The Great Believers Hardcover – 5 July 2018

The Great Believers is an engrossing novel set in two time frames with alternating chapters. The first timeline takes us back to the mid eighties in Chicago and is told from the perspective of a young gay man, Yale Tishman. Happily settled in a long term relationship with journalist and activist Charlie, his art gallery job is flourishing. Thanks to a tip off from a friend he is hoping to discover some previously unknown works from famous artists. Juxtaposed with this success though is the horror of the AIDS epidemic. One by one his friends in their close knit community start to succumb to this terrible disease.The second strand follows Fiona, 30 years later trying to track down her estranged daughter Claire. Fiona's brother Nico was one of the first of Yale's friends to die from AIDS. Watching so many of her friends suffer and die has left Fiona with emotional scars and contributed to the breakdown of her relationship with Claire.The two strands twine together and tie up beautifully in the final chapter. It's an absorbing, often sad, but also frequently joyful read.

A great read - 1980s Chicago during the AIDS crisis - well researched and poignant.

This book allowed me to learn more about the 80s and HIV and AIDS and the awful struggle for acceptance that the gay community had to go through in America. The charcaters were flawed as real humans and had heart. I did not find it a particularly uplifting story as led to believe, but it was entertaining. I liked the shift in time frames, and it opened discussions with people who lived through the 80s.I felt the start of the book was stronger than the end and I personally wanted to know more about Claire, as I found it hard to care about her as she came across unlikable after growing to care for Fiona so much.

I loved the story. This book puts in perspective the aids pandemic in Chicago during the 80s. The shock and fear of this new illness/ virus that no one understood and the loss of so many lives. FThe characters are all so real and full of emotions. Heart gripping I couldn’t put it down.

This is not a perfect book, but it is difficult to put down and very engaging. I felt that the stories of the main male characters were quite obvious and cliched, but it didn't spoil the overall read for me.

Heartbreaking and affecting this is a stunning read which manages to draw individual characters rather than relying on stereotypical images of gay men in 80s America. It paints a picture from the very beginning of the AIDS crisis whilst also involving us in the search for a daughter and and the exploration of an artistic legacy. I loved this book.

I was sceptical on beginning this novel but by the end was utterly involved. It convincingly captures a moment in time that many of us have already forgotten the drama of.

Managed to keep both plot strands going till the end without once dropping the ball. Fab read - can highly recommend