warnings

ashlislibrary's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

cat_astrophe12's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Content Warnings

james1star's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Currently a 4.5 ⭐️ but this could quite easily change.

My thoughts are kinda all over the place with this book. But one thing I am certain of is ‘this is a tragedy. One of the best.’ (This is a quote from my favourite part of the book and it perfectly sums up the story of Tom Burgess, this story)

My Policeman was my most anticipated read of the year after finding out about the book and story when I first got into reading around February/March. The plot, setting and characters really intrigued me and I felt I just needed this book in my brain and life. And in all honesty I don’t think it lived up to the hype I put upon it - this is my own fault but still like it did kinda underdeliver - but it was still good just not great.

The basic plot is: Marion (Tom (the policeman)’s wife) is writing an account of the past to Patrick (Tom’s gay lover) in 1999 after he came to stay following a series of strokes. She thinks back to how she met Tom, her teenageish years, teacher training, marriage, and just like other stuff. Another POV portrayed is from Patrick with his journal/diary entries from that time of how he met ‘My [his] Policeman’, their relationship and also his backstory/personal life and then a bit later. It’s essentially a love triangle with both Marion and Patrick expressing their admiration and love for Tom and how this set up was doomed to fail. There is a lot more with other characters and plot lines and things but I don’t want to spoil anything.

My main issue I found is how Marion, in her sixties, is able to think back forty-ish years ago and portray so much detail in her recollections. I just think like how? Yes it’s not like daily journal entries like Patrick’s POV and it is interjected with (then) present day accounts of what’s happening in her life, but I don’t think someone merely thinking back could pen that level of detail about another person’s lipstick or thoughts and stuff. I don’t know it just didn’t add up fully in my head.

What I loved most was the setting and how realised it was. Brighton is an area I do know a bit about but would like to visit and explore more. The city and surrounding areas really does come to life and the descriptions of places, people and scenarios is written really well. There are many nice, hopeful, sweet and heartwarming parts of the book but oh my A LOT of heartache and sadness. It’s a very difficult and heavy read I found but also captivating and makes you read on.

The characters. It’s difficult to gather together my thoughts. They are all nuanced. Ugh I don’t know!! Marion - she is a nice person who was caught up in a ‘bad’ situation because of the society and laws of the time. Things having been different, I feel she’d of been upset to have lost Tom but accepted him. She did a very unforgivable thing which filled me with rage (especially the child part!!! Omfg nope, no way bitch - sorry I’m passionate) but she was hurting bad. I am confusion. Patrick - I did like him and I most definitely preferred reading his parts, I just was more empathetic to him and I felt very touched and saddened by certain things he went through (especially with Michael - my heart = shatters) and I felt he was a very kind and giving person. Tom - oh hun. Wrong time to be alive - well wrong attitudes and laws - because it ruined his life and those he loved too. I don’t know honestly, I want to love him but also certain things just ughhhh but then like he couldn’t have acted differently… I… ummm. Brain not functioning right now. Julie - I loved you girl. Awgh of my favourite parts of the book was with you and Marion in the part bit where you confessed something. But also you did kinda sow a couple seeds which lead to things. But like they’d of came abound anyway in all honesty but still. Sylvie - you did some things that were kinda (well were) deceitful and wrong. And what you said about Tom to Marion ugh maybe you should have been a bit more persistent… told her straight like you did after the thing? There are more characters but I want to end on my favourite of the bunch… Patrick’s mum - I love you. I needed more more you. You were just agh my heart. Your attitude was it. Yes mam.

I do feel I have a lot more to say about this book, like I could have a massive mind blurt and roll on and on. I also have questions and needed more but also like quite a few parts of the book I was thinking this is a little needless, I don’t really care that much. But also like it was good. I don’t know l. My thoughts are honestly all over the place and it’s been very difficult trying to compose them. This leads to my rating. I so so badly wanted this to be a full on 5 ⭐️but I don’t know… with some parts it is undoubtedly so but others are closer to 3. In general I think I would give it a 4-ish maybe. I don’t know!! I’m so confused but also like I do need to factor the time period and everything and just like yhhh. I think I’ll give it a 4.5 ⭐️ rating overall. But this is likely to change. I do know one thing for sure: I need to give this book a reread.

Final point: I did watch the film right after finishing the book and it was good. I liked the scenery and characters and stuff. I would say the book was better and there were (obviously) changes made with quite a lot of the book being left out. This included my favourite scene of Patrick in prison shortly after Marion’s visit just the whole thing gripped me. So Yhh good not great, sad but nice and would like to watch it again.

Content Warnings

steffan_tastic's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

laurenmakena's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad 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

4.0

This book destroyed me. Seeing Tom through both Marion and Patrick's eyes and the differences in both Tom's actions/personality and the depth of each relationship was both beautiful and tragic. (Also the movie, while leaving a lot of important parts of the book out, was really good and portrayed the internal struggles that Tom, and honestly all of the characters, faced throughout this story).

I don't understand why the author chose to have Marion be the main narrator for most of the time. The chapters of Patrick's diary were the most compelling part of the story and showed the only insight into the struggles that LGBT faced at that time.

I highly recommend this story if you want to be sad though.

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