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avie_j's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Medical content
Minor: Racism and Homophobia
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
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
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
lindseyhall44's review
reflective
slow-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
4.25
If beautiful writing was a competition, Ali Smith would win every award. Autumn was a master class of a novel, utilizing themes of life, love, and stories themselves to create something as dazzling as its namesake season.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Medical content, and Terminal illness
farenmaddox's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
There is something about marking down, 'no the cast is not particularly diverse and there was little character development,' that makes it feel like I should not be able to rate the book so highly, and yet here we are. This book is a snapshot of people at a particular moment and was simply not about developing them but rather about showing them at an interesting time in their lives. There are reflective flashbacks that provide some context, but never more than the bare minimum you need to understand them. There is much that is left up to interpretation, which fueled a joyfully-shouted discussion with my book club about why, exactly, Elisabeth focuses her work where she does, and how to think about her mother (both as a mother and as a woman).
Ali Smith's writing style is incredible, lyrical and bold and restrained all at once. I was immediately consumed with a desire to read more of her work (this is my first Ali Smith) and just bask in her command of language. The themes of transition and death were handled so poetically and with such deftness, I was truly impressed. The previously-mentioned book club already agreed to read Winter next and perhaps the entire quartet as the seasons turn. I haven't seen our group this excited about a book since we read Piranesi (Susannah Clarke).
Why is not 5 stars? Because I rarely enjoy visual art being described in words, and found those passages which described Pauline Boty's work very frustrating. The scenes in which Daniel is describing them aloud are different, as it's more about Daniel than about trying to visualize the art piece, but there were a few places where her work was described in the narrative rather than by Daniel and that was the bit I disliked.
Ali Smith's writing style is incredible, lyrical and bold and restrained all at once. I was immediately consumed with a desire to read more of her work (this is my first Ali Smith) and just bask in her command of language. The themes of transition and death were handled so poetically and with such deftness, I was truly impressed. The previously-mentioned book club already agreed to read Winter next and perhaps the entire quartet as the seasons turn. I haven't seen our group this excited about a book since we read Piranesi (Susannah Clarke).
Why is not 5 stars? Because I rarely enjoy visual art being described in words, and found those passages which described Pauline Boty's work very frustrating. The scenes in which Daniel is describing them aloud are different, as it's more about Daniel than about trying to visualize the art piece, but there were a few places where her work was described in the narrative rather than by Daniel and that was the bit I disliked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
Moderate: Death, Grief, Homophobia, and Medical content
lghrndn's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Medical content
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