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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
hmm.
this was a solid 4 star read all throughout part 1: i graduated from art school myself and this book depicted the life i had in my early twenties so well it was unsettling to be brought back to that time so vividly. student loans, emerging bisexuality, the throes of creating art--i resonated so much with these characters i barreled through part 2 to see what would happen after they left school.
but nothing happened after that.
like. there wasn't really a plot??
-spoilers kinda not really-
i mean. there WAS a plot set up for each of them but nothing was really resolved for anyone by the end of the book. two characters hated each other, had zero interactions for like one hundred pages, and the book ends with them serendipitously running into each other after half a year and they smile at each other??? the end???
it was frustrating and maybe that was the point that ~who knows what happens after art school~ but the way this was executed felt both rushed and unfinished.
also i hated preston's manufactured art and i found louisa's original southern gothic paintings extremely intriguing. me actively participating in crit with pieces that don't even exist LMAO
this was a solid 4 star read all throughout part 1: i graduated from art school myself and this book depicted the life i had in my early twenties so well it was unsettling to be brought back to that time so vividly. student loans, emerging bisexuality, the throes of creating art--i resonated so much with these characters i barreled through part 2 to see what would happen after they left school.
but nothing happened after that.
like. there wasn't really a plot??
-spoilers kinda not really-
i mean. there WAS a plot set up for each of them but nothing was really resolved for anyone by the end of the book. two characters hated each other, had zero interactions for like one hundred pages, and the book ends with them serendipitously running into each other after half a year and they smile at each other??? the end???
it was frustrating and maybe that was the point that ~who knows what happens after art school~ but the way this was executed felt both rushed and unfinished.
also i hated preston's manufactured art and i found louisa's original southern gothic paintings extremely intriguing. me actively participating in crit with pieces that don't even exist LMAO
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Could have been a 5 star review, but I hated the Robert and Preston POV chapters.
emotional
reflective
fast-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
For me, this was a strong like, but not quite a love. There was a lot going on in this book. I really enjoyed the two acts: during wrynn vs. post-wrynn in NY, and it was an interesting change of pace with the setting change. I do wish this was a bit longer; I felt like I didn’t get enough time with each character. Preston’s POV could have been left out imo. I’m a sucker for any piece of media where the side characters all intersect, so I liked that aspect a lot. But yeah, this was good (it’s hard for me not to enjoy this type of subject matter) but not life-changing.
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
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
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I don’t think I was expecting to enjoy this read as much as I did. A sucker for character driven books and this one most definitely scratched that itch. Some of the characters were more likable than others but as the story went on, even the unlikable characters had their moments. I appreciate how the story portrayed the struggles of the art world and the pressures, both internally and from the outside world, what it means to be successful and how to get there. The way each of the characters somehow intertwined themselves into each others lives and competed with and against each other, both subtly and obviously.
medium-paced
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
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to like this book more than I did. I love seeing representations of Acadie in literature, even better references. An artistic rendering and Sapphic romance seemed like an interesting premise, but overall the book book under delivers. The characters are not likeable, but also not interesting or nuanced in their unlike ability. This may be that the novel was super topical for its time, but some of the references took me out of my immersion. Although I thought I was reading a story about women in love, I feel like the male characters had more momentum and interest and the women instead used each other. A good novel that I was hoping would be better.