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mmefish's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
That's how life is. You're breathing, so you have to keep going, even when it doesn't feel like you're still alive.
They'll never welcome us into their whole cities, because ambition becomes something ugly when it has a Jewish face.
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gore, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Alcohol, and Violence
Minor: Rape, Animal cruelty, Child death, and Pedophilia
emily_mh's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Rep: gay Jewish MC, gay Jewish LI, Jewish SCs
Graphic: Death, Murder, Antisemitism, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Physical abuse, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Child abuse, Classism, Genocide, Excrement, Grief, Gun violence, Death of parent, Violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Bullying, Sexual content, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Torture, Vomit, Drug use, Sexism, Misogyny, Police brutality, Medical content, Abandonment, Suicide, Sexual assault, and Ableism
Major: five uses of the antisemitic k-slur Moderate: missing loved one, separation from family, illness, theft, internalised homophobia Minor: drowning, fainting, gambling, blackmail, divorce, police corruption, imprisonment, capital punishment, gentrificationspookily's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Hate crime, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Violence, Homophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Vomit, Classism, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, and Terminal illness
Minor: Suicide, Bullying, Child death, Excrement, Misogyny, and Police brutality
thecriticalreader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
If you are anything like me and do not recognize the many Yiddish words and phrases used in this book, the glossary is at the back of the book!
Graphic: Death of parent, Homophobia, Murder, Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Violence, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, Alcohol, Child death, Misogyny, Gun violence, Genocide, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence
Minor: Suicide, Drug use, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Abandonment, and Forced institutionalization
ezwolf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
One of the things I think this book does so well is mix real historical settings along with Jewish mythology. It also delves into (one of) the ways death is treated in Jewish culture. The antisemitism that Alter experiences and danger of being visibly Jewish is something that can be related to even now.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for queer Jewish representation!
Also I greatly appreciate that Aden Polydoros posts content warnings on his website for each of his books. I've copied a link to the ones specifically for this book below.
https://adenpolydoros.com/the-city-beautiful
Graphic: Xenophobia, Classism, Homophobia, Antisemitism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Blood, Child death, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Pedophilia, and Rape
Minor: Animal death, Alcohol, and Death of parent
jonathaneden's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Antisemitism, and Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Rape, Self harm, and Pedophilia
Minor: Alcohol
paracosim's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Xenophobia, Violence, Rape, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, and Child abuse
Minor: Alcohol
cemeterygay's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
While I think more people should read this book, please take the content warnings very seriously.
Graphic: Antisemitism, Animal death, Grief, Death, Kidnapping, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Additional CW: off-page but descriptive grooming/pedophilia plotline, grief over parent, hallucinations, suicide mention, self-harm, non-consensual drug useashleycmms's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Medical content, Drug use, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Pedophilia, Antisemitism, Alcohol, Violence, Police brutality, Genocide, Hate crime, Child death, Death, Stalking, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Blood, Murder, Homophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual violence, and Rape
xoodlebooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, and Stalking
Minor: Child death, Homophobia, Medical content, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Torture