Reviews

Under the Rainbow by Celia Laskey

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treyladd's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

leftyjonesq's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

5.0

seventhswan's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

I found this book strange, and ultimately not for me, but that's not to say it's badly written. In fact, I thought the writing was really solid and very clearly illustrated a world I have almost no idea about. My big problem with the book was that it tried to fit so much in - it was SO melodramatic, like a soap opera, but with none of the lighthearted vibe that makes soap operas work. Perhaps this really is what small towns in Kansas are like, but I struggled to believe it (though maybe that's just me being naive!). I also found the sexual content to be weirdly... off? I'm not a prude about sex in fiction but something about it really didn't work for me.

I did enjoy the varied cast of characters but I wish we would have got to spend more time with a few of them, rather than a small snapshot of several. So much more could have been done with, for example, Avery

adjusting to life as a wheelchair user

or David and Miguel's relationship. I also thought that the book was falsely advertised - from the blurb I was expecting a lighthearted comedy-drama, but what I got was a lot of graphic descriptions of hate crimes and only a partial HEA. The structure of the book was more like a collection of related/overlapping short stories than one narrative with a cohesive plot.

Laskey is a talented writer and I'd give another of her books a go! It's a shame this story didn't work for me.

Content Warnings

e_oneita's review against another edition

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4.0

This is an ultimately lovely little book that is terribly bleak and heart-breaking in parts. It is also necessary; those of us fortunate enough to live in LGBT friendly areas forget that there are large parts of the country where oppression and shame are still rife. Laskey does an excellent job of depicting this, and not sensationalizing the bigotry into something cartoonish. Part of what makes the novel so bleak in parts is how elegant she is at exposing that "mundane", yet oh so awful, bigotry.

As a debut, Under the Rainbow is incredible. Laskey tackles so many heavy topics in this book, and does so very well. Although I was desperate to know more about her characters, I also appreciated her narrative style of stepping back from them to make room for other important stories (apart from one lovely exception). As a debut author she is already proficient at showing in just a few lines immense character changes (see Christine, one of the many not-villains in the book), which foreshadows even more accomplished novels to come from her.

Read this book, but do make sure you take a few breathers.