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melissawrites's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed this book so much that it's been two months since I've read it and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it so I had to come back and write a review. It's dark and saddening (which made me love it even more) but magical and artistic, too. You feel deeply for both Paz and Romy despite their flaws and can viscerally feel yourself in the room of each scene. Highly recommend!
tinysealoot's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't think I would like this book but the second half and ending surprise me!
uniqlosocks's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
abbystevenson's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
hanxiety_in_pink's review
4.0
This was very definitely a magpie-buy… so pretty that I couldn’t resist, but the premise also intrigued me. Seventies California, artists AND a hint of mystery. Colour me intrigued.
The young second wife, somewhat obsessed with her predecessor, Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca say what? The classic novel is referenced in the book so it’s clear the author took inspiration from this text but the settings couldn’t be further apart. From the first page the reader is transported to the stifling heat of the Californian desert; and to the stifling atmosphere of the art scene at the time.
This is a fairly short book, but it gives so much, questions of motherhood, womanhood and identity as an artist weave throughout and I felt equally claustrophobic and free. Paz, the protagonist, constrained within a world that she would not necessarily have chosen for herself, with a partner and child that are not truly hers. Romy, the mysterious artist, no longer trapped by the expectations of others.
The whole feminist thread about women in art in the seventies is super interesting, but even without that this is a really skilful take on a classic tale. The young and talented woman who, whilst seeking answers about the one who came before, ends up finding more about herself in the process. This was a wonderful little read and I’d recommend it in a heartbeat.
The young second wife, somewhat obsessed with her predecessor, Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca say what? The classic novel is referenced in the book so it’s clear the author took inspiration from this text but the settings couldn’t be further apart. From the first page the reader is transported to the stifling heat of the Californian desert; and to the stifling atmosphere of the art scene at the time.
This is a fairly short book, but it gives so much, questions of motherhood, womanhood and identity as an artist weave throughout and I felt equally claustrophobic and free. Paz, the protagonist, constrained within a world that she would not necessarily have chosen for herself, with a partner and child that are not truly hers. Romy, the mysterious artist, no longer trapped by the expectations of others.
The whole feminist thread about women in art in the seventies is super interesting, but even without that this is a really skilful take on a classic tale. The young and talented woman who, whilst seeking answers about the one who came before, ends up finding more about herself in the process. This was a wonderful little read and I’d recommend it in a heartbeat.
nightpath's review against another edition
4.0
A book full of so much, just brimming with thought and concept and space. It’s intersecting and jagged themes of feminism, performance art and the slow invisible violence of owning a vagina are experienced psychedelically throughout the pages. This is the kind of writing that fills me up wholly. It shows the imperfect edges of movements, and people and snapshots of time without seeming as though it has been written that way for that purpose. Sopinka knows what many people do not; there is no perfect boundary. This is something Romy herself, and Paz afterwards, obsess over. The event horizon beyond which no events can affect the observer. Utopia tells us that such a boundary cannot exist in the human experience. We will never be, can never be, so neat as to fit into the tight laws of the molecules surrounding us.
The characters in this book are artists who love and breathe their art. They are what they produce, they produce what they are. They sell what they experience, they experience what they sell, or don’t sell, or sell under false pretenses. The whole book is centered on the tragedy of this fact. A need to be so close to something, that a person cannot be saved. The violence of it all is profound. Burning matches signed into skin, starvation on a gallery floor, skin to soil and soil to skin and a falling falling falling body. It is as visceral as it is performative. The balance is masterfully written.
A read I won’t forget quickly.
The characters in this book are artists who love and breathe their art. They are what they produce, they produce what they are. They sell what they experience, they experience what they sell, or don’t sell, or sell under false pretenses. The whole book is centered on the tragedy of this fact. A need to be so close to something, that a person cannot be saved. The violence of it all is profound. Burning matches signed into skin, starvation on a gallery floor, skin to soil and soil to skin and a falling falling falling body. It is as visceral as it is performative. The balance is masterfully written.
A read I won’t forget quickly.
shaeloef's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
gommette's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Très cool, fiction féministe où les zhoms en prennent bien pour leur grade + on en apprend plein sur les féministes étasuniennes des 70's. Un peu trop abstrait quand ça parle de l'art. Plot twist de la fin très intéressant
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Rape, and Drug abuse
kayymwil's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
allienko's review
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75