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Reviews tagging 'Violence'
Arystoteles i Dante przepadają w toni życia by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
85 reviews
grboph's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.5
I LOVED this book. I had read Secrets of the Universe three or four times before I found out this book existed, and the day I found out it did I drove half an hour to buy it. I am very glad I did. I think this book did a really good job of tying up some of the loose ends that were left at the end of the first book. I found the character development to be stronger and more significant in this book than it was in the first one, particularly in how Ari makes new friends and deals with the death of his father . I also really liked that the plot of this book was contextualized a bit more and dealt with important social issues, particularly the AIDS epidemic, homophobia, transphobia, and racism (which are as prevalent now as they were in the late 1980s when this book takes place). The only reasons I removed half a star were because I found the writing to be trying too hard to be "deep" in some places and because I don't quite know how I felt about Dante's choices towards the end of the book (they were sort of immature, and for a book where maturity and the concept of "becoming a man" is so central, I'm not sure his actions were correct or made sense). All in all, however, I really enjoyed reading this book and I am so glad I went to the lengths I did to get it. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me think very deeply about life. It was everything I could have hoped for in a sequel to Secrets of the Universe. I would recommend this book to anyone who read the first book, even if they did not enjoy it very much, and I would recommend this series to anyone in the world looking for an emotional book to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime, Transphobia, Pregnancy, and Outing
Minor: Deadnaming, Sexual content, and Violence
The father of one of the main characters passes away, which the main character is present for and grapples with emotionally for a while afterward. The main characters of this book are two gay teenagers, and the book occasionally describes some of the homophobia they face in the world. Additionally, a major plot point is that the brother of the main character is in prison for murdering a transgender woman, and this is talked about at certain points of the book as well.novel_nicola's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
The stunning sequel to one of my favourite books brought back all the emotions I’d felt during the first book and more. Ari and Dante discover life’s joys and challenges as they navigate their budding relationship and figure out their place in a world that doesn’t seem ready for people like them. Sáenz succeeds wonderfully at bringing his characters to life and inviting readers to empathise with their struggles and triumphs.
Though the pace may be too slow for some, and a good 100 pages could’ve easily been cut, this is a book to savour, not rush through. There wasn’t a single page I did not enjoy reading.
Sáenz has crafted a wonderful coming-of-age duology and this book is a worthy successor to its award-winning predecessor. Aristotle and Dante will certainly go down as one of my most loved fictional couples.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia and Grief
Minor: Violence
addie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia and Violence
Minor: Terminal illness
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-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
Aristotle and Dante give me hope, make me laugh, make me cry. Rarely does an author so clearly understand and intimately describe what it means to be human and more importantly, what it means to love and be loved. This book made me feel so many things. I can’t express how important this book is — for so many people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, and War
a_mendoza's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
I read the first book (Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe) a couple years ago and loved it. Now, I feel like in those two years I've grown up with Ari. While the first book carried the characters angst, this one embodies all the hope and emotional intelligence he's learned. I would just stop and gape at how Ari grew as a person from the first book. So beautiful. I'm obsessed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Transphobia, and Violence
alyssadavis's review against another edition
reflective
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? It's complicated
0.25
My father traced his name on my heart. And his name will remain there. And because his name lives there, I will be a better man for it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Sexual content, Violence, Alcohol, and War
martapsalvado's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
You know when people say "sequels are never as good as the original"? Yeah... Benjamin Alire Sáenz showed up and said "not this time".
I love Aristotle and Dante. I love those two boys since the first time I read the first pages of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the World. But it's not only that. I love their families, their friends, their teachers, their hometown. This book is such a world in itself and I feel like I dove into it and returned with love, lessons and inspiration. And it's so beautifully written. I feel so priviledged for having the opportunity to experience reading this.
I love Aristotle and Dante. I love those two boys since the first time I read the first pages of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the World. But it's not only that. I love their families, their friends, their teachers, their hometown. This book is such a world in itself and I feel like I dove into it and returned with love, lessons and inspiration. And it's so beautifully written. I feel so priviledged for having the opportunity to experience reading this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Violence and Pregnancy
gabbygarcia's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
3.0
The second half of this book was significantly better than the first half. It had the momentum and powerful character arcs that I was looking for. I would've rated this book higher if not for the first half--it was quite slow, very repetitive, and not much happened. In my opinion, it could have been condensed significantly.
Additionally, I felt the discussion of AIDS was quite forced; discussion of AIDS did not exist in the first book at all, so it felt like the characters had never thought about it before, and all of a sudden they were experts on the subject. Also, the adults in this book were almost too accepting (??) and nearly always had the right thing to say about everything, which felt like an unrealistic departure from the first novel. People aren't perfect; they don't always know how to talk about difficult issues that are affecting their kids and students.
That being said, I'm glad I finished it. It made me cry, it made me laugh. The second half was really beautiful and powerful. I just wish it was shorter (and a little less preachy... show! don't tell!!)
Additionally, I felt the discussion of AIDS was quite forced; discussion of AIDS did not exist in the first book at all, so it felt like the characters had never thought about it before, and all of a sudden they were experts on the subject. Also, the adults in this book were almost too accepting (??) and nearly always had the right thing to say about everything, which felt like an unrealistic departure from the first novel. People aren't perfect; they don't always know how to talk about difficult issues that are affecting their kids and students.
That being said, I'm glad I finished it. It made me cry, it made me laugh. The second half was really beautiful and powerful. I just wish it was shorter (and a little less preachy... show! don't tell!!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, and Sexual content
Minor: Cursing, Transphobia, Violence, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
AIDS epidemicmenomica's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-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
I think this book was a chronology of the life a gay teen boy growing up in the 80’s. It was really sweet to see Ari’s life develop how watch him connect more with people. It was pretty clear that a lot of the thoughts and reflections in the book were thoughts of Sáenz. Idk. Very much enjoyed this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, Racism, and Pregnancy
Minor: Child death, Hate crime, Transphobia, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Murder
rileyblancett's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Child death, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Transphobia, Violence, and Religious bigotry