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flashandoutbreak's review
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Medical content, and Racial slurs
erebus53's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Wow. Ok this book was not something I was expecting and I lost sleep because I didn't want to stop. Oops.
This was published in 2016, in a UK that was harrowed by the conflict of Brexit and the U.S.A. Presidential Election, so the ending of an era is tied poetically into the autumnal season. This book is more poetry than prose, in some cases literally.
Telling the story of a young Art professor, who is likely to be laid off shortly due to budget cuts, we learn of her childhood and a deep loving friendship that she built with her elderly neighbour. As an old man when they met, he is now over 100 years old and in palliative care, so she makes regular trips to his bedside to read him books.
Thematically, this is a really complex interplay. Through a platonic love affair, with a man who idolises the pop-art created by a woman known for being a wild and affronting naked artist, we see the separation of sex and love. Through the graffiti on walls we see conversations unfold, of protest and the demand for change. "GO HOME!" "I'm already here thanks" speaks volumes about conflict and the attitudes of the British people. Through games shared by an old man and a little girl, we learn to play with words, play with images, and play with the words we use to describe images, and the images we use to describe ideas... and interpret and re-interpret the things in front of us. *breeath!*
Yes this could all be quite navel-gazey, but it is emotionally resonant. A fatherless child, a lonely mother, a wish to meet celebrity, a desire to be recognised as an expert, the want to be taken seriously, the low expectations that have been held of women over the years, expectations, presumptions and interpretations, and misunderstandings, and dreams, and unpredictable nature... life protracted, and life cut short.
Oh hang it.. if reading literature makes me speak in big impenetrable words, then reading symbolic poetical stuff that's grounded in everyday humdrum, makes me sound waffley and artistical. This is not an artistical book.. it's a good quick read, and probably worth re-reading. The dry and quick wit makes it utterly hilarious in places, and the people feel real, flawed, and loveable. I am not quite moved to paint, or throw barometers at electric fences.
This was published in 2016, in a UK that was harrowed by the conflict of Brexit and the U.S.A. Presidential Election, so the ending of an era is tied poetically into the autumnal season. This book is more poetry than prose, in some cases literally.
Telling the story of a young Art professor, who is likely to be laid off shortly due to budget cuts, we learn of her childhood and a deep loving friendship that she built with her elderly neighbour. As an old man when they met, he is now over 100 years old and in palliative care, so she makes regular trips to his bedside to read him books.
Thematically, this is a really complex interplay. Through a platonic love affair, with a man who idolises the pop-art created by a woman known for being a wild and affronting naked artist, we see the separation of sex and love. Through the graffiti on walls we see conversations unfold, of protest and the demand for change. "GO HOME!" "I'm already here thanks" speaks volumes about conflict and the attitudes of the British people. Through games shared by an old man and a little girl, we learn to play with words, play with images, and play with the words we use to describe images, and the images we use to describe ideas... and interpret and re-interpret the things in front of us. *breeath!*
Yes this could all be quite navel-gazey, but it is emotionally resonant. A fatherless child, a lonely mother, a wish to meet celebrity, a desire to be recognised as an expert, the want to be taken seriously, the low expectations that have been held of women over the years, expectations, presumptions and interpretations, and misunderstandings, and dreams, and unpredictable nature... life protracted, and life cut short.
Oh hang it.. if reading literature makes me speak in big impenetrable words, then reading symbolic poetical stuff that's grounded in everyday humdrum, makes me sound waffley and artistical. This is not an artistical book.. it's a good quick read, and probably worth re-reading. The dry and quick wit makes it utterly hilarious in places, and the people feel real, flawed, and loveable. I am not quite moved to paint, or throw barometers at electric fences.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Death, Cancer, Grief, Sexism, Cursing, Misogyny, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Homophobia, Hate crime, and Terminal illness
Minor: Mental illness, Sexual content, and Adult/minor relationship
thesupermassive's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny and Xenophobia
Minor: Medical content
deedireads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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? No
4.5
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
The first book in Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet is a stunner, even if it makes you work a little bit for the payoff. Her prose is just so good and this book is beautiful.
For you if: You like the challenge of a novel that doesn’t have a straightforward plot.
FULL REVIEW:
I’m long overdue for my journey with Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet, so when my dear IRL friend and fellow bookstagrammer @caseys_chapters announced a year-long buddy read, I jumped at the chance. We read Autumn in November, and (as expected) I loved it.
The book is about a woman named Elisabeth who has been friends with an old man named Daniel, who lived next door to her mother, since she was a kid. They have a strong bond that was built on candor and curiosity and a love of art. We flash back between past conversations and the present, when Daniel is unconscious in a nursing home and Elisabeth visits regularly. The “present day” takes place amidst the Brexit vote, and the feeling prevalent in England at the time pervades the story.
As you might expect from the title, this book deals with themes of change, endings, and nostalgia. What Ali Smith does so well here (besides just like, everything about her prose) is mix the temperature of the nation in with British cultural references and banality and humor (see: the post office scene). This book evokes so much FEELING, even if sometimes you aren’t even sure why you’re feeling so much. You’ll also fall deeply in love with Elisabeth and Daniel’s relationship, as I did.
I will say that this isn’t a very super straightforward book, and it might not be for everyone. It’s almost poetic, but on a novel level vs a sentence level. I may have even read it too quickly myself to have gotten everything it has to offer, and I expect a reread would be super fulfilling.
Can’t wait to read the rest of the quartet!
TL;DR REVIEW:
The first book in Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet is a stunner, even if it makes you work a little bit for the payoff. Her prose is just so good and this book is beautiful.
For you if: You like the challenge of a novel that doesn’t have a straightforward plot.
FULL REVIEW:
I’m long overdue for my journey with Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet, so when my dear IRL friend and fellow bookstagrammer @caseys_chapters announced a year-long buddy read, I jumped at the chance. We read Autumn in November, and (as expected) I loved it.
The book is about a woman named Elisabeth who has been friends with an old man named Daniel, who lived next door to her mother, since she was a kid. They have a strong bond that was built on candor and curiosity and a love of art. We flash back between past conversations and the present, when Daniel is unconscious in a nursing home and Elisabeth visits regularly. The “present day” takes place amidst the Brexit vote, and the feeling prevalent in England at the time pervades the story.
As you might expect from the title, this book deals with themes of change, endings, and nostalgia. What Ali Smith does so well here (besides just like, everything about her prose) is mix the temperature of the nation in with British cultural references and banality and humor (see: the post office scene). This book evokes so much FEELING, even if sometimes you aren’t even sure why you’re feeling so much. You’ll also fall deeply in love with Elisabeth and Daniel’s relationship, as I did.
I will say that this isn’t a very super straightforward book, and it might not be for everyone. It’s almost poetic, but on a novel level vs a sentence level. I may have even read it too quickly myself to have gotten everything it has to offer, and I expect a reread would be super fulfilling.
Can’t wait to read the rest of the quartet!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Death
Moderate: Xenophobia
savvylit's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Autumn is a touching meditation on art, political division, and the power of friendship. Though the political atmosphere of this book is certainly key to the story, the Brexit vote is more of a background mood than a primary topic. Rather, the real heart of this novel is the lasting impact of Elisabeth's friendship with sweet, elderly Daniel. As the book progresses, Smith so artfully describes the power of intergenerational friendships for each party. For Daniel, Elisabeth's presence is a balm to his late-in-life loneliness. For Elisabeth, Daniel's perspectives and conversation guide her to a lifelong passion for art. This type of friendship is not often depicted in fiction, and I found it delightful and refreshing to read about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death
feebles640's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
Minor: Pregnancy and Terminal illness
rosalind's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Xenophobia, and Sexual content
Minor: Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, and Homophobia
amelreads's review
funny
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, and Xenophobia
Minor: Homophobia
bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Not really a plot-book just follows the characters with some flashes to the past. I did like Elisabeth’s POV much better than Daniel’s, as his seemed to be all over the place, confusing, and made no sense to me (the writing in his chapters seemed to be overly metaphorical/artistic…not entirely sure how to describe it)
Loved the relationship between Elisabeth and Daniel, especially seeing how it affected Elisabeth as she grew up!
It was a decent read; nothing great that would leave me thinking for days after having finished, but it wasn’t a bad read either. Fairly quick and easy to get through if you’re looking for a shorter book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, War, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia, Xenophobia, and Misogyny
Minor: Racism, Cancer, and Suicide
nochnitsa's review
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Meet my new favourite book. I love this writing style, which, privately, I call poetic prose. I want to read it again immediately but first I want to take some time to reflect and research about the real figures in this book. I feel like there are thin spiderweb strings going from this book in every direction, shining in the sun, making me want to learn so many new and beautiful things. This book is surreal both in it's show of reality and actually surreal text. It disregards space and time, interweaving stories and presenting labeled things in a new way. It makes you see the beautiful in the ugly. It gives hope. I love it. Can't wait to read more of Ali Smith.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Death