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stephaniexpink's review
5.0
a book about love; the fictional narrator’s love for his partner Candy and then his cemented love for heroin which you see often overlap and blend with one another over time. It’s heartbreaking and harrowing and just incredibly written. a really raw depiction of love and loss and everything in between intertwined with the reality of drug addiction.
emybooksandcoffee's review
4.0
I've never really read anything like this. At first I wanted to rate it 3 stars because although I'm not a puritan or anything the descriptions shocked me, the sex, the drug use, the bodily symptoms of the abuse were very graphic and the language too vulgar. It felt like reading a manual on how to do drugs or an erotic soft porn novel or something like that. But then I noticed the outstanding writing and passages that hit very hard and it was obvious the author put his soul into this book, considering also that it's semi-autographical. If it's hard to read it I can imagine how hard it is to write a book like that. Maybe the shocking descriptions were an attempt to show the ugliness and horror and reality of addiction without sugar-coating anything of it. So an extra star for the honesty and the balls the author had to write about his story. The last few pages had more glimpses of hope than the entire rest of the book. I'm so glad he got through this eventually.
enf87's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
caffeineaddict980's review
4.0
Saw the film before I even realised this was a book and went searching for it straight after. Candy is a novel based around a couple that are addicted to heroin and the addiction slowly destroys them and their relationship.
This is a captivating novel about addiction and how it effect individuals. It was a honest and brutal reflection, a bit of a slow burn but enjoyable none the less.
This is a captivating novel about addiction and how it effect individuals. It was a honest and brutal reflection, a bit of a slow burn but enjoyable none the less.
bibliolucinda's review against another edition
3.0
“When you think you are in love, you don't want to know about the things that could end it.”
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
hellomon's review
5.0
I cannot describe this book. I did not want to put this book down and went through it so quickly. It gacve me so much insight into the world and mind of an addict even though it was fiction. Definitely my favourite book i've read so far and definitely recommend ot to everyone.
dbarnz's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ckausch's review
3.0
This is a very hard emotional book to read. It follows the narrator through his relationship with Candy - a girl and heroin. Their life starts out happily in love, sharing the drug, until she becomes a call girl to make drug money, and it all goes downhill from there. The book covers about 10 years of their life. It's definitely graphic, with descriptions of blood and veins and drug use and sex. But if you ever needed something to convince you not to try heroin, this would be it. While difficult, it's a really good book, and I recommend it.
A movie was made with Heath Ledger, which is also good.
A movie was made with Heath Ledger, which is also good.
hitbooksnotgirlz's review
5.0
What a beautiful, tragic piece of writing. It was a slow descent into darkness, which eventually led to madness. I could do nothing but sit idly by and watch as something that seemed a little bit magical and a lot bit enticing unfolded into something so menacing that it just.. Ripped everything apart.