Reviews

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

leahthebooklover's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad

3.5

Compelling book about the early HIV/AIDS crisis (mid 1980's). Set in Chicago, the plot follows the lives of a  community of professional gay men as one by one they contract HIV, become sick, and die. The first of the group to die is Nico, followed not long after by his partner. Somehow, Nico's little sister Fiona ends up being a caregiver to his friends, but she feels particularly close to Yale Tishman, who works as a development director for a university art museum. Through his friendship with Nico and Fiona, he is approached by Nora, an elderly woman about donating her remarkable collection of sketches and drawing by some well known artists from early 20th century France. As Yale is about to score this career-making professional coup, his personal life begins to implode. A second timeline follows Fiona in 2015 as she searches for her estranged daughter and grandchild in Paris. As she searches, she begins to acknowledge how the trauma of losing her brother and so many of his/her friends to the seemingly unstoppable HIV virus affected her capacity to be a good wife and mother. A story of tragic loss; of lives, loves, and potential. The 1980's timeline was by far the most effective plotline. Nora's reminiscences about her life in Paris pre and post WWI were interesting but distracted from the momentum of the main story. Fiona's 2015 story, although informative about the devastation experienced by those "left behind" in the wake of the AIDS crisis, didn't have nearly the same emotional impact as Yale's account. 2 stars for Nora's story, 3 for Fiona's, and 4.5 for Yale's. Final rating 3.5 stars. 

colton_botta's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-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? It's complicated

4.75

tmej7's review

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

bertolino's review

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I thought this book was a beautiful look into the Chicago AIDS crisis. That being said it was slow. I had to force myself to get through the first 75% of the book.

newobhannah's review

emotional reflective sad slow-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? Yes

4.5

fantasig's review

challenging emotional inspiring sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

juliej0715's review

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? It's complicated

5.0

I loved this book. It was a slow start for me, but I also read it in super small chunks at first so it was hard to keep people straight. About 1/3 in, it really picked up and I couldn't stop thinking about it and reading it. It's so sad yet perpetually full of hope and love and friendship and caring, and reflecting on what's important in life. It was so good I want to read it again. I wish there were more books exactly like this one. I also loved it being set in boystown (now northalsted) Chicago and knowing all the places they were going around Lakeview and the city. Just so good overall.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Police brutality, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Genocide, Medical trauma, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug use, Grief, Toxic relationship, Pandemic/Epidemic, Addiction, Alcohol, Death, Drug abuse, Violence, and Medical content

da_bos's review

4.0

Moving, gut wrenching, and rather well written, with an intricate plot and mostly characters.

But damn, I so wish Yale had made it (even though I understand that the novel wouldn’t have worked if he had).

There were a couple of things I’m not so sure about: Old Fiona doesn’t seem to me to be a believable evolution from young Fiona, no matter the trauma of Nico’s and then Yale’s deaths. Yale having an HIV scare that drives him close to the brink, and then hooking up unthinkingly with Roman, whose “innocence” he curiously doesn’t question despite his experience with Charlie (which caused the HIV scare to begin with).

Other than that, though, well done.

P.S. I “read” the first half as an audiobook, and that, too, I can highly recommend. The reader is fantastic. (I’d go as far as saying that I enjoyed the audiobook a bit more than the written version.)

besidemyshelf's review against another edition

emotional informative sad medium-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

4.25

mgilhart's review

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75