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aknapp82's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
_lost_in_wonderland_'s review against another edition
4.0
what a weirdly perfect time for me to come across this book
lornesausage's review against another edition
3.0
V well done exploration of the predatory male gaze vs the (queer) female gaze, art, womanhood and family dynamics in this slow-paced, oppressive-heatwave-at-the-end-of-summer kind of a novel. The most mic drop of ending lines too.
quicksilvermoon's review against another edition
3.0
Tired, frazzled Ruth returns to the home she inherited from her father, and memories from her girlhood and her traumatic past begin to bubble up to the surface - memories of a sapphic summer spent cosplaying as Ophelia, until someone actually drowned.
Her daughter Maeve, back from the brink of a long illness, is now entering that wild, reckless age, entertaining fantasies of being some tragic heroine. The story is told through alternating perspectives, a stylised meditation on generation gaps, female desire and the fetishisation of teenaged girls. A lush read that’s perhaps an acquired taste, and pairs well with a certain atmosphere of lassitude.
Her daughter Maeve, back from the brink of a long illness, is now entering that wild, reckless age, entertaining fantasies of being some tragic heroine. The story is told through alternating perspectives, a stylised meditation on generation gaps, female desire and the fetishisation of teenaged girls. A lush read that’s perhaps an acquired taste, and pairs well with a certain atmosphere of lassitude.
jodiesbookishposts's review against another edition
4.0
I got this book for the title only. I went in with no expectations and it was a good book to do that with.
This is an exploration of mother/daughter relationships and youth.
I really enjoyed it, I think I would benefit from a reread later on down the line. I imagine this is the type of book I would get something new out of every time.
This is an exploration of mother/daughter relationships and youth.
I really enjoyed it, I think I would benefit from a reread later on down the line. I imagine this is the type of book I would get something new out of every time.
sabrinaslivingliterature's review against another edition
4.0
A mother’s secret past and her daughter’s present collide in this richly atmospheric novel in the gothic tradition reminiscent of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.
*Trigger Warnings*
*grooming, adult-minor relationship, drowning, homophobia, cancer, death*
I really enjoyed this book it had an unnerving undertone and is definitely inspired by gothic literature as well as the images of Pre-Raphaelite art where it gets its name.
It is beautifully written to give the chilling scenery and there is lots of foreshadowing that I loved. The dual story line is not something I am familiar with but it very much worked in this book showing the parallels between the lives of the mother and daughter both in the same house during a summer. This is a page turner and although I kind of knew where it was going the ending was still amazing and the revelations still chilling.
I don't think you are meant to like any of the characters in this book particularly, however, I found Maeve annoying at times although again I think that is the point she's a teenager she's immature and sullen and cruel to those around her at times. I also found Alex to be rather a one dimensional character, however, as we read through Maeve's view of her father and Ruth's view of her husband this is unsurprising but it would be nice to have known more about him.
Over all I enjoyed this book and look forward to picking up other books by the author.
*Trigger Warnings*
*grooming, adult-minor relationship, drowning, homophobia, cancer, death*
I really enjoyed this book it had an unnerving undertone and is definitely inspired by gothic literature as well as the images of Pre-Raphaelite art where it gets its name.
It is beautifully written to give the chilling scenery and there is lots of foreshadowing that I loved. The dual story line is not something I am familiar with but it very much worked in this book showing the parallels between the lives of the mother and daughter both in the same house during a summer. This is a page turner and although I kind of knew where it was going the ending was still amazing and the revelations still chilling.
I don't think you are meant to like any of the characters in this book particularly, however, I found Maeve annoying at times although again I think that is the point she's a teenager she's immature and sullen and cruel to those around her at times. I also found Alex to be rather a one dimensional character, however, as we read through Maeve's view of her father and Ruth's view of her husband this is unsurprising but it would be nice to have known more about him.
Over all I enjoyed this book and look forward to picking up other books by the author.
sabrinaslivingliterature's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley for sending me an eARC of this book.
Publication date: 22nd July 2021
A mother’s secret past and her daughter’s present collide in this richly atmospheric novel in the gothic tradition reminiscent of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.
Trigger Warnings
grooming, adult-minor relationship, drowning, homophobia, cancer, death
I really enjoyed this book it had an unnerving undertone and is definitely inspired by gothic literature as well as the images of Pre-Raphaelite art where it gets its name.
It is beautifully written to give the chilling scenery and there is lots of foreshadowing that I loved. The dual story line is not something I am familiar with but it very much worked in this book showing the parallels between the lives of the mother and daughter both in the same house during a summer. This is a page turner and although I kind of knew where it was going the ending was still amazing and the revelations still chilling.
I don't think you are meant to like any of the characters in this book particularly, however, I found Maeve annoying at times although again I think that is the point she's a teenager she's immature and sullen and cruel to those around her at times. I also found Alex to be rather a one dimensional character, however, as we read through Maeve's view of her father and Ruth's view of her husband this is unsurprising but it would be nice to have known more about him.
Over all I enjoyed this book and look forward to picking up other books by the author.
Publication date: 22nd July 2021
A mother’s secret past and her daughter’s present collide in this richly atmospheric novel in the gothic tradition reminiscent of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.
Trigger Warnings
grooming, adult-minor relationship, drowning, homophobia, cancer, death
I really enjoyed this book it had an unnerving undertone and is definitely inspired by gothic literature as well as the images of Pre-Raphaelite art where it gets its name.
It is beautifully written to give the chilling scenery and there is lots of foreshadowing that I loved. The dual story line is not something I am familiar with but it very much worked in this book showing the parallels between the lives of the mother and daughter both in the same house during a summer. This is a page turner and although I kind of knew where it was going the ending was still amazing and the revelations still chilling.
I don't think you are meant to like any of the characters in this book particularly, however, I found Maeve annoying at times although again I think that is the point she's a teenager she's immature and sullen and cruel to those around her at times. I also found Alex to be rather a one dimensional character, however, as we read through Maeve's view of her father and Ruth's view of her husband this is unsurprising but it would be nice to have known more about him.
Over all I enjoyed this book and look forward to picking up other books by the author.
tessa_talbert's review against another edition
4.0
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I seem to be running into deeply dreamy, atmospheric pieces lately and I'm not mad.
The Ophelia Girls is a dual timeline adult novel that glides back and forth to an idyllic and tragic summer of a woman named Ruth and, later, her 17-year-old daughter, Maeve who is recovering from leukemia.
The imagery in this was absolutely stunning. Harkening back to the Shakspearean story of Ophelia, there is symbolism at every turn. Ruth and her friends when they were young took great care in their clothing, the choosing of flowers, the way their bodies were positioned in the water, etc in order to create gorgeous and lasting images.
The writing was lyrical but not overtly so, and I enjoyed the flow of the story and the characters introduced throughout the way. I wish we had gotten more information on them as the novel came to a close. With all the the various (I won't spoil) hurts and wants, I wondered what life was like for them after the fact. I do wish that we knew who's POV was who's as the chapters turned. Sometimes, I was having to flip back to see where we came from, other times it was obvious. It just depended.
I was uncomfortable with Stuart and Maeve's relationship. The age-gap itself was its own thing, but also the power-imbalance of a girl recently recovering from a potentially deadly disease and a fully grown man who seemed to carry a torch for her mother at some point....not my thing.
This novel is full of aching sadness, it breathes from between each page and reaches out to grip you when you don't expect it. You definitely come away feeling something, even if it's not what you wanted.
*My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.*
I seem to be running into deeply dreamy, atmospheric pieces lately and I'm not mad.
The Ophelia Girls is a dual timeline adult novel that glides back and forth to an idyllic and tragic summer of a woman named Ruth and, later, her 17-year-old daughter, Maeve who is recovering from leukemia.
The imagery in this was absolutely stunning. Harkening back to the Shakspearean story of Ophelia, there is symbolism at every turn. Ruth and her friends when they were young took great care in their clothing, the choosing of flowers, the way their bodies were positioned in the water, etc in order to create gorgeous and lasting images.
The writing was lyrical but not overtly so, and I enjoyed the flow of the story and the characters introduced throughout the way. I wish we had gotten more information on them as the novel came to a close. With all the the various (I won't spoil) hurts and wants, I wondered what life was like for them after the fact. I do wish that we knew who's POV was who's as the chapters turned. Sometimes, I was having to flip back to see where we came from, other times it was obvious. It just depended.
I was uncomfortable with Stuart and Maeve's relationship. The age-gap itself was its own thing, but also the power-imbalance of a girl recently recovering from a potentially deadly disease and a fully grown man who seemed to carry a torch for her mother at some point....not my thing.
This novel is full of aching sadness, it breathes from between each page and reaches out to grip you when you don't expect it. You definitely come away feeling something, even if it's not what you wanted.
*My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.*
meldav4's review against another edition
4.0
There is no way that I am going to be able to write a review that this book deserves. I am not going to be able to come up with the wording to express the melancholic beauty and expertise evoked from the story and the writing. The writing itself was sophisticated, eloquent, and expressive. I savored every word written, I did not want to miss a single thing. I had the impression that each and every word was crafted with precision and thought, they deserved the attention from the reader that was put into them by the author.
I found myself immersed in the story, deeply engaged with the characters. And about those characters! The author created and portrayed her characters in such a way that they breathed life, I felt connected to them and felt such empathy and emotion. Sensitive topics are immersed throughout the book, but they were not excessive or detailed, they were tastefully and masterfully presented and positioned. This would be a perfect book to for a book club, or for anyone who likes to dig deeper into what they are reading, to be able to pull more from what is on the surface. There are so many topics that could be analyzed and discussed, and I would love to attend an event to listen to this author provide her own discussion on the background of writing this novel.
I was quite impressed with this novel for so many reasons. I highly recommend it!
I found myself immersed in the story, deeply engaged with the characters. And about those characters! The author created and portrayed her characters in such a way that they breathed life, I felt connected to them and felt such empathy and emotion. Sensitive topics are immersed throughout the book, but they were not excessive or detailed, they were tastefully and masterfully presented and positioned. This would be a perfect book to for a book club, or for anyone who likes to dig deeper into what they are reading, to be able to pull more from what is on the surface. There are so many topics that could be analyzed and discussed, and I would love to attend an event to listen to this author provide her own discussion on the background of writing this novel.
I was quite impressed with this novel for so many reasons. I highly recommend it!