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lucyatoz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst is in many ways a quintessentially English novel about Nick Guest, middle class and a graduate from an Oxford College with a First in English, who ends up living with his best mate, Toby Fedden, along with his sister Catherine and their parents, in the spare room of their Notting Hill home.
The story is in 3 parts spanning 1983 to 1987 , the years of Margaret Thatcher's and the Conservative Party's second term of government. Gerald Fedden is a just elected MP having been a successful business man. However, over the 4 years, Nick, who is gay, loses one lover and another becomes infected as HIV/AIDS becomes prevalent and Gerald becomes embroiled in a financial and sexual scandal that threatens this career and his long marriage to Rachel.
It is a powerful story of the relationships between friends, family and lovers and the experiences of Nick has as he lives across two different parts of society.
I own a copy of this book and listened to it on BorrowBox. I read this for prompt 17, nominated for the Booker Prize, and was the winner in 2004, for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2024.
The story is in 3 parts spanning 1983 to 1987 , the years of Margaret Thatcher's and the Conservative Party's second term of government. Gerald Fedden is a just elected MP having been a successful business man. However, over the 4 years, Nick, who is gay, loses one lover and another becomes infected as HIV/AIDS becomes prevalent and Gerald becomes embroiled in a financial and sexual scandal that threatens this career and his long marriage to Rachel.
It is a powerful story of the relationships between friends, family and lovers and the experiences of Nick has as he lives across two different parts of society.
I own a copy of this book and listened to it on BorrowBox. I read this for prompt 17, nominated for the Booker Prize, and was the winner in 2004, for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2024.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing, Death, Sexual content, Homophobia, Drug use, Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Infidelity
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Vomit
philippmk's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Self harm, Death, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Addiction, Outing, Infidelity, and Drug use
introverted_reads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Outing, Sexual content, Death, Drug use, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Suicide, Infidelity, Racism, Addiction, Mental illness, and Self harm
gemma7's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.0
So boring. The writing is too pretentious for me and most characters are incredibly dull. Almost anything interesting that happens, happens off page.
Its like we are on the side-lines and not being allowed too much into the 'plot' or the characters psyche, which may be the intention but 500 pages of that is tedious.
Its like we are on the side-lines and not being allowed too much into the 'plot' or the characters psyche, which may be the intention but 500 pages of that is tedious.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness, Classism, Death, Homophobia, Terminal illness, and Infidelity
Minor: Racial slurs, Self harm, Xenophobia, and Racism
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