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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.75/5. this book had its faults— the characterisations having cracks in between, progression suddenly slows and takes up speed. fissures in how the relationships are shaped.
but i loved it so much that it remoulded my heart. its perplexing, because i was constantly cognisant of things i didn’t like— i wish the novel had better editors to wipe out the inconsistencies, build more on karina and louisa’s relationship in wrynn (because the yearning made me swoon), and perhaps remove preston and robert’s perspectives (because they felt like mouthpieces of the author’s views and had a forced satirisation quality).
but this book made me want to write poetry and i wrote after so long, it made me want to be consumed by the work i do, it understood the longing to create— love and understanding between two people but also art. maureen’s advice to louisa about improvement, both her and karina’s devotion to art felt like punch in the gut which is simultaneously featherlike. after i finished this last night i just sat and thought about it for so long, i can feel the shape of it building space in my heart and mind. antonia angress is a beautifully provocative writer.
but i loved it so much that it remoulded my heart. its perplexing, because i was constantly cognisant of things i didn’t like— i wish the novel had better editors to wipe out the inconsistencies, build more on karina and louisa’s relationship in wrynn (because the yearning made me swoon), and perhaps remove preston and robert’s perspectives (because they felt like mouthpieces of the author’s views and had a forced satirisation quality).
but this book made me want to write poetry and i wrote after so long, it made me want to be consumed by the work i do, it understood the longing to create— love and understanding between two people but also art. maureen’s advice to louisa about improvement, both her and karina’s devotion to art felt like punch in the gut which is simultaneously featherlike. after i finished this last night i just sat and thought about it for so long, i can feel the shape of it building space in my heart and mind. antonia angress is a beautifully provocative writer.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"I can see the shape of you.”
If I had infinite time and money and no need of a real career, I would be in art school. I love art history and art itself and if I didn’t need to pay bills, I know I’d be enrolled and passionate about my studies. When I heard this novel followed art students at an elite private art school, I was immediately intrigued. Sirens & Muses follows four artists connected to Wrynn, an elite art school in their quest for success. Three of the artists are students and one is a visiting professor. While this novel could be described as having no plot and follows the lives of random artists and people who love the arts, I was glued to this novel the entire time. The prose is simple yet effective and the characterization is sharp and colourful while still being real at all times. I loved the view into the art world and how it’s shaped by culture and capitalism, and how that changed the artists themselves when navigating the logistics of the art landscape throughout the world.
"I think that the people we become infatuated with are the ones who have the qualities we want.”
I think fans of contemporary literature will enjoy this novel but not many other readers will connect with this the way that I did. I loved the characters for their humanness and for how messy and realistic they all felt. Any of these characters could have been people I would have met at a real art school. I loved the realistic view of the art world and the realistic side of being an artist in the world. I loved how art and artists are shaped by different external and internal factors and seeing how it connected all the characters. The connections between the characters are the heart of the novel and reflective of the title, and I loved seeing how each character had their own muse, or people they felt called to. It made me think about all the people I felt called to in my life and I often wonder about my own muses and what became of them. I saw a lot of myself and people I’ve known in this book. Overall, this was a beautifully human look into the art world and a welcome one at that.
“The sitter is merely the accident, the occasion. It is not he who is revealed by the painter; it is rather the painter who, on the colored canvas, reveals himself.”
If I had infinite time and money and no need of a real career, I would be in art school. I love art history and art itself and if I didn’t need to pay bills, I know I’d be enrolled and passionate about my studies. When I heard this novel followed art students at an elite private art school, I was immediately intrigued. Sirens & Muses follows four artists connected to Wrynn, an elite art school in their quest for success. Three of the artists are students and one is a visiting professor. While this novel could be described as having no plot and follows the lives of random artists and people who love the arts, I was glued to this novel the entire time. The prose is simple yet effective and the characterization is sharp and colourful while still being real at all times. I loved the view into the art world and how it’s shaped by culture and capitalism, and how that changed the artists themselves when navigating the logistics of the art landscape throughout the world.
"I think that the people we become infatuated with are the ones who have the qualities we want.”
I think fans of contemporary literature will enjoy this novel but not many other readers will connect with this the way that I did. I loved the characters for their humanness and for how messy and realistic they all felt. Any of these characters could have been people I would have met at a real art school. I loved the realistic view of the art world and the realistic side of being an artist in the world. I loved how art and artists are shaped by different external and internal factors and seeing how it connected all the characters. The connections between the characters are the heart of the novel and reflective of the title, and I loved seeing how each character had their own muse, or people they felt called to. It made me think about all the people I felt called to in my life and I often wonder about my own muses and what became of them. I saw a lot of myself and people I’ve known in this book. Overall, this was a beautifully human look into the art world and a welcome one at that.
“The sitter is merely the accident, the occasion. It is not he who is revealed by the painter; it is rather the painter who, on the colored canvas, reveals himself.”
