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e_r_q's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"One thing never changed: the brilliant charge of their infrequent couplings was darkened by the sense of time flying, never enough time, never enough."
But, despite its brusque pacing, Annie Proulx still finds the time for some beautifully descriptive moments. I was also surprised to find a lot of the best lines from the film were adapted directly from the text.
Brokeback Mountain created a knot in my stomach as I read it. The intense longing, and the grappling with hegemonic gender roles and sexuality, is truly gut-wrenching.
At times you could definitely tell this was written by a straight person (I'm looking at you unrealistic gay sex scenes), but Brokeback Mountain is a powerful and heartbreaking story, that feels like a perfect companion piece to Giovanni's Room.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Murder
Moderate: Infidelity and Domestic abuse
Minor: Rape
ivan_yume's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Sexual content, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Homophobia
Moderate: Death and Physical abuse
Minor: Hate crime and Murder
jeannekilcullen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Murder and Hate crime
Minor: Domestic abuse and Death of parent
chimichannika's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Biphobia, Excrement, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Child abuse, and Homophobia
alisonfaith426's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Cursing, Classism, Hate crime, Sexual content, Blood, Death, Murder, and Outing
Minor: Animal death, Alcohol, and Pregnancy
akane_readsyt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Cursing, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Murder, Domestic abuse, Grief, Hate crime, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit, Misogyny, and Sexism
steffi_lag's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
Minor: Homophobia, Murder, and Hate crime
megelizabeth's review against another edition
5.0
"...there was no real scent, only the memory of it, the imagined power of Brokeback Mountain of which nothing was left but what he held in his hands."
This is a hard one to judge because the movie adaptation is one of my all-time favourites and so I couldn't help mentally filling in all the extras that the movie adds while I was reading. I don't know how much I would have connected to the characters if I didn't already adore them from the movie, as there's not really a ton of character development and you get much more insight into Ennis's live than Jack's so Jack especially I feel like you don't end up getting to know massively well.
I'm still really glad, though, that I read the original story behind one of my favourite movies. It's vivid and devastating and explores homophobia and the way it shapes and ruins lives - in different ways, as seen by the tragic outcomes for both Ennis and Jack - so, so well. The sense of place created and the portrayal of poor, rural life are incredible. Part of me wishes it had been longer, but part of me also really appreciates the fact that it is such a short story and the choices made to focus on certain details in order to portray messages about love and relationships and queerness and trauma and pain (though I wouldn't have minded slightly shorter passages about Jack's rodeoing, as these pretty much went right over my head!)
**********
Edit - June 2022
After my second read of this book, I'm bumping it up from 4.5 to 5 stars. I still stand by my previous comments, but reading this again just reminded me how completely I adore this story and its characters and the nuanced discussions it sparks and how much it packs in to so few pages. I therefore ultimately don't mind that the characters and relationships aren't as developed as they are in the movie. Both versions of this story have my whole heart, and after all, the movie wouldn't exist without this quiet, tender, haunting, brutal masterpiece.
Graphic: Homophobia, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Death of parent
zombiezami's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Infidelity, Homophobia, Outing, and Biphobia
Moderate: Hate crime, Alcoholism, Addiction, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Animal death, Gore, Blood, and Death
Minor: Death of parent, War, and Classism
cbh's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Murder, Hate crime, and Homophobia