peppyb's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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silviasala's review against another edition

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dark sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

POSSIBILI SPOILER!
Il libro è scritto benissimo. E' una poesia di 700+ pagine, e mi piace molto come il linguaggio e la narrazione si adattino al personaggio: evocativa e colorata per JB, una sorta di lettera per Harold... 
Detto ciò, possiamo passare ai lati negativi:
  • Innanzitutto, è altamente irrealistico. I quattro personaggi principali lavorano in campi super competitivi dove è difficilissimo spiccare ma, pensa un po' te, sono tutti super successfull, al top, mega ricchi e rispettati. E poi sono super belli, soprattutto Jude, che è iper mega bellissimo per tutti tranne che ai suoi occhi (-.-")
  • Questa "irrealisticità" va a mischiarsi con una pornografia del dolore che è il fil rouge del libro. Per esempio, ad Harold e Liesl muore il figlio, che già di per sé è una situazione iper tragica; ciò non basta però, perché deve morire di un morbo rarissimo che gli fa perdere gradualmente i sensi e la mobilità per trasformarlo in un bambolotto atrofizzato: nella mia modesta opinione, non necessario
  • E questi due punti vanno a mischiarsi nella storia di Jude, traumatica e irrealistica alla n e, onestamente, l'unico motivo che mi ha spinto a finire il libro (scoprire il suo "mistero", per essere chiari). E' una storia innegabilmente drammatica, su questo siamo tutti d'accordo; è talmente drammatica da risultare così poco credibile e impedirti di provare empatia per lui. Sto povero cristo per 15 anni viene abusato - sessualmente, fisicamente, psicologicamente - nel peggiore dei modi; riesce a riscattarsi, incontra amici che stanno con lui per la vita, viene adottato. Rinuncia all'intimità di una relazione perché non si sente a suo agio finché non incontra Caleb, che, pensa un po' te, lo abusa andando a toccare tutti i suoi nervi scoperti: assolutamente poco credibile. Non penso di essere una persona poco empatica, ma mi sono trovata a metà libro a sperare che Jude finalmente morisse, per togliere il peso a tutti i poveri cristi che aveva intorno
  • Infine, una nota un po' petty: cosa spinge una donna a scrivere un libro dove la presenza femminile è relegata ai margini?
Penso che sia chiaro che, PER ME, questo libro è una perdita di tempo, che ti chiede molto più di ciò che alla fine ti dà indietro.

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allaligns's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense 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

5.0


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minimimi's review against another edition

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Grotesque trauma porn for the hetero author’s gays—goes far beyond the “Kill your gays” troupe. Technically, this book is horrendous and the editor should think twice about their career.
DONT FALL INTO SUNKEN COST FALLACY JUST BECAUSE THE BOOK IS LONG DOESNT MEAN YOUR REDEMPTION OR CATHARSIS IS COMING—because it’s not. 

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ibjilln's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.25

No. Fuck this book. 
If you're looking to read this, don't. 
It is nothing but gratuitous misery porn. 
It is not a book about friendship - it is a book about enablers and people taking advantage of one another. 
The characters do not grow, or develop, but instead are simple "plot" devices to keep the pages going and they hash out the same problem over and over again. It's hard to feel anything for them when they do nothing to help themselves/their situation. 
It's 700 pages of Jude unwilling to face reality that he's been horribly mistreated by nearly every one in his world, including his "friends", and in turn mistreating those that do care.
Jude could've saved himself, and us, the pain by ending it 700 pages sooner or fucking accepting help and going to therapy
.
Once again, no. Fuck this book.

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luce98's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

One of the hardest reads I’ve ever completed. So sad and filled with trauma.
The characters are so well fleshed out. I feel like I know them as friends. 
Jude St Francis will stay will me for a very very long time. 

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xiumillion's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

This book is probably the most masochistic thing I've ever put myself through. It hurts to even think about it, so I'm not going to. Overall, beautiful story and beautiful writing. The cons are that it pretty much is torture p*rn like everyone says it is, at some points unrealistically so, and the timeline of the book is very hard to follow. I enjoy dark stories and I think they should be written, even if for no other purpose than to be dark. I do think this book took it a bit too far though. That aspect aside, it truly is an incredible book, and I already miss the characters dearly.

Please check trigger warnings before you read this book. If you have a trigger, it is probably in here 

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mareikeeve's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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irishrose7777's review against another edition

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dark sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

The description of the book is totally misleading. I expected a raw (and probably sad) story of friendships through the decades. Instead it’s like 90 pages of establishing friendships (I think Malcom literally got one chapter) and then 800 pages of trying to see how much unrealistic trauma the author could stuff into one character. It honestly got almost humorous with how many bad breaks one character could have in their life. I understand that the author was trying to create a really “tortured soul” type character but honestly it seems like she was just writing for shock value without actually moving the story forward. 

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heaven_leigh10's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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? Yes

5.0


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