Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Rosewater

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Rosewater by Liv Little

17 reviews

dynamicdevon's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I liked a lot of this book. The dry, steam of consciousness style was compelling. Recognized myself in the white folks who just don't get it. This is why it's important for (white folks especially) to read diversely. I enjoyed the supporting characters, Nan and Maggie; the queer elders I wish we all had.

My biggest issue was Elsie's complete and total lack of any ability to communicate whatsoever. When the plot would come to a raging halt if everyone just sat down and had a good DTR (define the relationship), the rest of the book loses verve. I get that it's young people and all, but even after her friend tells her to be honest, it goes nowhere. That being said, it is a pretty accurate depiction of young queer love where the people involved have no idea what they're doing.

Also, where did the poetry go? I feel like the second half would have been stronger if the poems had kept appearing.

While it seems a lot of people didn't like the ending, I thought it fit with the book. There's a lot of tough shit going on in life and ending the book while that tough shit is going on seemed apropos to me.

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the_lesbrarian's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

4.25

I picked up Rosewater following its longlisting for the Polari First Book Prize, which is part of both the #atasteofprizereading and #LiteraryFifteen2024 reading challenges. It is the story of Elsie, a 28 year old, Black gay woman trying to build a life for herself in London. She's a poet who makes ends sort of meet by working in a bar. The novel opens with bailiffs knocking on her door with an order to evict her due to unpaid rent, an issue she knew about but ignored. Her love life is messy and complicated, and when gentrification forces the closure of the bar she works at, Elsie struggles to find another job. In other words, this book has got "messy milennial" written all over it. I often struggled with Elsie's decision-making and sometimes wondered how and why her friends put up with her. Yet something kept me listening, possibly the narrator whose voice I found pleasantly soothing. Whatever it was, I'm glad I stuck with this book because - eventually - all the different aspects of Elsie's life started to come together. And when unexpected tragedy struck late in the novel it helped clarify for her what and who she wanted. It also brought out the best in her and helped me see what her friends saw in her. What was intitally a frustrating book ended up morphing into a satisfying story. I especially enjoyed Elsie's poetry, penned by Kai-Isiah Jamal, and had my heart warmed when she achieved some success for that. Making a living via creative and artistic endeavours can be tough, so it was nice to see someone, even a fictional character, have a win.

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messymimms's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

3.75

Backstage at a performance, Elsie describes herself as “numb, nervous, brilliantly alive” - and I think that’s the perfect way to describe this book.

Liv Little has been able to craft an incredibly genuine and compelling story, with characters you’ll be all too familiar with if you’re a queer living in London. Indeed, this book is properly atmospheric - not as in foggy or ethereal, but in that it creates such a clear mood, vibe, space, context.

The novel is peppered with references - from the coil to Corinne Bailey Rae, Peckham Rye and Rubicon Mango. These all contribute to it feeling really real. In many ways, everything feels quite mundane. Messy and dramatic in a twenty-something, not-figured-it-out way, but mundane.

When the drama hit, I almost wanted it more pared back - more slice of life-like, but that’s just because this novel does that really well. It’s at its most beautiful when Elsie is channeling Little’s poetry and describing all of the little big details which dog and uplift her life.

As a narrator, she’s quietly reflective, but likes to conjure up vivid images and dispense the occasional tidbit of wisdom. The poetry included in the book, written by Kai-Isaiah Jamal, is beautiful and fits in effortlessly. But the bigger feat, for me, is that even without those poems - Elsie is written like a poet.

This shines through when Elsie appraises art and music, and bodies. These descriptions hit so well, and you can tell how fascinated she is by lyricism, words, desire.

Oh, and Juliet of course.

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melodyseestrees's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.25

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noah_silver's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Uff ähm reading the book felt very intense - I dived in it and found it hard to put it aside. I loved the writing and the way the inner life of the main character was portrayed. The poems in between. The setting of the the scenes through naming/describing songs that are being played. How Elsie navigates her different relationships and life, how she fucks up, how the people around her try to be there but are sometimes not. In different ways the story feels very real and fleshed out and yeah. I also thought the sex scenes were written well with a mix of explicitness and room for own imagination that I liked quite much. It also portrays quite complicated birth family relationships but I also find them credible - and I loved the nan. And many of the other characters <3

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nerdysread's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective tense slow-paced

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

2.75

Not a bad book tbh but its pacing was off sometimes, like some
Parts were unnecessary. One last thing, the MC was 😬 most of the time. Like go get therapy girl

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drawahardline's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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kneebees's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-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

5.0

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aishallnot's review against another edition

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challenging reflective tense medium-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? Yes

3.5

3.5 rounded up to 4

I enjoy a good coming of age story, especially when the mc is in their 20s. This i think was a decent debut but i kinda have mixed feelings.

First, i love how diverse this book with the characters. I feel like this definitely served a purpose in regards to the ethnic backgrounds of the characters as well as the queer community in london. Elsie is definitely going through it (though she can be hard to root for at times) and it was refreshing to see how she has people that she can reach to for support besides her family. She's very close with her grandmother and i loved seeing that relationship whenever she was showcased. I also liked maggie and how she was almost like an auntie to elsie and encouraged to use her gift of her writing as well as her voice (something her grandmother also strongly instilled in her) .

Speaking of which, i definitely related to elsie at times in terms of not being openly vulnerable and even wanting to become a best selling poet/writer. i loved how she has the determination to go after what she wants and expresses herself through writing instead of speaking (i definitely do that 😭).

Now, here's where some things fell short. I feel like plot wise,

this could have been another 20-30 pages or so because the ending definitely felt rushed with the car crash (which might have been the climax?).

We didn't really get to see elsie and juliet have a proper closure after the fight they had. Sure they made up, but the story just ends kinda abruptly imo almost like its a start of something new between them but that's it.

The writing was fine and easy to read (not a lot jargon-y words), but i kinda wish there was more showing how the characters feel than telling. Especially with a book so written emotion heavy, i feel that we didn't get to see that until the end.

Lastly, there were some plot points and even like 1-2 characters i wish were shown more.

The biggest one probably elsie's mom and the infidelity. I wasn't the biggest fan of her, but i wish we got to see her address the situation with elsie more and the two of them talk it out, but now i think its bc elsie wasn't on good terms with her mom and she didn't think much of her dad cheating

. Another thing to add is that elsie's parents and their relationship could have been explored more on the outlook of love.

And then there's andrew who was kinda there to be an antagonist but also create a love triangle...anyways.

Again i think this is a decent debut and i don't think its a bad book. I just felt there was something missing within the story and now finishing it i can think what could have been added. I heard the author has another book so I'm intrigued to see what she will wrote next.

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