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cowardlyteaman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I must say, that my hopes weren't too high after The Picture of Dorian Gray was so infamously known for it's early homosexual representation, which imprisoned Oscar Wilde. Although the uncensored version includes a tirade of a clearly homosexual confession, the remaining book was really just Dorian being corrupted by his own and others' obsession with his beauty. Which is gay, but not homosexual.
However, that was not the case here! Forster did not try to hide a clearly homosexual story behind something else — it's very explicitly about Maurice's journey to finding himself.
It's written well and it was surprisingly efficient for a classic. I often feel like classics have a lot of ... irrelevant tirades to show off the author's education and intellect. I was never bored or felt urgent to skip parts during this read.
As for the characters, they all clearly have issues. I do love that there are flawed characters here. Maurice is explicitly described as a dumbass every other chapter.
And on that note, I find the balance with humour especially pleasant. The dialogue is very realistic to me and I like how it reflects human nature.
It's not too long and it was a great read to get me out of a reading slump.
It's noteworthy that I'm a gay man myself and might find the book slightly more engaging than others, but anyone with an interest in classical romance dramas would enjoy this. It has the forbidden love, classism, the internal conflict, betrayal, and all that, only with two men rather than a woman and a man.
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, Classism, Medical trauma, Homophobia, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Alcohol, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment
Minor: Bullying, Death, Pedophilia, Biphobia, and Death of parent
erynlasbelin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Moderate: Homophobia, Outing, Classism, Dementia, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Medical content, Misogyny, Sexual content, Biphobia, and Cursing
saskia_ej's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Homophobia
thepictureofromance's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I unfortunately am giving it three stars rather than four because every single character in this story is a bit of a twat, Although I enjoyed the story, I could not find myself rooting for any of them and having a character I can truly root for is what takes a story from good to great in my opinion!!
I was also frustrated at the ending. I am not a fan of books with open endings. Is it so hard to give proper closure?!
Graphic: Classism, Homophobia, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Misogyny and Racism
Minor: Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
jwells's review against another edition
Graphic: Classism and Homophobia
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
torismazarine's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Classism, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Misogyny
Moderate: Grief and Outing
Minor: Death, Sexual content, Rape, and Adult/minor relationship
aliss_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Classism
jemappellecat'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
4.75
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Homophobia
james1star's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, and Classism
issyd23's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Homophobia, Classism, Outing, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, and Suicidal thoughts