Reviews - Margot | The StoryGraph

41 reviews for:

Margot

Wendell Steavenson

3.44 AVERAGE

cmeade312's review

4.0

emotional hopeful 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: Yes

maggiecohn's review

3.0

I loved this book, until the last few chapters. It was very face paced and jumped around with no pay off. The end was truly horrible. Enough to say it spoiled the whole book.

ashcult's review

2.25

dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Was enjoyable until it got a bit slow for my liking. Kept branching off into topics that didn’t really grab my attention.

Content Warnings

This is literary fiction done really, really well!

The precision of language and framing of the time period is so spot on! Steavenson unfolds the sexual revolution through Margot’s skeptical yet impressionable eyes in a way that makes it impossible not to cheer for and hurt alongside our main character.

I am amazed at how the story brought the reader into the philosophical wrestlings around science (such as the scientific meaning of life and the morality of gene manipulation) in a really open-ended way through Margot’s inner conflict. It made a very dense subject matter universal when the author reflected those struggles in Margot’s tense relationships, especially with her mother. This was very smart writing!

A lot of the ending is left to the reader’s imagination, which would make this a great book club pick or buddy read so you can trade theories!

A few minor things that kept this from being a 5-star read for me: The politicking among the middle class was a bit complex, and required me to rewind the audio at a few points to make sure I understood. Also, the tone felt foreboding in a way that the synopsis didn’t quite prepare me for.

I'd recommend this to someone who's looking for:
•literary historical fiction
•explorative feminism
•women in academia
•falls from riches

folkloreandfiction's review

3.0

Kinda mad about the ending, review to come!

dreenamt's review

4.0

I read this book after reading that Prue Leith enjoyed it. I realize that sounds odd but I'm running out of recommendations. Send some fiction or contemporary recommendations my way!

This was a very enjoyable read that traverses the seasons of Margot's life. Steavenson is a very talented novelist and the book is well researched for the historical perspectives. Personally, I didn't love the ending but I see why she ended it that way. Definitely worth your time.

ndpangares's review

3.0

Writing is sharp and exact, time period of late 50’s-60’s in New York/ Boston, amidst fortunes lost and social opportunities for women and Margot… I learned a lot, and often a line of writing might sing. So many characters were horrible and entitled, but Margot’s mother was THE WORST from jump. The sexual Revolution of the 60’s had far more nuances than I’d known about and clearly women’s rights currently are still something we have to fight for. Ending was abysmal.