Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
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
Loved this, like Daisy Jones and the Six done better, tackling more issues and getting more complex (also not as obviously based on a band I knew). I enjoyed this from start to finish and I’m so glad I made the decision to audiobook this because the full cast narration was amazing and even included one of my favorite narrators of all time! Highly recommend this to anyone, but especially Taylor Jenkins Reid fans because this is like that (but better imo).
Fans of Daisy Jones and the Six should also check out this novel. The similarities are the oral history/story told through interviews/newspapers and music. That's it. The stories are, otherwise, refreshingly quite different.
Opal and Nev are an unlikely pairing who create Afro-punk music in the 70s. Their first record gets very little recognition but then a label showcase goes tragically awry and, after some touring and some positive media attention, things seem to be looking up. Their live shows are electric thanks mainly to Opal's in-your-face style and the feminist, social justice lean of the lyrics (written by Nev). But, as happened to many bands in that era, addiction changed things and they parted. We learn that Nev went on to great success while Opal made her way, spending time and performing in Paris and doing some acting, but she never had the breakthrough like Nev. The story builds up to their reunion show at a festival and what happens from there. The things you might be thinking about this story are probably not what actually happens in the story.
Opal Jewel is a fascinating character - I thought of her like a mix of Cynthia Erivo, Grace Jones, and Rose Stone.
Opal and Nev are an unlikely pairing who create Afro-punk music in the 70s. Their first record gets very little recognition but then a label showcase goes tragically awry and, after some touring and some positive media attention, things seem to be looking up. Their live shows are electric thanks mainly to Opal's in-your-face style and the feminist, social justice lean of the lyrics (written by Nev). But, as happened to many bands in that era, addiction changed things and they parted. We learn that Nev went on to great success while Opal made her way, spending time and performing in Paris and doing some acting, but she never had the breakthrough like Nev. The story builds up to their reunion show at a festival and what happens from there. The things you might be thinking about this story are probably not what actually happens in the story.
Opal Jewel is a fascinating character - I thought of her like a mix of Cynthia Erivo, Grace Jones, and Rose Stone.
If you’re looking for an audiobook that is both raucously entertaining and important and heartfelt - boom - here it is.
• ModernMrsDarcy.com 2021 Summer Reading Guide #MMDSummerReading
• Scribd audiobook • Kindle e-book
Source: https://www.wfdd.org/story/70s-music-journalism-gets-overdue-rewrite-debut-novel-opal-nev
The story centers on a fictional interracial rock duo from the 1970s: Opal is a Black proto Afro-punk singer from Detroit, and Nev is a goofy white British singer-songwriter. Opal and Nev become famous in 1971, when a riot occurs at one of their concerts during which their Black drummer is beaten to death by a white mob. The book is told in the form of a faux oral history that's being written by Sunny, the first Black editor-in-chief of a music magazine — who also happens to be the daughter of the late drummer.
• Scribd audiobook • Kindle e-book
Source: https://www.wfdd.org/story/70s-music-journalism-gets-overdue-rewrite-debut-novel-opal-nev
The story centers on a fictional interracial rock duo from the 1970s: Opal is a Black proto Afro-punk singer from Detroit, and Nev is a goofy white British singer-songwriter. Opal and Nev become famous in 1971, when a riot occurs at one of their concerts during which their Black drummer is beaten to death by a white mob. The book is told in the form of a faux oral history that's being written by Sunny, the first Black editor-in-chief of a music magazine — who also happens to be the daughter of the late drummer.
emotional
inspiring
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:
No
I will definitely be recommending this book to anyone that is looking for an interesting read! The style in which this book is written makes it feel like a real biography, and not a fictional book about a fictional woman. If you enjoy historical fiction told from the lens of the less-heard voices (in this case, 1960-70s-era Black American history, from the viewpoint of a Black character), this book is for you. It was compelling, and I feel like I could reread it and get something new out of it the next time. It did drag a little bit around the 65-75% mark, though, and ai felt like some viewpoints were inserted just to create more writing and not to push forward the writing.
I was intrigued by the premise: an oral history of an interracial Afro Punk duo that formed in the early 70's and how a riot at one of their performances - sparked by racism - changed the trajectory of their careers and their paths diverged. I appreciated the examination of the repercussions for Black women who speak up on behalf of themselves and their careers - especially when white people feel threatened. And I love that while Opal and Nev are the title of this book, this is really Opal's story (and the story of the [relatively] young, queer, Black journalist who is writing this history) About half way through some new allegations come to light from an unreliable source, but they're never truly brought to bear - which is likely how things might unfold in real life, but I would have loved to see a confrontation. As I noted earlier this is an oral history, but the story is bogged down with LOTS of "Editor's Notes" and footnotes from the journalist who's interjecting pieces of her story, her process, and bits of actual history. You might sometimes forget that this is fiction. This is a debut; I look forward to reading more from this author.
Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy!
Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy!
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
lik på daisy jones men mangla alt som gjer daisy så spanande. unødvendig med journalist/forteljardelane. altfor lange, særleg ettersom "editor's note" heilt i byrjinga er på sju sider. det at jimmy er far til journalisten verkar aldri så relevant eller viktig. desse notata frå journalisten verkar også berre som ein måte for forfattaren (walton) å seia si meining, om indirekte. når ein karakter handlar negativt har journalisten ein reaksjon, men dette verkar som forfattarens måte å orsaka handlinga på; "det er meininga at dette skjer".
stundom berre ikkje så kjekk å lese. ei bok som denne kan vere både kommenterande om samfunn og kjekke, med kjærleiks- og venskapsdrama som dryp av lit, mistru og svik. trur i grunn at problemet er journalisten sine notat, hade føretrekt om forfattaren let intervjua snakke for seg sjølve, sjølv om intervjua ikkje alltid var så interessante, heller.
etter høgdepunktet i midten, som i grunn var forrykande, bleikna andre halvdel, og på trass av at sluttscena var interessant og verka passande til forteljinga, rett og slett ikkje så spanande.
ein stad mellom to og tre stjerner, trur eg.
stundom berre ikkje så kjekk å lese. ei bok som denne kan vere både kommenterande om samfunn og kjekke, med kjærleiks- og venskapsdrama som dryp av lit, mistru og svik. trur i grunn at problemet er journalisten sine notat, hade føretrekt om forfattaren let intervjua snakke for seg sjølve, sjølv om intervjua ikkje alltid var så interessante, heller.
etter høgdepunktet i midten, som i grunn var forrykande, bleikna andre halvdel, og på trass av at sluttscena var interessant og verka passande til forteljinga, rett og slett ikkje så spanande.
ein stad mellom to og tre stjerner, trur eg.
dark
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated