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dennyzen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
jillian1218's review against another edition
5.0
Have you ever felt like a book was written just for you? That's how I felt about this book. It had everything I love -- family, history, love (not the cheesy insta-love but real heartbreaking and sometimes unrequited love) dashes of magic/magical realism. I wouldn't be surprised if this book rakes in the awards.
udisha79's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Okay, i don't know how, but this book works.
It worked so well. I really enjoyed this book.
The writing, so good. It was strange and beautiful, as the title says.
I don't have many words to explain this. But I loved this book very much. 100 stars if i could. <3
It worked so well. I really enjoyed this book.
The writing, so good. It was strange and beautiful, as the title says.
I don't have many words to explain this. But I loved this book very much. 100 stars if i could. <3
kim_j_dare's review against another edition
3.0
Although this is billed as YA, it will have much more appeal to adults than to teens. Remeniscent of [b:Gullboy|9475303|Gullboy|Wade Rubenstein|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1286545420s/9475303.jpg|14360478] or some of [a:David Almond|13652|David Almond|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1205349967p2/13652.jpg]'s works, it is fanciful and quirky to an extreme. Lush storytelling, but perhaps a little too much of a good thing.
stellalalilu's review against another edition
5.0
This book, oh my god. As you'd expect from the title, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender was both strange and extremely beautiful. While I don't read magical realism that often, this uniquely thought out story captured my interest within the first few pages and refused to let go until the very last one. Beautifully written but also cruel, bittersweet and absolutely heart-wrenching. (big tw though: rape) Walton's writing is hard to put into words, it is simply a permeating feeling and atmosphere that runs through the entire book. Even though I felt the tension build from the very beginning, I was still very shocked by the rape scene. But like I said, this book isn't only gloomy, it is also funny at times, painfully honest about human error, regret, things that should've been done or could've been said, with characters that are all extremely unique. It's hard to describe this book, I think one must read it in order to understand the whirlwind of emotions I got from it.
katiereitzel's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
libraryofdreaming's review against another edition
1.0
I wish I didn't feel the need to write this review, since even now thinking about The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender makes me feel unsettled, but I feel like I can't let it go before I have put it to rest in this way. First off, I would like to point out something that I REALLY wish someone had told me before I read this book:
WARNING: THIS BOOK CONTAINS RAPE, VIOLENCE, GORE, ANIMAL DEATH/GORE, AND DISTURBING THEMES
If I had known what was contained in this book, I never would have touched it, much less put myself through reading it. Yes, some of the writing was beautiful. The first chapter made me sigh with its fairy tale imagery, but I was quickly disallusioned that this was a peaceful YA fantasy by its encroaching darkness. By the time I reached the last page I was emotional, disturbed, and felt contaminated just from reading about some of the horrible things in this book. I wanted a beautiful fairy tale, I got an incredibly disturbing novel instead. It was pretty well written for the most part, but even then I felt like too much time was spent on Ava's relations, she barely gets any character development before all hell breaks loose. A lot of the secondary characters and their stories confused me and I wonder why the author included them. I expected some of the horrific things that happen to Ava, but I was NOT expecting rape and one of the most disturbing villains I've had the misfortunate to read about in a long time. His habits, violence, and sexual perversion left a burning imprint on my mind that I dearly wish I could bleach away. The confrontational scene was obviously well written in that I felt like I was right there, but why did it have to be so completely horrific?? Good writing is one thing, good content is another. Along with the rape and animal gore, I did not expect the weird religious creepiness that happened here. I don't understand a lot of what went on or why the author chose to go with that angle but it disturbed me even more. Nothing was left sacred in this book.
*spoilers*At the end, I was positive that Ava had committed suicide and practically threw the book away from me in despair. After thinking about it, I realized Ava had written the introduction in her old age so she couldn't have died in the end. Why couldn't the author give us some closure there? The last scene had some great imagery, but it was also really weird too. *spoilers end*
In hindsight, I can see some slight glimpses of beauty and hope in this book, but nothing that could possibly make up for the disturbing content and the sick feeling I was left with after I finished this book.
WARNING: THIS BOOK CONTAINS RAPE, VIOLENCE, GORE, ANIMAL DEATH/GORE, AND DISTURBING THEMES
If I had known what was contained in this book, I never would have touched it, much less put myself through reading it. Yes, some of the writing was beautiful. The first chapter made me sigh with its fairy tale imagery, but I was quickly disallusioned that this was a peaceful YA fantasy by its encroaching darkness. By the time I reached the last page I was emotional, disturbed, and felt contaminated just from reading about some of the horrible things in this book. I wanted a beautiful fairy tale, I got an incredibly disturbing novel instead. It was pretty well written for the most part, but even then I felt like too much time was spent on Ava's relations, she barely gets any character development before all hell breaks loose. A lot of the secondary characters and their stories confused me and I wonder why the author included them. I expected some of the horrific things that happen to Ava, but I was NOT expecting rape and one of the most disturbing villains I've had the misfortunate to read about in a long time. His habits, violence, and sexual perversion left a burning imprint on my mind that I dearly wish I could bleach away. The confrontational scene was obviously well written in that I felt like I was right there, but why did it have to be so completely horrific?? Good writing is one thing, good content is another. Along with the rape and animal gore, I did not expect the weird religious creepiness that happened here. I don't understand a lot of what went on or why the author chose to go with that angle but it disturbed me even more. Nothing was left sacred in this book.
*spoilers*At the end, I was positive that Ava had committed suicide and practically threw the book away from me in despair. After thinking about it, I realized Ava had written the introduction in her old age so she couldn't have died in the end. Why couldn't the author give us some closure there? The last scene had some great imagery, but it was also really weird too. *spoilers end*
In hindsight, I can see some slight glimpses of beauty and hope in this book, but nothing that could possibly make up for the disturbing content and the sick feeling I was left with after I finished this book.
foxtr0t_'s review against another edition
Very interesting style of writing but it was too weird for me I suppose.
I loved how whimsical it was.
I loved how whimsical it was.
jenna_renna_wren's review against another edition
4.0
...wow. 4.3925, if that is a possible rating. I loved this and relished in the ending. The plot was unique and completely engaging, and I found it to have the perfect touch of mystery. It felt very real and not all dressed up like most books (to make everything seem all perfect),encapsulating true human nature and the heartbreak that accompanies our existence. The only reason it isn’t a 4.5 or 5 in my mind is because I felt that Ava Lavender, who was meant to be the main character, felt just like a side character representing a halfhearted narrator. By the end of the book I was still unsatisfied by her involvement in everything. It was lovely how it went through the early family in such detail, but then it got to Ava more than halfway through the book and time seemed to speed up so I felt well introduced to her mother and grandmother but unaware of her personality. Overall, the originality of this book kept me glued to the pages and I would read this again. In my heart, it would be a 5 simply because I don’t think I could ever find such a gem of a book ever again.