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city_girl_writer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Alcohol
itsgeesus'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
3.5
I would say, however, that the way Hella was written in was fairly misogynistic, whether by accident or not. At times, it felt as if her absence was used by David to justify his affair with Giovanni, rather than David wanting to explore because he genuinely felt attracted to Giovanni. Even with Hella around, the way David spoke about her and other women felt weird, like even for 1956 society. The vibe I got was "men are superior, women are just mistresses". That was the only thing to have pulled me away from such a story.
Minor: Death, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Death of parent, and Murder
abigailbat'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
The story, published in 1956, still has a lot of connections to make with LGBTQ+ life today. I especially appreciated David's struggle with his internalized homophobia. While there may be a perception that most queer folks are comfortable with themselves and open about their orientation, there's still a large portion of the community today that wrestles with these same struggles. It may be easier in some parts of America to live and love the way you want, but that's not true everywhere.
Now, I will say that I think Baldwin's portrayal of Hella (and of women in general in this book) is pretty misogynistic. I have a feeling that our book club is going to talk about that a lot!
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Death and Misogyny
edgaranjapoe'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual content, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
esth3rrr'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Death
biblioghoul's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Grief, Outing, and Gaslighting
Minor: Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Murder, Alcohol, and Classism
lollipopkenny123'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: Homophobia
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, and Murder
adverb17'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
4.75
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Cursing, Miscarriage, and Sexual assault
laurendenton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
brianna_reading5's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Murder