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Michelle 's Reviews > These Violent Delights
These Violent Delights
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Wow, for a debut, this is an exceptionally written book but at the same time I didn't really like it. Let me explain.
1970's Pittsburgh
Paul is a quiet, shy, studious kid and on his first day in college he meets the charming, confident, and alluring Julian. The friendship begins easily enough because they both intellectually stimulate one another. Over time this friendship turns into an obsession for both of them. Both wanting to control the other. Both pushing each others boundaries. Both hurting each other in the name of love. Until one act of violence upends everything they thought to be true.
"He had all but pleaded for it, the precision and scalpel-sharp intimacy of Julian's cruelty. He had needed to remember that they were monstrous together, merciless, twins conjoined at the teeth."
I mentioned that this is meticulously written but my goodness is it dense. This is no easy, breezy reading experience. I am not an academic by any means so I found some of their banter quite tedious. And the misery. So much misery. Both of these young men are so wretchedly unhappy and that feeling really seeps into the reader. A sign of good writing, oh yes, but an enjoyable reading experience, not so much. This book made me so depressed. I couldn't get a grasp on their relationship at all. They were both so wicked to one another that I kept wondering why they were attracted to each other in the first place. I kept faltering between caring about them and being horrified by them. And the ending, having read it twice now, and I'm a little confused on what exactly happened. This wasn't a perfect fit for me but mark my words this book is going to earn many accolades and they will be well deserved. 3 stars!
Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
1970's Pittsburgh
Paul is a quiet, shy, studious kid and on his first day in college he meets the charming, confident, and alluring Julian. The friendship begins easily enough because they both intellectually stimulate one another. Over time this friendship turns into an obsession for both of them. Both wanting to control the other. Both pushing each others boundaries. Both hurting each other in the name of love. Until one act of violence upends everything they thought to be true.
"He had all but pleaded for it, the precision and scalpel-sharp intimacy of Julian's cruelty. He had needed to remember that they were monstrous together, merciless, twins conjoined at the teeth."
I mentioned that this is meticulously written but my goodness is it dense. This is no easy, breezy reading experience. I am not an academic by any means so I found some of their banter quite tedious. And the misery. So much misery. Both of these young men are so wretchedly unhappy and that feeling really seeps into the reader. A sign of good writing, oh yes, but an enjoyable reading experience, not so much. This book made me so depressed. I couldn't get a grasp on their relationship at all. They were both so wicked to one another that I kept wondering why they were attracted to each other in the first place. I kept faltering between caring about them and being horrified by them. And the ending, having read it twice now, and I'm a little confused on what exactly happened. This wasn't a perfect fit for me but mark my words this book is going to earn many accolades and they will be well deserved. 3 stars!
Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
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Reading Progress
February 28, 2020
– Shelved
February 28, 2020
– Shelved as:
to-read
March 10, 2020
– Shelved as:
edelweiss-arc-s
August 12, 2020
–
Started Reading
August 12, 2020
–
3.0%
"Damn! If the rest of this book is as chilling as the prologue then I am in for a real treat! 🥶"
August 14, 2020
–
Finished Reading
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preoccupiedbybooks
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Aug 14, 2020 01:16PM
Hmm that does sound hard to review! It doesn't sound like my thing, but at least the writing was good!
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preoccupiedbybooks wrote: "Hmm that does sound hard to review! It doesn't sound like my thing, but at least the writing was good!"Thanks, Fran! 💗 That's why I felt 3 stars was fair. As impressed as I was with the writing I was also just as depressed with the story.
And that's a BIG pass for me! Great honest review Michelle!
Fantastic review of what sounds like a tough-to-read book. I hate dense, depressing, and confusing! (Ha, but who doesn’t?)
Fabulous review! I don’t think this would be for me either!
I totally understand a book being well-written but still not enjoyable. There's many reasons for it and you explained your thoughts very well.
Kelli wrote: "And that's a BIG pass for me! Great honest review Michelle!"Thank you, Kelli! 🧡
Debbie wrote: "Fantastic review of what sounds like a tough-to-read book. I hate dense, depressing, and confusing! (Ha, but who doesn’t?)"Thank you, Debbie! 💗 I chose a much lighter book to follow this one up. I needed a brain cleanse.
Jayme wrote: "Fabulous review! I don’t think this would be for me either!"Thanks so much, Jayme! 💙
JanB wrote: "I totally understand a book being well-written but still not enjoyable. There's many reasons for it and you explained your thoughts very well."Thanks, Jan! 💖 The story was hard to enjoy but I can't wait to see what the future holds for this author.
Deanna wrote: "Great honest review, Michelle!!"Thanks very much, Deanna! 💗
