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emminkirjakasa's review against another edition
slow-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
Hetki kesti tottua kertojan ääneen, mutta heti totuttuani jäin koukkuun. Päähenkilö Sofie puhuu suoraan lukijalle ja kertoo selkeän kaaottisesti omasta elämästään.
Kirja on ilmeisesti autofiktiota. Kirjassa käsitellään seksuaalisuuden lisäksi suhteita, sukupuolta ja mun mielestä myös yksinäisyyttä. Teoksen huumori ja itselleen piikittely on erityisesti hyvää.
”Tarina olisi ehkä voinut olla loogisempi tai selkeämpi, mutta rehellisesti sanottuna itse en niin hirveästi arvosta loogisuutta tai selkeyttä.”
Kirjaa suositeltiin mulle Tammen/Kosmoksen porukan toimesta, ja kyllä osuttiin oikeaan taas kerran. Kiitos siis kirjasta ja suosituksesta.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer
beccajreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
extrey_extrey's review against another edition
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Terminal illness
eva_ds's review against another edition
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia and Vomit
Minor: Alcohol
wilbur42's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
the_b00kreader's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
The History of my Sexuality follows the protagonist Sofie Lakmaker as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery alongside a journey of discovering the meaning to love and life.
In many ways, I also feel this book is about change. Change in one's life, change in the world, just change in general. You're never truly prepared for it and I feel Tobi Lakmaker did a great job at highlighting this.
The conversational tone to this book made it all the more easier to read and I found myself flying through this story. This story is one to be read, to be heard.
For me, this book hit home, particularly the last part where a death gets discussed, a death that had been hanging over the entirety of this novel. It related to something that occurred in my own life and really connected with me.
In many ways, I also feel this book is about change. Change in one's life, change in the world, just change in general. You're never truly prepared for it and I feel Tobi Lakmaker did a great job at highlighting this.
The conversational tone to this book made it all the more easier to read and I found myself flying through this story. This story is one to be read, to be heard.
For me, this book hit home, particularly the last part where a death gets discussed, a death that had been hanging over the entirety of this novel. It related to something that occurred in my own life and really connected with me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
geesreadingcorner's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Death of parent
abbie_'s review
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
2.75
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my free digital ARC!
I was so sure I’d love this one, a twentysomething queer person (the book uses she/her pronouns for Sofie) who spent a lot of her life thinking she liked men but then it turned out she liked women… but unfortunately I found the narration to be a little contrived and in a lot of places the humour didn’t land. I know how tricky it is to translate humour, not only technically but also in the sense that every nation’s sense of humour will differ - well, every person’s does but British humour will likely land very differently to Dutch humour.
I was so sure I’d love this one, a twentysomething queer person (the book uses she/her pronouns for Sofie) who spent a lot of her life thinking she liked men but then it turned out she liked women… but unfortunately I found the narration to be a little contrived and in a lot of places the humour didn’t land. I know how tricky it is to translate humour, not only technically but also in the sense that every nation’s sense of humour will differ - well, every person’s does but British humour will likely land very differently to Dutch humour.
The book is episodic and nonlinear, with Sofie leading the reader through little snapshots of her life. We witness her first (disappointing) sexual experience with a man, sit in on terrifying Russian lessons (some of the strongest portions in terms of humour actually), scratch our heads with Sofie as she tries to get to grips with lesbian dating, and mourn with her when her mother dies fairly young of cancer. The strongest sections for me were the Russian escapades and the poignant exploration of her mother’s decline and death.
I believe this book is autofiction, but it reads much like an internet essay. It tries a little too hard to be zany, and I think it might have been better off as a collection of essays.
Also a small thing that ended up bugging me - a phrase is used throughout the Dutch version (from what I gleaned from Dutch reviews) - ‘snap je’. Google translate gives ‘do you understand’. The translator Kristen Gehrman has gone for ‘you know?’ throughout the English. Sofie, the protagonist, uses ‘snap je’ like a vocal tic, but it must work more in Dutch, because the English ‘you know’ just did not fit naturally in a lot of the places it was used. Maybe Gehrman could have switched it up sometimes with ‘you get me?’ Or ‘you feel me?’ A tiny thing but I couldn’t unnotice it and it really began to bug me 👀
Overall a little bit disappointing given my high expectations, but not without its strong points and a fresh queer voice from the Netherlands.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
lorenp's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I requested this book because the description and the cover gripped my attention, and I wasn’t disappointed. The narrator was intriguing and interesting, with the prose making the book feel like a conversation rather than a biography. It was an different insight into a queer identify, with different elements of her life coming into play. I found it a little tricky to keep track of the timeline, but I would be interested to reread to gain more of an idea of this.
Thank you Granta Publications and NetGalley for the ARC copy.
Thank you Granta Publications and NetGalley for the ARC copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
alexiconic's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
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
4.5
Een heel bijzonder, openhartig boek, geschreven in een dappere en opvallende stijl. Net als Lale Gül in Ik ga leven laat zien, toont ook Lakmaker ons dat hij de Nederlandse taal meester is. Maar dit keer viel die unieke stijl, met typerende en terugkerende eigenaardigheden en droge toon, ontzettend goed. Ik heb me geen moment gestoord aan die stijl, snap je? Ik had het gevoel dat ik Tobi begreep, dat we elkaar leerden kennen.
Het is tof om mee te kijken in de reflecties die Tobi deelt rondom gender, identiteit, en van wie we nou uiteindelijk houden. En Tobi's ervaringen of gedachten zijn misschien niet per se die ervaringen die we vaak horen, dus het was fijn om ook dit queer perspectief te leren kennen.
Tot slot was het verfrissend om een keer naar een Nederlands verhaal te luisteren en te weten dat het over seks gaat. Geen onverwachte, bijzonder expliciete seksscènes dit keer. Wel tedere en eerlijke ervaringen. Maar daarvoor open je uiteindelijk ook een boek met deze titel.
Het is tof om mee te kijken in de reflecties die Tobi deelt rondom gender, identiteit, en van wie we nou uiteindelijk houden. En Tobi's ervaringen of gedachten zijn misschien niet per se die ervaringen die we vaak horen, dus het was fijn om ook dit queer perspectief te leren kennen.
Tot slot was het verfrissend om een keer naar een Nederlands verhaal te luisteren en te weten dat het over seks gaat. Geen onverwachte, bijzonder expliciete seksscènes dit keer. Wel tedere en eerlijke ervaringen. Maar daarvoor open je uiteindelijk ook een boek met deze titel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent