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A review by moonofpages_
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
4.0
4/5 stars
“Another secret of the universe: Sometimes pain was like a storm that came out of nowhere. The clearest summer could end in a downpour. Could end in lightning and thunder.”
This book was so cute and beautiful and I absolutely adored it. I was afraid I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as everyone else seems to do because of the huge hype around it but I’m so delighted that I truly loved it.
The writing was simple and beautiful at the same time, it didn’t feel rushed and I enjoyed every word written by Benjamin Alire Saenz. What I really admired were the magnificent quotes in this book.
“To be careful with people and with words was a rare and beautiful thing.”
Let’s talk about the characters now, starting with Ari, I really connected with this character. I understood his anger, his loneliness, and sadness. He felt real. Life is just not simple. He was fighting his own, personal war and I really felt for him and his struggle with life. I also really connected to the part of him who kept everything inside, I’ve never been an easy talker and I always want to hide my emotions. I just deal with it on my own.
Dante felt like a very sweet boy to me, who was so pure and caring and would do anything to save literally anything, even a little bird. He was so honest with himself and towards Ari and I really admired that about him.
The friendship between Ari and Dante was so special and I wish I could have a friendship like that myself. They trust each other, care so much about each other and do the craziest things together (like smoking pot and walking around naked in a desert, I mean, who does that kind of shit? :D)
I felt like both Ari and Dante really grew throughout the story and I liked how they were transitioning from boys to men. Discovering sexuality, beer, drugs, going out to parties and stuff like that. It made them feel real, experimenting with life and growing up.
I liked how in this book, the characters were strongly connected with their parents. The bond between Ari and his mom was really funny and beautiful and I loved how he and his father went from almost not speaking to each other to really opening up. I loved how the family grows towards each other and how his parents really supported Ari and shared more with him. I also liked the fact that Ari & Dantes parents became friends and hang out together.
Let me talk about Legs next, I really liked how she got into the story and how she got her name. I loved how she connected so strongly with Ari and Dante. Also, the moment when Ari and Dante started talking about how they loved dogs I was instantly sold 😀 I’m just so obsessed about dogs and I really enjoy it when people have a unique bond with a dog in a book because I really do believe dogs can cure you in some kind of way.
“Do you like dogs, Ari?”
“I love dogs.”
“Me too. They don’t have to wear shoes.”
I mean how can you not fall in love? And how funny is Dantes problem with shoes?
I like how we got to guess throughout the book what happened to Ari’s brother. I came up with a lot of theories in my head why he got into prison and why his parents deleted him out of their lives. Let me tell you I was wrong with all my theories but I’m glad we got to know what really happened with him.
This book was so great and lovable and I’m so glad I finally got to read this. Dante and Ari have a special place in my heart now.
“We all fight our own private wars.”
Link to the review on my blog: https://whisperingstoriesdotblog.wordpress.com/2018/05/03/book-review-aristotle-and-dante-discover-the-secrets-of-the-universe-by-benjamin-alire-saenz/
“Another secret of the universe: Sometimes pain was like a storm that came out of nowhere. The clearest summer could end in a downpour. Could end in lightning and thunder.”
This book was so cute and beautiful and I absolutely adored it. I was afraid I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as everyone else seems to do because of the huge hype around it but I’m so delighted that I truly loved it.
The writing was simple and beautiful at the same time, it didn’t feel rushed and I enjoyed every word written by Benjamin Alire Saenz. What I really admired were the magnificent quotes in this book.
“To be careful with people and with words was a rare and beautiful thing.”
Let’s talk about the characters now, starting with Ari, I really connected with this character. I understood his anger, his loneliness, and sadness. He felt real. Life is just not simple. He was fighting his own, personal war and I really felt for him and his struggle with life. I also really connected to the part of him who kept everything inside, I’ve never been an easy talker and I always want to hide my emotions. I just deal with it on my own.
Dante felt like a very sweet boy to me, who was so pure and caring and would do anything to save literally anything, even a little bird. He was so honest with himself and towards Ari and I really admired that about him.
The friendship between Ari and Dante was so special and I wish I could have a friendship like that myself. They trust each other, care so much about each other and do the craziest things together (like smoking pot and walking around naked in a desert, I mean, who does that kind of shit? :D)
I felt like both Ari and Dante really grew throughout the story and I liked how they were transitioning from boys to men. Discovering sexuality, beer, drugs, going out to parties and stuff like that. It made them feel real, experimenting with life and growing up.
I liked how in this book, the characters were strongly connected with their parents. The bond between Ari and his mom was really funny and beautiful and I loved how he and his father went from almost not speaking to each other to really opening up. I loved how the family grows towards each other and how his parents really supported Ari and shared more with him. I also liked the fact that Ari & Dantes parents became friends and hang out together.
Let me talk about Legs next, I really liked how she got into the story and how she got her name. I loved how she connected so strongly with Ari and Dante. Also, the moment when Ari and Dante started talking about how they loved dogs I was instantly sold 😀 I’m just so obsessed about dogs and I really enjoy it when people have a unique bond with a dog in a book because I really do believe dogs can cure you in some kind of way.
“Do you like dogs, Ari?”
“I love dogs.”
“Me too. They don’t have to wear shoes.”
I mean how can you not fall in love? And how funny is Dantes problem with shoes?
I like how we got to guess throughout the book what happened to Ari’s brother. I came up with a lot of theories in my head why he got into prison and why his parents deleted him out of their lives. Let me tell you I was wrong with all my theories but I’m glad we got to know what really happened with him.
This book was so great and lovable and I’m so glad I finally got to read this. Dante and Ari have a special place in my heart now.
“We all fight our own private wars.”
Link to the review on my blog: https://whisperingstoriesdotblog.wordpress.com/2018/05/03/book-review-aristotle-and-dante-discover-the-secrets-of-the-universe-by-benjamin-alire-saenz/