Reviews - Berniukas nuryja visatą

Berniukas nuryja visatą by Povilas Gasiulis, Trent Dalton

2.26k reviews for:

What an incredibly well-written book and a fascinating story that felt like it was put down in one fell swoop. I often stopped and re-read a sentence because it was written with so much force behind it - like his fingers hit the keyboard fast, trying to keep up with his thoughts. What a ride!

At the end, he wrote that the characters were taken from his life but I still find it remarkable that he "got them" so well, inside and out, with all their problems and all that made them human. This is a book about real love and real life. There's not a note in it that rings false.

It's quirky, it's funny, it's sad, it's scary, and it's a little bit of brilliant. Kudos to the editors, who he thanks at the end of the book, for seeing his vision and guiding what could have been a disastrous explosion of words and thoughts into a remarkable story. I have no doubt that I'll read his next book, and hope he writes one.

terrygirl's review against another edition

5.0

I started this in June 2018 and for some reason let it go. Fast forward nearly two years later and I’m so pleased I went back and tried again. What an amazing adventure of a book. It’s funny and real and detailed and complicated and compelling and such a good read. It is so worth reading to the end and I’m glad I did.

luluwoohoo's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
☀️☀️☀️☀️🌥️

▪️A beautifully lyrical coming of age story that grips you from the first page
▪️Told from the perspective of a boy slowly becoming a young man, the portrait this paints of both childhood and adulthood from a his perspective is unashamedly honest. The constant disappointment from the adults surrounding Eli, but also his growing understanding and acceptance of them, is a beautiful arc to read
▪️I'm normally not one to get excited by 'place as a character' in stories but Brisbane shines through in all of it's complex glory here. Dalton's thorough descriptions are useful for anyone not familiar with the city but also winks at those in the know
▪️The prose is unique and stylised in such a way to carry through the overarching themes in batches of three words, mirrored in the newspaper jargon we're exposed to at the end
▪️A novel that somehow never gets bogged down in how sad, macabre or morose the subject matter is. August's unfailing belief in a better future carries through every page and leaves a lingering tone of hope, even and especially when the book is finished.

"August is one year older than me but August is one year older than everybody. August is one year older than the universe."

chrissychiodo's review against another edition

5.0

One of the most glorious books I’ve read, ever. Big call? Not really. Every sentence was so beautifully crafted. I cried multiple times not just for the story, but for the turn of phrase. On my top five books list now.