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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Addison Stone was an enigma in life and continues to be one in her death. Following the mysterious circumstances surrounding her fall (or did she jump? or was she pushed?) from a bridge overpass during an art stunt, writer Adele Griffin tries to make sense of Stone’s life through a collection of interviews with those who knew and loved her, images of Addison’s work, and transcripts of interviews Stone gave when she was alive.
Stone’s experimental novel presents a fictional biography of a rising star in the art world. It is intricate, layered, and nuanced in a way many other books of its ilk are not. This is a knockout of a novel and is guaranteed to attract legions of fans. It’s addictive in its prose and absolutely unputdownable. The characters–Addison especially–will stay with readers long after they finish the book.
Read my full review here: http://heylibrarygirl.com/2014/09/25/book-review-the-unfinished-life-of-addison-stone-by-adele-griffin/
Stone’s experimental novel presents a fictional biography of a rising star in the art world. It is intricate, layered, and nuanced in a way many other books of its ilk are not. This is a knockout of a novel and is guaranteed to attract legions of fans. It’s addictive in its prose and absolutely unputdownable. The characters–Addison especially–will stay with readers long after they finish the book.
Read my full review here: http://heylibrarygirl.com/2014/09/25/book-review-the-unfinished-life-of-addison-stone-by-adele-griffin/
The annoying, yet oddly compelling expose of a fictional teenage artist who makes a huge splash in the New York art scene before flaming out and dying under mysterious circumstances.
I have zero interest in the personal lives of real socialites and celebrities, and kept asking myself why I would want to read about fake celebrities. A few of Addison's friends were interesting, though, and I did end up getting sucked into the story because of their concern. Some of the other characters were despicable. The documentary/interview format of the novel alternated between enjoyable and torturous as a result.
I have zero interest in the personal lives of real socialites and celebrities, and kept asking myself why I would want to read about fake celebrities. A few of Addison's friends were interesting, though, and I did end up getting sucked into the story because of their concern. Some of the other characters were despicable. The documentary/interview format of the novel alternated between enjoyable and torturous as a result.
The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone is such a well written and overall put together book with all the pictures, art and media throughout, that some readers still wonder if Addison is a real person. (She isn't: the girl in the photos is Giza LaGarce.) If I knew less about this book I might believe she was indeed real and what I was reading was a true story.
I truly enjoyed the plot and the ending was perfect.
I truly enjoyed the plot and the ending was perfect.
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
BOOK TAGS⤏ 3.5 ✰STARS✰ ⤏ ARTIST WHO BURNS BRIGHT ⤏ MENTAL ILLNESS ⤏ DAMAGED PEOPLE FALLING FOR EACH OTHER ⤏ FANS OF DAISY JONES COULD LIKE THIS ⤏ FULL CAST NARRATION
MY THOUGHTS⇣
When I read the synopsis for this book, I thought, ohhh, this reminds me of Daisy Jones & the Six. With the interview style audio and a full-cast to recite it. Sounds enticing...and the audio does play out really similar to Daisy Jones...but the story overall lacked something...like a definitive ending or just something that pulls you in and gets you invested in the story.
Addison Stone felt like a real person, not a made-up one. One of those people who burns so bright...and then, sadly, burns out way too young. Her story is one that plays out for real all the time, sadly. Maybe, that is supposed to be the pull, but maybe, for me, that wasn't quite enough. The full-cast narration was terrific, though, and that alone made this an engaging listen.
BOOK DETAILS⇣
AUDIO PERFORMED BY⇢ AMY RUBINATE, CAROLINE SHAFFER, HILLARY HUBER, JORJEANA MARIE, WILL DAMRON & KIRBY HEYBOURNE + A FULL-CAST
NARRATION RATING⇢ 5/5
THE COVER STORY⤏ FILM REEL...FOR AN ARTIST
SOURCE⇢ LIBBY AUDIOBOOK (LIBRARY)
AUDIOBOOK LENGTH⇢ 6 HOURS, 54 MINUTES
BREAKDOWN⇣
Plot⇢ 3/5
Characters⇢ 4.3/5
The Feels⇢ 3.5/5
Pacing⇢ 4/5
Addictiveness⇢ 4/5
Theme or Tone⇢ 4/5
Flow (Writing Style)⇢ 4/5
World-Building⇢ 4/5
Originality⇢ 4/5
Ending⇢ 3/5
MY THOUGHTS⇣
When I read the synopsis for this book, I thought, ohhh, this reminds me of Daisy Jones & the Six. With the interview style audio and a full-cast to recite it. Sounds enticing...and the audio does play out really similar to Daisy Jones...but the story overall lacked something...like a definitive ending or just something that pulls you in and gets you invested in the story.
Addison Stone felt like a real person, not a made-up one. One of those people who burns so bright...and then, sadly, burns out way too young. Her story is one that plays out for real all the time, sadly. Maybe, that is supposed to be the pull, but maybe, for me, that wasn't quite enough. The full-cast narration was terrific, though, and that alone made this an engaging listen.
BOOK DETAILS⇣
AUDIO PERFORMED BY⇢ AMY RUBINATE, CAROLINE SHAFFER, HILLARY HUBER, JORJEANA MARIE, WILL DAMRON & KIRBY HEYBOURNE + A FULL-CAST
NARRATION RATING⇢ 5/5
THE COVER STORY⤏ FILM REEL...FOR AN ARTIST
SOURCE⇢ LIBBY AUDIOBOOK (LIBRARY)
AUDIOBOOK LENGTH⇢ 6 HOURS, 54 MINUTES
BREAKDOWN⇣
Plot⇢ 3/5
Characters⇢ 4.3/5
The Feels⇢ 3.5/5
Pacing⇢ 4/5
Addictiveness⇢ 4/5
Theme or Tone⇢ 4/5
Flow (Writing Style)⇢ 4/5
World-Building⇢ 4/5
Originality⇢ 4/5
Ending⇢ 3/5
The interesting concept and feel of the novel made me really enjoy this one.
What?! this wasn't fiction, right? I tried to find the you tube video of her swinging on the chandelier. ha ha. Seriously though, I loved how real this book felt. The author using the interview style to show everyone's point of view of the main character, Addison Stone. The added art work and photos adding to the biography-style. This book is unique and engrossing, like the main character herself. I believed in Addison Stone.
Even though this whole book was about Addison she still felt very flat to me and the whole art genius story wasn't very believable either...
Moving and a tad eerie. I love that reads like a biography + has pictures/newspaper articles as if it is, but it's all fiction. A wonderful read really.
This book is, amongst other things, simply addictive. With each new piece of art, each photograph, each anecdote, the life of Addison Stone unfolds. Through her friends, family, and business associates, we see Addison's struggles - her mania, her paranoia, her fear, and her overwhelming presence.
What really works for this book is the format in which it is presented. Each character has their own distinct voice; however, each character also brings with them the voice of Addison. The reader sees her as fragments, slowly being glued together as the book progresses. While we know from the start that Addison is dead, she comes alive in these pages. At times, it is hardly like reading fiction at all.
At times, when reading, I found myself asking if I would have enjoyed this as much if it was written more "traditionally." What if we had been told Addison's story through her eyes, leading up to her death? The truth is, I don't think I would have. While we may have met these same characters, their voices would not have been as strong. The narration most likely would have been skewed by Addison - her mental illness clouding the pages. I appreciate that we did hear from her via several e-mails and interviews and I think that this was enough.
When I started this book, I thought that it would be an investigation into her death. I thought that maybe it was suspicious and maybe one of these people would be involved. Is there a murderer within these pages? The answer there is:no . I wasn't disappointed by this. We get our conclusion as to what happened to Addison. We get that and so much more. Really, what more can I say? A very satisfying reading experience.
What really works for this book is the format in which it is presented. Each character has their own distinct voice; however, each character also brings with them the voice of Addison. The reader sees her as fragments, slowly being glued together as the book progresses. While we know from the start that Addison is dead, she comes alive in these pages. At times, it is hardly like reading fiction at all.
At times, when reading, I found myself asking if I would have enjoyed this as much if it was written more "traditionally." What if we had been told Addison's story through her eyes, leading up to her death? The truth is, I don't think I would have. While we may have met these same characters, their voices would not have been as strong. The narration most likely would have been skewed by Addison - her mental illness clouding the pages. I appreciate that we did hear from her via several e-mails and interviews and I think that this was enough.
When I started this book, I thought that it would be an investigation into her death. I thought that maybe it was suspicious and maybe one of these people would be involved. Is there a murderer within these pages? The answer there is:
Let me start off by saying that the layout of this book is one of the most unique ones I've seen in a while. Basically, Adele Griffin pretends like Addison Stone is a real person who had been a student of hers for a short time and whose death made her curious about what kind of person she had been. In order to find out more about her, she "interviews" people who had known her - her family, friends, (ex-) boyfriends and artistic acquaintances. Therefore, the book doesn't really have a POV, which has both its advantages and its disadvantages.
Since you hear a lot of different opinions without knowing who's right and who's wrong, it's hard to decipher the true nature of the characters. Do they really have Addison's best in mind or do they just pretend to look out for her, but in reality are just focused on their own desires? What makes it even more difficult is that sometimes, a character tells something about Addison or themselves only to have the next interviewee to contradict his statement. Now, who's more likely to tell the truth? You don't get a truthful insight into a person's personality, but only little snippets that might or might not be true. This results in not getting attached to any of the characters. It's not that you stop caring about what exactly happened to Addison, but it makes staying focused a tad bit harder.
Looking on the bright side, Adele Griffin's way of telling the story seems to underline the mystery that is Addison Stone. Seeing so many different sights of her - depending on who's talking - makes you curious about her true self. You want to peel off layer after layer to find out the real Addison, but you know this will never happen. And so you keep reading about all these things she did that you are never able to entirely predict.
Speaking of Addison herself, however, my opinion is quite divided. On one hand, I admired her determination and her talent - the portraits she paints are printed in the book as actual pictures, so you always know what the characters are talking about when they mention a portrait -, her dedication to her art. But on the other hand, she was such a difficult protagonist to love! No matter what she tried to achieve, she did it with flying colours. There was nothing she couldn't do. Everybody loved her or held at least some kind of fascination for her, and every boy seemed to want her. The whole world was lying to her feet. And she acted exactly like someone who's used to success: With absolute arrogance and self-centeredness. However, Addison is also mentally ill and does show from time to time some insecurities, so it's not as if Adele Griffin portraits her as picture perfect all the time . But still, a lot of the time, she's not likeable or lovely, but moody and only interested in her art and love (plus, her love life borders on a soap opera and Zach, one of her boyfriends, is the most obnoxious and whiney man I ever had to read about).
Overall, I did enjoy the layout of the book and the unique way of telling the story, but the characters just felt flat to me. Only a few of them really sparked my interest, whereas most of them were selfish, unpredictable and annoying. I wouldn't necessarily recommend the book, but I wouldn't dissuade someone from reading it, either. If you can handle superficiality and flatness, then I'd say go for it!
Since you hear a lot of different opinions without knowing who's right and who's wrong, it's hard to decipher the true nature of the characters. Do they really have Addison's best in mind or do they just pretend to look out for her, but in reality are just focused on their own desires? What makes it even more difficult is that sometimes, a character tells something about Addison or themselves only to have the next interviewee to contradict his statement. Now, who's more likely to tell the truth? You don't get a truthful insight into a person's personality, but only little snippets that might or might not be true. This results in not getting attached to any of the characters. It's not that you stop caring about what exactly happened to Addison, but it makes staying focused a tad bit harder.
Looking on the bright side, Adele Griffin's way of telling the story seems to underline the mystery that is Addison Stone. Seeing so many different sights of her - depending on who's talking - makes you curious about her true self. You want to peel off layer after layer to find out the real Addison, but you know this will never happen. And so you keep reading about all these things she did that you are never able to entirely predict.
Speaking of Addison herself, however, my opinion is quite divided. On one hand, I admired her determination and her talent - the portraits she paints are printed in the book as actual pictures, so you always know what the characters are talking about when they mention a portrait -, her dedication to her art. But on the other hand, she was such a difficult protagonist to love! No matter what she tried to achieve, she did it with flying colours. There was nothing she couldn't do. Everybody loved her or held at least some kind of fascination for her, and every boy seemed to want her. The whole world was lying to her feet. And she acted exactly like someone who's used to success: With absolute arrogance and self-centeredness. However, Addison is also mentally ill and does show from time to time some insecurities, so it's not as if Adele Griffin portraits her as picture perfect all the time . But still, a lot of the time, she's not likeable or lovely, but moody and only interested in her art and love (plus, her love life borders on a soap opera and Zach, one of her boyfriends, is the most obnoxious and whiney man I ever had to read about).
Overall, I did enjoy the layout of the book and the unique way of telling the story, but the characters just felt flat to me. Only a few of them really sparked my interest, whereas most of them were selfish, unpredictable and annoying. I wouldn't necessarily recommend the book, but I wouldn't dissuade someone from reading it, either. If you can handle superficiality and flatness, then I'd say go for it!