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Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'
La casa en el mar más azul. Edición especial: Edición especial con cantos tintados by TJ Klune, Carlos Abreu Fetter
105 reviews
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I adore this book. This is my second time reading this, this time I listened to the audio book and I recommend this to everyone who has not listened to it yet. The reader breaths to much life in to the book. I enjoyed it like I've never read it just because of the reader. He has voices for all the characters which is a favorite for me.
But, the book this is a perfect book about love and acceptance and what family means. It is also about what love and lack of acceptance does to people as they grow up and what it does to children. An absolute master class in chosen family. TJ KLune does that better than any writer than I have ever read. This book is a warm hug, and makes me cry every time. I am excited about book 2.
But, the book this is a perfect book about love and acceptance and what family means. It is also about what love and lack of acceptance does to people as they grow up and what it does to children. An absolute master class in chosen family. TJ KLune does that better than any writer than I have ever read. This book is a warm hug, and makes me cry every time. I am excited about book 2.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Homophobia, Xenophobia
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A reread before I started the next new release and it's no less delightful a second time around. There's a reason this was my favourite book of 2023 when I read it the first time. It's very moving and to have more people like our main adult characters here in the world would make so much difference.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Xenophobia
Moderate: Physical abuse
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Abandonment
Minor: Homophobia
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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
A really heartwarming story that made me smile and laugh several times ( even when I was in public/restaurants and people now may think I'm weird).
I loved the characters and the depth to them. I can't wait to get to know them a little bit better in the sequel.
The only thing I can critique is that I would've written the ending a little bit differently. Not because I didn't like it but because I thought it needed a bit more time. Or maybe I just wanted to read more about all of them being happy :').
I loved the characters and the depth to them. I can't wait to get to know them a little bit better in the sequel.
The only thing I can critique is that I would've written the ending a little bit differently. Not because I didn't like it but because I thought it needed a bit more time. Or maybe I just wanted to read more about all of them being happy :').
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Classism
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Body shaming, Homophobia
One of the kids has a very good creativity and does kind of says Gorey things. Like snakes going inside your body and eating your eyeballs inside out. It's few but if you sensitive to something like this, maybe you should just borrow it first and see if it is right for you.
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
The House in the Cerulean Sea has a plot, genre and tone that ordinarily isn’t quite my taste, but T.J. Klune’s execution and lowkey sarcastic humor kept me going. Hopefully optimistic, sweet, and a very comfortable easy read, this is not my typical genre but it’s still a novel I don’t regret picking up. The plot is predictable and some extended metaphors and social commentary are a bit on the nose (this has a tone and approach better suited for YA, apart from a few rare adult-natured jokes), but it’s unapologetically warm and has so much mass-appeal.
Other reviews describing The House in the Cerulean Sea as a modern fairy tale are quite appropriate. The style of narration told from the perspective of the main character Linus Baker evokes that nostalgic fairy tale feel that’s felt through Klune’s descriptive visuals and dialogue (the house for example screams fantasy fairy tale aesthetic, including the gorgeous interpretation on the cover). While reading this, I could instantly see this being adapted as either an animated or live-action miniseries. Linus Baker is a refreshing, atypical main character aged 40, overweight, uptight, queer, no frills government worker who serves as the perfect foil to the otherwise fantasy-filled story and cast. His constant freak-out or groaning reactions are quite funny, and Klune does a particularly good job at writing humor derived from innocently honest kid-adult interactions. The cast of “orphans” are diverse and were the highlight of the read for me, particularly Lucy’s hilariously dark humor.
As expected, there are good themes and metaphors included such as prejudice or ostracization of those that are different (magical beings are an obvious parallel to the queer or really any minority group). Nearly all the conflict and resolution has to do with this prejudice and bigotry, though the portrayal is still imo mild and only just negative enough to serve its narrative and thematic purpose. At the end of the day, this is still a cozy and comforting book that feels like a warm hug against the harshness of society. In fact, I’m convinced TJ is clever and purposely writes scenarios where as an adult jaded reader, you would expect something really bad to happen in certain situations. Repeatedly the book feels like it knows where the reader’s fears will go, and then goes in an unexpectedly positive direction (this purposeful tactic is something Heartstopper also utilized very successfully, likely contributing to why kids, teenagers, and adults all love both series).
Negatively critiquing this novel feels like kicking a puppy due to how sweet and well-meaning it is, however I cannot deny that the story occasionally felt slow for me. I likely would’ve been fully invested had I read this when I was 14-17, but as an adult, I felt like the plot and pacing was a little too rosy for me (then again, I’m heartless and love dark, hard-hitting works). Despite the stakes being high for Arthur’s orphanage during Linus’s investigation, it still felt like an overly casual and mild affair. This is the kind of read where you know everything will somehow work out perfectly, which is fine since it commits to it, but it still takes away some of the urgency for me. The synopsis also makes a point to highlight the romance in the book, but I personally felt like the romance is quite minor and serves as a small bonus rather than being a main plot point. The focus is primarily on the kids and their well-being while any romantic development is only lightly touched on occasionally. I don’t think the romance is badly done by any means, just that it’s not in the forefront and probably shouldn’t be the reason why you pick up this book to read (and ofc it’s vanilla based on the book’s content, any spice would absolutely not work with this book so you’re not going to get anything beyond a sweet kiss).
Overall though, this was a pleasant and quick read. This was obviously not going to be a favorite of mine based on the genre and style, but I thought it was successful in what it was trying to do. Well-executed, consistently paced, subtly funny with a sophisticated sarcastic kind of humor, I understand and get why The House in the Cerulean Sea is a beloved book. It also functions well as a decisive and resolved standalone novel, so I’m curious to see where T.J. Klune goes with the sequel novel due to be released soon in a few months (total coincidence that I read it now). I hear it’s written both as a sequel and as a companion novel told from Arthur’s perspective instead, I’m definitely going to give it a try when it’s out in September.
Other reviews describing The House in the Cerulean Sea as a modern fairy tale are quite appropriate. The style of narration told from the perspective of the main character Linus Baker evokes that nostalgic fairy tale feel that’s felt through Klune’s descriptive visuals and dialogue (the house for example screams fantasy fairy tale aesthetic, including the gorgeous interpretation on the cover). While reading this, I could instantly see this being adapted as either an animated or live-action miniseries. Linus Baker is a refreshing, atypical main character aged 40, overweight, uptight, queer, no frills government worker who serves as the perfect foil to the otherwise fantasy-filled story and cast. His constant freak-out or groaning reactions are quite funny, and Klune does a particularly good job at writing humor derived from innocently honest kid-adult interactions. The cast of “orphans” are diverse and were the highlight of the read for me, particularly Lucy’s hilariously dark humor.
As expected, there are good themes and metaphors included such as prejudice or ostracization of those that are different (magical beings are an obvious parallel to the queer or really any minority group). Nearly all the conflict and resolution has to do with this prejudice and bigotry, though the portrayal is still imo mild and only just negative enough to serve its narrative and thematic purpose. At the end of the day, this is still a cozy and comforting book that feels like a warm hug against the harshness of society. In fact, I’m convinced TJ is clever and purposely writes scenarios where as an adult jaded reader, you would expect something really bad to happen in certain situations. Repeatedly the book feels like it knows where the reader’s fears will go, and then goes in an unexpectedly positive direction (this purposeful tactic is something Heartstopper also utilized very successfully, likely contributing to why kids, teenagers, and adults all love both series).
Negatively critiquing this novel feels like kicking a puppy due to how sweet and well-meaning it is, however I cannot deny that the story occasionally felt slow for me. I likely would’ve been fully invested had I read this when I was 14-17, but as an adult, I felt like the plot and pacing was a little too rosy for me (then again, I’m heartless and love dark, hard-hitting works). Despite the stakes being high for Arthur’s orphanage during Linus’s investigation, it still felt like an overly casual and mild affair. This is the kind of read where you know everything will somehow work out perfectly, which is fine since it commits to it, but it still takes away some of the urgency for me. The synopsis also makes a point to highlight the romance in the book, but I personally felt like the romance is quite minor and serves as a small bonus rather than being a main plot point. The focus is primarily on the kids and their well-being while any romantic development is only lightly touched on occasionally. I don’t think the romance is badly done by any means, just that it’s not in the forefront and probably shouldn’t be the reason why you pick up this book to read (and ofc it’s vanilla based on the book’s content, any spice would absolutely not work with this book so you’re not going to get anything beyond a sweet kiss).
Overall though, this was a pleasant and quick read. This was obviously not going to be a favorite of mine based on the genre and style, but I thought it was successful in what it was trying to do. Well-executed, consistently paced, subtly funny with a sophisticated sarcastic kind of humor, I understand and get why The House in the Cerulean Sea is a beloved book. It also functions well as a decisive and resolved standalone novel, so I’m curious to see where T.J. Klune goes with the sequel novel due to be released soon in a few months (total coincidence that I read it now). I hear it’s written both as a sequel and as a companion novel told from Arthur’s perspective instead, I’m definitely going to give it a try when it’s out in September.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Homophobia, Xenophobia
adventurous
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Xenophobia
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
Such a beautiful, earnest story about childhood whilst being different. Wholesome while not completely blind to the realities of the world. Has fantastical elements but I would classify it more as magical realism, as there are not hard-and-fast rules to the magic and magical creatures contained in the book (nor will you care about said rules even if they do exist). Has many moments similar in tone to A Series of Unfortunate Events. A very special book. I cried so very much.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse