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4.54 AVERAGE
4.54 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
A truly amazing book. At times frustrating to read but an amazing work and emotional journey as you travel through a persons life for 7 decades.
★ 5/5 ★
Je n'ai pas l'habitude des fictions historiques, et pourtant je remercie chaleureusement une de mes amies de m'avoir offert et fait découvrir ce livre.
Dès le premier chapitre j'ai été choquée, outrée, frustrée, et meurtrie par les évènements. Bien entendu, je n'étais pas au bout de mes surprises ; mes émotions n'arrêtaient pas d'être bouleversées au fil des chapitres. J'ai parfois dû prendre des pauses après certains passages car les scènes étaient trop dramatiques pour mon petit cœur. Et pourtant le lendemain je repartais de plus belle dans ma lecture : je dévorais les pages, j'enchaînais les chapitres. La lecture devenait addictive et suivre toute la vie du personnage principal (et même l'avant-vie) a été passionnante, bien que très romanisée.
Cette histoire, malgré qu'elle soit fictive, m'aura fait prendre conscience de certaines réalités notamment liées à l'église et à la société patriarcale qui ont vraisemblablement eu lieu, et qu'on a tendance à facilement oublier... ou tout simplement ignorer.
Je n'ai pas l'habitude des fictions historiques, et pourtant je remercie chaleureusement une de mes amies de m'avoir offert et fait découvrir ce livre.
Dès le premier chapitre j'ai été choquée, outrée, frustrée, et meurtrie par les évènements. Bien entendu, je n'étais pas au bout de mes surprises ; mes émotions n'arrêtaient pas d'être bouleversées au fil des chapitres. J'ai parfois dû prendre des pauses après certains passages car les scènes étaient trop dramatiques pour mon petit cœur. Et pourtant le lendemain je repartais de plus belle dans ma lecture : je dévorais les pages, j'enchaînais les chapitres. La lecture devenait addictive et suivre toute la vie du personnage principal (et même l'avant-vie) a été passionnante, bien que très romanisée.
Cette histoire, malgré qu'elle soit fictive, m'aura fait prendre conscience de certaines réalités notamment liées à l'église et à la société patriarcale qui ont vraisemblablement eu lieu, et qu'on a tendance à facilement oublier... ou tout simplement ignorer.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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:
Yes
My favorite book
4.5 stars. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while. A lovely, heart breaking book.
Thank you, NetGalley and Crown Publishing, for an advance copy of this book.
WOW. This book has made it to the top of my favorites list. It may be THE new favorite. I got so lost in this novel... maybe because it was so long and I got to spend so much time with the main character over the course of his life (each section of the book skips to 7 years later in his life, from age 7 to 70), or maybe just because it's so brilliantly written.
There hasn't been a book that made me laugh out loud in as long as I can remember. This book got actual laughs out of me. There is one scene in particular, about a third of the way through the book, where Cyril is confessing his sins to a priest. The dialog is so brilliant and almost had me in tears. However, the subject matter in this book is not funny by any means. The dialog lightens the mood, but this book dives far into the struggle of being a homosexual in Ireland when it was not well accepted at all.
This was a very slow read for me at first (NOT in a bad way!). I took a lot of breaks and could only get through 10-15 pages at a time. Not because I couldn't put it down... I desperately wanted to finish it. It was just a better read in small chunks; appreciating the humor, the dark sides, and the interactions in segments rather than trying to rush through just for the sake of finishing a book. I can't remember the last time I allowed myself to do that with a book. About half way through though, I couldn't help it anymore. I was addicted and couldn't take any more breaks. In the end, I was tearing up. One of my favorite book endings of all time.
It's true that there are a lot of coincidences in this book. A lot of run-ins that seem unlikely, especially years apart and in different countries... but it's a book -- not real life -- and who's to say it couldn't happen anyway?
Thank you, John Boyne, for this masterpiece. I can't believe I haven't read any of your other works yet.
WOW. This book has made it to the top of my favorites list. It may be THE new favorite. I got so lost in this novel... maybe because it was so long and I got to spend so much time with the main character over the course of his life (each section of the book skips to 7 years later in his life, from age 7 to 70), or maybe just because it's so brilliantly written.
There hasn't been a book that made me laugh out loud in as long as I can remember. This book got actual laughs out of me. There is one scene in particular, about a third of the way through the book, where Cyril is confessing his sins to a priest. The dialog is so brilliant and almost had me in tears. However, the subject matter in this book is not funny by any means. The dialog lightens the mood, but this book dives far into the struggle of being a homosexual in Ireland when it was not well accepted at all.
This was a very slow read for me at first (NOT in a bad way!). I took a lot of breaks and could only get through 10-15 pages at a time. Not because I couldn't put it down... I desperately wanted to finish it. It was just a better read in small chunks; appreciating the humor, the dark sides, and the interactions in segments rather than trying to rush through just for the sake of finishing a book. I can't remember the last time I allowed myself to do that with a book. About half way through though, I couldn't help it anymore. I was addicted and couldn't take any more breaks. In the end, I was tearing up. One of my favorite book endings of all time.
It's true that there are a lot of coincidences in this book. A lot of run-ins that seem unlikely, especially years apart and in different countries... but it's a book -- not real life -- and who's to say it couldn't happen anyway?
Thank you, John Boyne, for this masterpiece. I can't believe I haven't read any of your other works yet.
emotional
funny
informative
tense
Very well written, but the story’s a bit odd; there are so many layers to a relatively sweet and possibly succinct story that parts of it feel unnecessary. Very cynical as well.
It’s quite a long read… But I couldn’t let go of it. I had no idea about life in Ireland in those times, and also the struggles of the gay community. It was also very interesting to find out about how people viewed AIDS at first. Also, the way the characters are closely intertwined is very cool. Loved it!
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
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
J’ai bien accroché au début, moins au milieu et j’ai tenu bon :) Au final, je peux dire que c’est un beau roman dans l’ensemble.
J’ai découvert l’Irlande d’il y a quelques années, l’évolution de l’homosexualité dans des sociétés conservatrices... pour me dire que rien n’est jamais gagné quand il s’agit des droits des minorités.
J’ai découvert l’Irlande d’il y a quelques années, l’évolution de l’homosexualité dans des sociétés conservatrices... pour me dire que rien n’est jamais gagné quand il s’agit des droits des minorités.