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jashegerova's review against another edition
4.0
going for 3.5 i think because jesus H christ this was so fucking frustrating to read. don't get me wrong - aciman is a very prolific writer and a lot of his sentences colour me green but I hate so many of the plot choices he made. he does longing and arousal and yearning very well but seems incapable (or doesn't want) to see things happily play out.
SPOILER: also, the beginning was a bit slow, but once we got into it it was good, maud was interesting and witty and i loved loved loved manfred. everything after was frustrating because god, was i rooting for him. i can not believe he continued in his ways even after manfred, even though the opposite would have been perhaps more jarring. no matter, chloe was annoying, even though i understand the sentiments very well, it felt stretched, and the last chapter was just plain eh. i hated the last sentence. not only was it fucking annoying, given the whole book, and how she was barely mentioned in it, it is incredibly depressing to thing we can end up having so many loves that are so unsuccessful and marry someone (stay with someone) who is not even worth mentioning.
tl;dr - writing's good, main character's choices are dumb, and i am more afraid of not finding happy love than usually. thx andré. i want my happy end, bih.
SPOILER: also, the beginning was a bit slow, but once we got into it it was good, maud was interesting and witty and i loved loved loved manfred. everything after was frustrating because god, was i rooting for him. i can not believe he continued in his ways even after manfred, even though the opposite would have been perhaps more jarring. no matter, chloe was annoying, even though i understand the sentiments very well, it felt stretched, and the last chapter was just plain eh. i hated the last sentence. not only was it fucking annoying, given the whole book, and how she was barely mentioned in it, it is incredibly depressing to thing we can end up having so many loves that are so unsuccessful and marry someone (stay with someone) who is not even worth mentioning.
tl;dr - writing's good, main character's choices are dumb, and i am more afraid of not finding happy love than usually. thx andré. i want my happy end, bih.
iluxia's review against another edition
5.0
"There's a life that takes place in ordinary time," I said, "and another that bursts in but just as suddenly fizzles out. And then there's the life we may never reach but that could so easily be ours if only we knew how to find it. It doesn't necessarily happen on our planet, but is just as real as the one we live by—call it our 'star life.'"
"Regret is hope without conviction, I said. We're torn between regret, which is the price to pay for things not done, and remorse, which is the cost of having done them. Between one and the other, time plays all its cozy little tricks."
- Submersive prose depicting episodes of love that are at once sweeping, explosive, sensual, and melancholy. The characters are satisfyingly flawed but still beautiful in their own way. The short stories are loosely related; 'First Love' and 'Star Love' were my personal highlights. But I highly enjoyed my time. Would recommend for readers who like drama, romance, and don't shy away from melancholy pining or navel-gazing. (The characters do pine quite a lot!)
"Regret is hope without conviction, I said. We're torn between regret, which is the price to pay for things not done, and remorse, which is the cost of having done them. Between one and the other, time plays all its cozy little tricks."
- Submersive prose depicting episodes of love that are at once sweeping, explosive, sensual, and melancholy. The characters are satisfyingly flawed but still beautiful in their own way. The short stories are loosely related; 'First Love' and 'Star Love' were my personal highlights. But I highly enjoyed my time. Would recommend for readers who like drama, romance, and don't shy away from melancholy pining or navel-gazing. (The characters do pine quite a lot!)
jbash_lo_fi's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the first 3/5 chapters, but by the last two it wore thin. The main character is a compulsive liar and cheat who treats successive partners like trash with no culpability. Chapters 2 & 3 pair together in an interesting way that exposes Paul's hypocrisy, but from there it doesn't really go anywhere. The remaining chapters are just a rinse and repeat.
liebelle's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
booksonmars's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
erinastin's review against another edition
4.0
I have so many thoughts and feelings about this book and know that it will take me some time to process them fully...but who cares, I'm writing my review now. In my opinion, Andre Aciman is unmatched in his depictions of sexually-charged longing. His characters are exquisitely flawed, but the thrust of their desire is universally relatable. While I didn't like this as much as CMBYN, I will continue to read his work for as long as he keeps writing.
trulyeilidh's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
madgerdes's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
tiffyelefano's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting enough for me to keep reading, and poetic enough for me to enjoy the prose. Other than that, I don’t have much to say. I didn’t particularly like Paul’s characterization but I cared enough about him to see his story through to the end. 3 stars.