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jiayuanc's review
3.0
I am obsessed with Gore Vidal. This book was going great, easy to read and had me hooked. Then the ending happened. I suppose it was a different time and his editors did have a heavy hand in making Vidal change it up. My edition of the book had both his editors' ending and his original ending. I can't say which is better or worse. A sign of the times I suppose.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Death, Rape, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
the_write_to_cry's review
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Homophobia, and Infidelity
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent, Racism, and Rape
adariii's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Subversive for 1948 but did not age well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Antisemitism and War
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
kkurczynski's review
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
THIS BOOK IS PROBLEMATIC. There's no way to enjoy it differently rather than to read it in the context of 40s - lowkey, the book has a really degrading stance on feminine men and presents very masculine gay men, which can be justified in 1940s as Gore Vidal fighting against the stereotype of a 'fairy' but now it's hard to enjoy reading it; I'd only recommend it to people who are interested in the history of queer literature (this is the first American book with a gay main character i believe) but if you are to read an LGBT+ book for fun please look for something different because you might find this triggering and annoying
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
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