YA LGBT Books discussion
This topic is about
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
Book of the Month
>
December 2017 BotM - The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
date
newest »
newest »
I've had my eye on this one for awhile. My library has a hold list on this one, so I don't know when I'll get it, but I'll join the discussion when I can. :D
I already read this and I love it! My fave character is Felicity and I'm so excited for her spin-off.
Moxxi wrote: "I already read this and I love it! My fave character is Felicity and I'm so excited for her spin-off."It does look like a series is planned. I'm glad you liked this - I hope to get hold of it soon.
I've actually been meaning to read this one once finals are done next week! I hope I can join in on the discussion, as I haven't participated in any of these before.
I haven't participated in any discussions before but I hope I can read it soon- I am waiting to acquire a copy...
For those new to the BotM reading - We don't have a required reading time frame for sections, or completion - we found that so many members are busy (lots of students with exams, and folk with job deadlines) that it works best to read it within a 2 month span and each discuss it whenever someone is done and wants to comment. So read when you get to it, and then yes, come on back and give us your impressions, or questions, or link a review if you do one, or tell us why you didn't finish if you didn't...
These Book of the Month discussions become a resource for people looking for YA LGBTQ books to read too, so all opinions are welcome and helpful.
Love, love, love, love, love this book! It was a great read, and the amount of research that went into it to make it a truly accurate piece of historical fiction was amazing!
Ron-michael wrote: "Love, love, love, love, love this book! It was a great read, and the amount of research that went into it to make it a truly accurate piece of historical fiction was amazing!"Cool, I'm getting excited to read it.
This book is AMAZING
Ron-michael wrote: "Love, love, love, love, love this book! It was a great read, and the amount of research that went into it to make it a truly accurate piece of historical fiction was amazing!"I'm glad it seems to be historically accurate! I'm primarily interested in how the author treats the 'Grand Tour' part, as that's a personal favorite theme of mine. I hope it has a kind of travelogue feel, so I can experience it secondhand, haha...
This was a very thoughtful and well-written book. A pleasure to read. Is the sequel confirmed?
Gary wrote: "This was a very thoughtful and well-written book. A pleasure to read. Is the sequel confirmed?"It's listed on Goodreads with an Oct 2018 release date but no cover or blurb, so there's no guarantee.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
I just got my copy from the library! As soon as I finish my current M/M, I'll start this one.
Im still early on in my reading but Felicity is a great unexpected feminist icon.
I just DNF my other book, so I'll start this one tonight.
I finally finished it. There were several things I liked, and several I didn't like. I split the difference and gave it 3*.
Linda ~ chock full of hoot, just a little bit of nanny ~ wrote: "I finally finished it. There were several things I liked, and several I didn't like. I split the difference and gave it 3*."I'll be interested to hear more if you get the chance or if you review it.
Happy Holidays to everyone reading along with us here.
Kaje wrote: "Linda ~ chock full of hoot, just a little bit of nanny ~ wrote: "I finally finished it. There were several things I liked, and several I didn't like. I split the difference and gave it 3*."I'll b..."
I put my review up already. The gist of it though is I liked the road trip aspect and the friendship between Percy and Monty, but the historical aspect was lacking. Nothing was described and the characters and language were too modern.
That makes sense - I'll check out your review. Walking that line between authentic and approachable in a historical is a challenge, and some writers do it better than others.
Linda ~ chock full of hoot, just a little bit of nanny ~ wrote: "This book is now on sale for $2.99 on Amazon US...."
Thanks for letting us know!
Kaje wrote: "Linda ~ chock full of hoot, just a little bit of nanny ~ wrote: "This book is now on sale for $2.99 on Amazon US...."
Thanks for letting us know!"
It's for today only. It would make a great Xmas present to yourself. :D
I just bought it (I'd been delayed on this one) <3
My review :3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. I have a very mixed reaction to this book, beyond being so delighted that a YA story with a gay relationship as its heart is getting this much attention and approval.
On the one hand, I really liked the very human, flawed, tentative and messed up relationships between all the MCs. I loved how oblivious Monty has been to the feelings and needs of everyone around him - both because he's plausibly immature and, we later discover, due to an intensity of his own life which occupies so much of his attention in minimizing, concealing, and surviving his own issues. Don't get me wrong - I wanted to shake Monty many times, but he was true to his character and that gave the book its flavor and voice and wild plot.
Percy's problems were well done, and the way he was trapped between social groups, as a gentleman of color who didn't really fit anywhere, was plausible and sympathetic. His health situation was well balanced - neither ignored nor dominating the story. And I really loved Felicity, as the sister who should have been born in a time when her talents and interests would have been within her grasp. (She's a bit perfect, but so great I didn't mind.)
The historical facts felt well researched. At the same time, I wasn't taken by the wild speculative fantasy plot. It felt over the top and at times more silly than funny, and masked what could have been a great historical YA novel. (Yes, I know that fantasy outsells historical by a huge margin, especially in YA - still I can mourn the serious story that I saw lost under the lightweight fantasy adventure.)
I also was bothered by quite a few modernisms of attitude, wording, and events. The historical part felt updated and sanitized for easy reading. Again, fitting with the light fantasy of this book, but lacking congruity with the plausible parts of the historical element.
So I do recommend this story to lovers of LGBTQ fantasy, but with the caveat that if you also love true historical fiction you may find parts of this less satisfactory.
I have so much love for this book! I read it at a time when what I really needed was to laugh my pants off, and this brought the laughter in spades! One of my top 3 books of 2017. Can't wait for everyone in the universe to read this book! And I'm so excited for book two because, lady pirates. 😍
This book is nominated for "Romantic Times" Book of the Year (along with at least one excellent gay romance story.) https://www.rtbookreviews.com/award/2...
I'd love to see an LGBTQ book win at RT.
I finished this way too late, but I have to generally agree with the consensus here. 3/5 stars, mostly because I was expecting more of a historical bent and got more of a fantasy bent, which is fine. I certainly like fantasy and history, and getting a historical fantasy story was great. The characters were all compelling and interesting, though I was put off by Felicity several times... she just seemed almost too perfect and a little anachronistic for her time (which, yes, is the point, but still). Overall it was a pretty great book though, and I'm glad I read it. The ending was beautiful... Oia's sunsets are not an exaggeration. I didn't realize there was a sequel, but I'll probably pick it up even though I'm not a Felicity fan. That period of history is too tempting.
Yeah, I think that the publicity maybe needs to bring out the fantasy aspect more. I think I'd have liked it slightly more if I'd gone in looking for fantasy instead of accurate historical. But I'm going to check out Felicity's book.
It may be due to the fact that it is meant for a YA audience, since the fantasy tries to make up for some of the harsher aspects of reality that are discussed. Lee does a great job at acknowledging some of these harsh realities, particularly with regards to Percy and Felicity, but she does claim to be an optimist, so that does make some sense. I was also a bit disgruntled by the notion that the characters are so in love and will end up together and live on an island all fine and dandy—though I will cede to her optimism here. She also does a great job of showing how they do *not* get along for quite a while, which does a lot to build on their relationship overall.
It is hard to do realistic LGBTQ historical for YA, so you are no doubt right. And I think it worked. It just felt like the book began and was marketed more like a historical, so I went in invested in the realism, and then it veered off. But part of the issue is that any HEA would in a realistic book have to be tentative and eternally at risk, so I totally understand the mix. Plus it allowed humor and adventure that wasn't too angsty.
For me, both the fantasy elements and the historical elements felt half-baked; neither really got the attention they deserved. I think if the author was set on optimistic history and have fantasy elements, it might have served the story better to go full steampunk, so she could make the world however she wanted.
Fair points, and certainly I enjoyed the humor and adventure aspects of the book. It was a fun little romp through the Continent. The wanderlust in me wishes it focused a bit more on the places they visited, as well... the final descriptions of Oia were wonderful and relevant, but that was one of the main instances of such description that I can recall aside from Paris or the ship ride.Linda, you also made a good point. The book tries really hard to balance the fantasy and history, and perhaps it results in something that is not great in either direction, but merely decent in both. That reflects in my rating, too.
Seen in the wild! The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy. The sequel is here, even in Australia. This was spotted today in my local Dymocks, so it's getting a more general release, not just queer and import booksellers. They also had a stack of copies of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue.
Yay! I love seeing the books move onto the general YA shelves. It's not due out until Oct 2nd here.
That's amazing. It's really great to see books that feature LGBT characters not immediately shoved into the LGBT section of the bookstore. Advertising to a wider audience is an important part of normalizing minorities.
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee is an Amazon Daily Deal priced at $1.99 for May 31 2019 only:https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01M0WRN4B
Maybe I missed something, but I don't see any trigger warnings in anyone's posts, so I'll put what I saw in the book here.(view spoiler (Trigger warnings for child abuse, alcohol, past suicidal thoughts, and period-usual racism, sexism, and homophobia.)hide spoiler)
YA LGBT Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (other topics)The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (other topics)
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (other topics)
Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.
But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.
Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.
This thread is for discussion of this book - there is no specific reading schedule and you may post at any time. There may be spoilers in the comments, so be aware if you have not yet finished. Especially if you are posting early in the two months, please try to put real plot spoilers into a spoiler-hiding tag - write <*spoiler> before the text and <*/spoiler> at the end of it - with both * removed to make it work, and it will be hidden, revealed only (view spoiler)[ to those who choose to read it. (hide spoiler)]
I look forward to seeing what the group thinks of this one.