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mmegan_13's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
To begin with i enjoyed the book. The writing is pretty and atmospheric and I was interested to see how Elio's obsession would develop and effect him throughout the book. I soon realised that Elio's obsess veness was not something that was considered by the author to be a flaw but that it was something raw, authentic and romantic about elio.
Except for the writing I did enjoy the story about elio confronting his queerness but ultimately giving up and how that obviously left him with regret for the rest of his life.
Now what I didn't enjoy. Some of the passages in the book were truly disgusting. Elio is creepy and sex-obsessed.. and not much else. He's a professor's son which makes him intelligent (apparently?). Generally i found Elio annoying and flat as a main character and I wish Oliver hadn't responded so readily to his advances so that elio might've had to confront his obsessive nature. There's a whole part about this poet fetishizing his trip to Bangkok which felt very uncomfortable to me... I assume it had some relevance to the story between elio and Oliver but it didn't seem to make much of an impact on them. I could go on...
Except for the writing I did enjoy the story about elio confronting his queerness but ultimately giving up and how that obviously left him with regret for the rest of his life.
Now what I didn't enjoy. Some of the passages in the book were truly disgusting. Elio is creepy and sex-obsessed.. and not much else. He's a professor's son which makes him intelligent (apparently?). Generally i found Elio annoying and flat as a main character and I wish Oliver hadn't responded so readily to his advances so that elio might've had to confront his obsessive nature. There's a whole part about this poet fetishizing his trip to Bangkok which felt very uncomfortable to me... I assume it had some relevance to the story between elio and Oliver but it didn't seem to make much of an impact on them. I could go on...
whyispete's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful story, touching, introspective, shameless and blunt in deconstructing the games that we play with our own emotions.
michwithbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
jairereads's review against another edition
5.0
Each line reads like scripture, as if you could speak it like an incantation and taste it on your own lips by some charm of transmutation.
I’ll long be on the chase for another story to eclipse what I’ve gotten to experience through this book.
I’ll long be on the chase for another story to eclipse what I’ve gotten to experience through this book.
justreaditalreadypod's review against another edition
emotional
fast-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
mels_reading_log's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
When I watched this movie there were a lot of times when I felt I was missing something. Now that I have read the book I understand. This author writes in a poetic way, very descriptive and flowery language as he delves deep into feelings and memories. That is hard to express on film. This story is about a 17 year old and his affair with a visiting professor who is staying in his parents’ home in Italy for the summer. This relationship is problematic from an age perspective but also a maturity perspective. The teenager falls in love hard, in that completely obsessive way that teenagers love everything. And the older man takes advantage of that admiration.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Vomit, and Sexual content
Minor: Death and Drug use