Scan barcode
zouubugz's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
tdem122's review against another edition
3.0
[1st read from 18/1/2022 to 22/1/2022] — 3.75⭐️
— “the most impressive thing about him, to me, is his belief in those wings.
useless, fragile, attached to his arms by a couple of cuffs, and yet he believes in them as a child might believe a cloak will make him invisible.”
was i emotionally manipulated into reading this book by harry styles? guilty.
set in 1950s brighton and loosely based on real aspects of brilliant novelist e.m. forster’s life, ‘my policeman’ tells the story of marion and patrick: two people who despite not having anything in common on a surface level are ultimately bound together by their shared love of tom, a young policeman.
at the time, where homosexuality was treated as a sin and still punishable by the law in the united kingdom, tom believes it easier to marry marion, and keep patrick a secret from everyone in his life, therefore intertwining their three lives forever and leading them into certain doom.
written in both lovers’ points of view, his through his old diary entries and hers written as almost confessional-like letters forty years after the events, roberts’ beautiful writing not only makes you switch sympathies every other chapter, but it quite literally pulls you in from the very first few pages and doesn’t let go of your emotions until well after you’ve closed the final page of the novel.
i found the slow, reflective narration the most brilliant part of this book — with prose so emotional and raw to rival brokeback mountain and the book thief’s.
did i love it as much as i wanted to? definitely not.
it is ultimately the ending of ’my policeman’ who doesn’t make as much sense to me, and the entire reason why my rating isn’t any higher.
though debatable, as i’ve seen mostly positive reviews on it — and without spoiling it too much, i felt it relied on the impending doom redundantly, not giving us quite a shock (and in my case, not even feeling particularly anything) on the events that happened after one of the two lovers’ final breakdown.
i found it overall a beautifully written novel with such a greatly accurate casting!
cannot wait to see how the screen adaptation will turn up and i think it may be time for me to read more of styles’ favorite books!º
Rating: 3.75/5
— “the most impressive thing about him, to me, is his belief in those wings.
useless, fragile, attached to his arms by a couple of cuffs, and yet he believes in them as a child might believe a cloak will make him invisible.”
was i emotionally manipulated into reading this book by harry styles? guilty.
set in 1950s brighton and loosely based on real aspects of brilliant novelist e.m. forster’s life, ‘my policeman’ tells the story of marion and patrick: two people who despite not having anything in common on a surface level are ultimately bound together by their shared love of tom, a young policeman.
at the time, where homosexuality was treated as a sin and still punishable by the law in the united kingdom, tom believes it easier to marry marion, and keep patrick a secret from everyone in his life, therefore intertwining their three lives forever and leading them into certain doom.
written in both lovers’ points of view, his through his old diary entries and hers written as almost confessional-like letters forty years after the events, roberts’ beautiful writing not only makes you switch sympathies every other chapter, but it quite literally pulls you in from the very first few pages and doesn’t let go of your emotions until well after you’ve closed the final page of the novel.
i found the slow, reflective narration the most brilliant part of this book — with prose so emotional and raw to rival brokeback mountain and the book thief’s.
did i love it as much as i wanted to? definitely not.
it is ultimately the ending of ’my policeman’ who doesn’t make as much sense to me, and the entire reason why my rating isn’t any higher.
though debatable, as i’ve seen mostly positive reviews on it — and without spoiling it too much, i felt it relied on the impending doom redundantly, not giving us quite a shock (and in my case, not even feeling particularly anything) on the events that happened after one of the two lovers’ final breakdown.
i found it overall a beautifully written novel with such a greatly accurate casting!
cannot wait to see how the screen adaptation will turn up and i think it may be time for me to read more of styles’ favorite books!º
Rating: 3.75/5
gracelovesreading's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
such a good book!! made me cry so much :( will definitely re read eventually.
brookebuonauro's review against another edition
3.0
I DON’T KNOW!! Love a moody British period drama, and the setting and politics of the time were beautifully rendered. Every single character except for Julia was infuriating, and the characterization of Patrick felt inauthentic and frankly icky. Tom, the “policeman” who both narrators lusted after literally the entire time, had the personality of dry toast, but I am excited to see Harry Styles play him in the movie.
hadestorm's review against another edition
4.0
“he lashed out an arm. instinctively i ducked, but no blow came. i was almost disappointed. i’m ashamed to admit that i’d wanted his hands on me, whatever it took.”
anete_h's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
crescent_han's review against another edition
3.5
It’s a very sad situation where all three lives were wasted. However, the book felt a bit underdeveloped and too short and there was a lot more that could have been done with the characters and their relationships.
Marion was an unlikeable and an unsympathetic character. Her narration wasn’t the most engaging and she was quite an uninteresting character. Shades of Briony from Atonement.She was naive but it was evident from the beginning that Tom wasn’t really interested so his deception wasn’t as impactful. Her manuscript was self indulgent and not particularly apologetic piece for Patrick to listen to. It is baffling how and why Tom and Marion stayed together for so long? Perhaps a self inflicted punishment for them both.
Tom was a pretty passive character. It was difficult to see what the two of them found quite SO endearing about him as they were both quite obsessive in their pursuit of him.I found Patrick and Tom’s relationship undeveloped and rushed too, it would have been nice to have more depth. It didn’t necessarily feel like they had been in love with each other and Tom seemed reserved throughout. Tom didn’t contact him after his release and made no effort (even within his own home!!!) He just seemed angry, but in the process it seemed he didn’t love Patrick as much as Patrick loved him. More background on Patrick’s relationship with Michael would have been more interesting/heartbreaking.
Patrick was the most interesting character and the most sympathetic.
He was really let down :(
Marion was an unlikeable and an unsympathetic character. Her narration wasn’t the most engaging and she was quite an uninteresting character. Shades of Briony from Atonement.
Tom was a pretty passive character. It was difficult to see what the two of them found quite SO endearing about him as they were both quite obsessive in their pursuit of him.
Patrick was the most interesting character and the most sympathetic.
He was really let down :(
marytola's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- 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
4.5