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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
There’s a lot to love about this oral history of a fictional rock duo who defied their times to make a brief but epic mark on music…
-The primary character voices are all strong, some leaping right off the pages. (Who wouldn’t love to spend time with Virgil LaFleur?)
-Opal Jewel is a character for the ages.
-Walton has a particular gift for placing Opal and Nev in a real-world landscape. She does it so successfully that I forgot at times that this was a fictional rock band. (Or at least wished they really existed.)
-She also has a knack for description. There is a photograph that is central to the narrative that she conjured so vividly I could readily see it.
-The retrospective claiming of Opal as a social justice icon is interesting and well-painted. I like that she was at times more show-woman than musical talent. And, even if my attention started to wane in the final quarter when the narrative focus became contemporary rather than retrospective, the titular “final revival” sucked me right back in.
While Walton has a ton of talent, there were a few things that kept this debut novel from transcending a 4-star rating. I can hardly blame her for failing to inject nuance into some of the White racist characters, but their cliched dialogue left the book feeling didactic at times.
Likewise, Walton stretched the oral history format a little beyond credulity, with some first person passages that come off like a sweaty attempt to advance the plot.
The music critic Ann Powers referred to “Final Revival” as one of the best books about the industry she’s ever read. Who am I to question her expert taste? While other readers may well agree with Powers, I had enough moments where I became hyperaware of what Walton was trying to do rather than staying locked into the fictional author’s voice. Still, this book was a delight.
-The primary character voices are all strong, some leaping right off the pages. (Who wouldn’t love to spend time with Virgil LaFleur?)
-Opal Jewel is a character for the ages.
-Walton has a particular gift for placing Opal and Nev in a real-world landscape. She does it so successfully that I forgot at times that this was a fictional rock band. (Or at least wished they really existed.)
-She also has a knack for description. There is a photograph that is central to the narrative that she conjured so vividly I could readily see it.
-The retrospective claiming of Opal as a social justice icon is interesting and well-painted. I like that she was at times more show-woman than musical talent. And, even if my attention started to wane in the final quarter when the narrative focus became contemporary rather than retrospective, the titular “final revival” sucked me right back in.
While Walton has a ton of talent, there were a few things that kept this debut novel from transcending a 4-star rating. I can hardly blame her for failing to inject nuance into some of the White racist characters, but their cliched dialogue left the book feeling didactic at times.
Likewise, Walton stretched the oral history format a little beyond credulity, with some first person passages that come off like a sweaty attempt to advance the plot.
The music critic Ann Powers referred to “Final Revival” as one of the best books about the industry she’s ever read. Who am I to question her expert taste? While other readers may well agree with Powers, I had enough moments where I became hyperaware of what Walton was trying to do rather than staying locked into the fictional author’s voice. Still, this book was a delight.
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-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
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Unfortunately, I have to bring up that this book is really not like Daisy Jones and the Six. And it's partially because of the fact that we had more of a reference point about what influenced Daisy Jones, whereas this one, I don't know a real-life musical act that fits Opal and Nev.
With that out of the way, I'm sorry, I was so bored. I had a hard time caring about the story. The big climax was built up way too early, and then when it finally was revealed, it kind of fell flat. Opal's an interesting character, but I questioned a lot of her actions. I also had a problem with how much of a character Sunny was. And the part where they "interviewed" real people about Opal's influence was cringey and took me completely out of the book. There are some parts about racism and how much our country hasn't changed, but even those didn't hit as hard as they could have given the rest of the book. I'm bummed this didn't work for me.
With that out of the way, I'm sorry, I was so bored. I had a hard time caring about the story. The big climax was built up way too early, and then when it finally was revealed, it kind of fell flat. Opal's an interesting character, but I questioned a lot of her actions. I also had a problem with how much of a character Sunny was. And the part where they "interviewed" real people about Opal's influence was cringey and took me completely out of the book. There are some parts about racism and how much our country hasn't changed, but even those didn't hit as hard as they could have given the rest of the book. I'm bummed this didn't work for me.
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
With the same interview-style writing as Daisy Jones focused on a musical act, this was an absolute slam dunk read and IMO surpasses its predecessor. In addition to weaving togethera picture of the Opal & Nev duo, the story is threaded throughout with the racial strife of the times that pushes forward to present day. The plot was surprising and twisty-turvy--the way my jaw HIT THE GODDAMN FLOOR at the last paragraph of Part I, I was aghast.
***quotes***
"Suddenly these same people were up in arms. And that right there is very typical of white people--won't do what's right till they're directly affected." (149)
"What I find interesting is that we're focusing now on the violence that's done against the man in the song. We're not talking at all about the violence he commits against the woman in the first place, the casual and awful violence he commits against her body." (244)
***quotes***
"Suddenly these same people were up in arms. And that right there is very typical of white people--won't do what's right till they're directly affected." (149)
"What I find interesting is that we're focusing now on the violence that's done against the man in the song. We're not talking at all about the violence he commits against the woman in the first place, the casual and awful violence he commits against her body." (244)
There was a good story to tell but it got lost in unnecessary details and unrelated story lines.
This is the story of musicians Opal Jewel and Nev Charles, who met in the early ‘70s and collaborated on 2 albums of Afro-Punk style music. This was an unlikely pairing, as Opal Jewel was a American black woman and Nev was a British white man. However, Opal Jewel didn’t just sing; she performed and had intricate costumes designed by her friend and neighbor, Virgil. The story is told in a series of interviews and editorials. Most of the book leads up to an incident at a festival, where racial tensions exploded with devastating results. I really enjoyed the interview style of the book, as it helped make the chapters fly by. My only critique is that the pacing sometimes slowed towards the end of the book.
Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy in return for an honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy in return for an honest review.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thought this book portrayed the unhealthy toxicity of the rock/punk scene of the 70s very well. I appreciated that we got more of Opal's pov as a black woman in punk music. I could see that her character was based on many real-life black women of rock n roll. For me, Tina Turner, Betty Davis, X-Ray Spex, and Ronnie Blakey came to mind every time I read more of Opal's background. I liked the Nev character, too. He is a good and honest representation of the "nice white guy" or the "ally" that isn't overtly racist, but gets too comfortable ignoring serious issues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Murder, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use
Some thoughts on this book:
1. The first half was going really well, with good build up to the central event. But it should have ended more quickly after that. The last 200 or so pages were pretty pointless.
2. The discussion of racism; then and now; really elevated the story beyond the story of musical history which I wasn't super excited by.
3. This book was clearly made to be an audio book. I wish I had listened to it instead of reading the hard copy.
4. It's impossible to ignore the similarities to Daisy Jones, both in style and content they are extremely alike. There was also a plot element that was very similar to Evelyn Hugo. I was constantly musing on that as I was reading.
1. The first half was going really well, with good build up to the central event. But it should have ended more quickly after that. The last 200 or so pages were pretty pointless.
2. The discussion of racism; then and now; really elevated the story beyond the story of musical history which I wasn't super excited by.
3. This book was clearly made to be an audio book. I wish I had listened to it instead of reading the hard copy.
4. It's impossible to ignore the similarities to Daisy Jones, both in style and content they are extremely alike. There was also a plot element that was very similar to Evelyn Hugo. I was constantly musing on that as I was reading.