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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
⁷The tie in with Kathryn Williams accompanying album made me give this a try. The real life musician brought to life the songs / lyrics contained in the novel, written by the author as part of the narrative of fictional singer/songwriter Cass Wheeler. The album was okay if not outstanding in her catalogue, but on reading the novel seem totally unsuitable for the early to mid 70's vibe that Wheeler was meant to be known for.
At times the pages turned easily, but the novel does not successfully hop around from current day to different periods of her past, whilst it lets you know what is going to happen fairly early on. This led to dreading the disintegration of the protagonists life, which eventually was covered fairly swiftly (thankfully) but had dreadful consequences. I am struggling to finish the book with 30 odd pages left, there seems little point, the writing is average, the timeline frustrating and confusing and the character of her modern day paramour Larry is sketchy so I care very little whether they get it together. Presuming a happy ending (of sort, given the previous sadness), I may leave it at that due to being past caring.
Just to be clear, I don't normally leave books unfinished and read a lot of long hard to read novels, so its not like I give up easily. I also enjoyed Barnett's previous novel "Versions of Us", so there are qualifications for my dissapointment.
Update - finished it in the end, but it was if she just wanted to say goodbye to the project by that point, very unsatisfying and half baked.
At times the pages turned easily, but the novel does not successfully hop around from current day to different periods of her past, whilst it lets you know what is going to happen fairly early on. This led to dreading the disintegration of the protagonists life, which eventually was covered fairly swiftly (thankfully) but had dreadful consequences. I am struggling to finish the book with 30 odd pages left, there seems little point, the writing is average, the timeline frustrating and confusing and the character of her modern day paramour Larry is sketchy so I care very little whether they get it together. Presuming a happy ending (of sort, given the previous sadness), I may leave it at that due to being past caring.
Just to be clear, I don't normally leave books unfinished and read a lot of long hard to read novels, so its not like I give up easily. I also enjoyed Barnett's previous novel "Versions of Us", so there are qualifications for my dissapointment.
Update - finished it in the end, but it was if she just wanted to say goodbye to the project by that point, very unsatisfying and half baked.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The concept of this book is great. I like the concept better than the execution. It wasn't until the end that I found out that there was an actual soundtrack that I could listen to. That made the concept even better, but I wasn't necessarily a fan. It was ok, but long.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Has high hopes as I had read and loved another one of the author's books. Well thought out, and interesting to read about the changed in society over time, but a bit of a slog to get it finished
I really wanted to like this book. I very much enjoyed Laura Barnett's previous novel, "The Version of Us," but alas, this one just didn't sing to me.
The premise is intriguing: Cass Wheeler, a famous singer-songwriter (to my mind a fictional combination of Kate Bush, Stevie Nicks and other players to be named later) is compiling her "Greatest Hits", forcing her to look back on her life and career. Each chapter features a song that alludes back to a particular time in her life. The present action happens over a course of a day, but the songs span a lifetime. I just didn't care enough about Cass as a character to really be interested in the stories behind the songs.
What I did love, however, was the unique collaboration that Barnett made with real life singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams, who wrote a soundtrack for the album. Surely, that is a first. I was lucky enough to see them both at the Greenwich Book Festival. Having not known Williams before, I'm now a big fan. Her songs are beautiful (both for this novel but also other albums) and her voice is transcendent.
I'm not quite sure why the novel fell flat for me, but it did.
(I was given a review copy of this novel via NetGalley in return for an honest review. I feel bad about the three stars, but that's what I think it deserved.)
The premise is intriguing: Cass Wheeler, a famous singer-songwriter (to my mind a fictional combination of Kate Bush, Stevie Nicks and other players to be named later) is compiling her "Greatest Hits", forcing her to look back on her life and career. Each chapter features a song that alludes back to a particular time in her life. The present action happens over a course of a day, but the songs span a lifetime. I just didn't care enough about Cass as a character to really be interested in the stories behind the songs.
What I did love, however, was the unique collaboration that Barnett made with real life singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams, who wrote a soundtrack for the album. Surely, that is a first. I was lucky enough to see them both at the Greenwich Book Festival. Having not known Williams before, I'm now a big fan. Her songs are beautiful (both for this novel but also other albums) and her voice is transcendent.
I'm not quite sure why the novel fell flat for me, but it did.
(I was given a review copy of this novel via NetGalley in return for an honest review. I feel bad about the three stars, but that's what I think it deserved.)
Really enjoyed this despite the main hook being centred around one of my most hated literary devices - song lyrics in books. I don't know what it is but I just can't stand it - something about reading song lyrics without the melody grates on me hard.
Barnett is an exceptionally good storyteller (I also really enjoyed Versions of Us). In Greatest Hits she expertly drip feeds the narrative of the life and career of fictional musician Cass Wheeler, using the songs she selects to tell the story of her life, and show how each one connects to her personally. Interspersed with sections from a single day in the present, as she prepares for the first music event she has done for several years, this is a tale of reflection on the triumphs and losses she has experienced throughout her journey.
A lovely book, full of poignant moments and engaging stories. Definitely one I would recommend.
Barnett is an exceptionally good storyteller (I also really enjoyed Versions of Us). In Greatest Hits she expertly drip feeds the narrative of the life and career of fictional musician Cass Wheeler, using the songs she selects to tell the story of her life, and show how each one connects to her personally. Interspersed with sections from a single day in the present, as she prepares for the first music event she has done for several years, this is a tale of reflection on the triumphs and losses she has experienced throughout her journey.
A lovely book, full of poignant moments and engaging stories. Definitely one I would recommend.
⁷The tie in with Kathryn Williams accompanying album made me give this a try. The real life musician brought to life the songs / lyrics contained in the novel, written by the author as part of the narrative of fictional singer/songwriter Cass Wheeler. The album was okay if not outstanding in her catalogue, but on reading the novel seem totally unsuitable for the early to mid 70's vibe that Wheeler was meant to be known for.
At times the pages turned easily, but the novel does not successfully hop around from current day to different periods of her past, whilst it lets you know what is going to happen fairly early on. This led to dreading the disintegration of the protagonists life, which eventually was covered fairly swiftly (thankfully) but had dreadful consequences. I am struggling to finish the book with 30 odd pages left, there seems little point, the writing is average, the timeline frustrating and confusing and the character of her modern day paramour Larry is sketchy so I care very little whether they get it together. Presuming a happy ending (of sort, given the previous sadness), I may leave it at that due to being past caring.
Just to be clear, I don't normally leave books unfinished and read a lot of long hard to read novels, so its not like I give up easily. I also enjoyed Barnett's previous novel "Versions of Us", so there are qualifications for my dissapointment.
Update - finished it in the end, but it was if she just wanted to say goodbye to the project by that point, very unsatisfying and half baked.
At times the pages turned easily, but the novel does not successfully hop around from current day to different periods of her past, whilst it lets you know what is going to happen fairly early on. This led to dreading the disintegration of the protagonists life, which eventually was covered fairly swiftly (thankfully) but had dreadful consequences. I am struggling to finish the book with 30 odd pages left, there seems little point, the writing is average, the timeline frustrating and confusing and the character of her modern day paramour Larry is sketchy so I care very little whether they get it together. Presuming a happy ending (of sort, given the previous sadness), I may leave it at that due to being past caring.
Just to be clear, I don't normally leave books unfinished and read a lot of long hard to read novels, so its not like I give up easily. I also enjoyed Barnett's previous novel "Versions of Us", so there are qualifications for my dissapointment.
Update - finished it in the end, but it was if she just wanted to say goodbye to the project by that point, very unsatisfying and half baked.
A heart wrenching and emotional read, Cass Wheeler looks back over her life as a musician as she picks her Greatest Hits. Really nicely written, this was a lovely read. I really enjoyed the tie in with the songs and look forward to hearing the accompanying album.
Some writers are good at writing about life, this was seen in Laura Barnett’s debut: Versions of Us. In which Barnett told a story with three versions of a life, each shaped by one chance encounter, being told three times with one minor change, this sent Barnett’s characters in vastly different versions of themselves. In Greatest Hits, Barnett has narrowed her focus down to one person, Cass Wheeler, who is a singer-songwriter. This narrower focus has strengthened the emotional journey that Laura Barnett takes her readers.
Cass Wheeler, after years living a secluded life, has decided to come out of retirement. Cass has finally decided to release the songs that meant the most to her during her career. Over the course of Greatest Hits, we get to follow Cass down memory lane as she revisits sixteen tracks. Although this isn’t a straightforward biography of Cass’ life. Instead, we see the momentous points in time that led to the songs being written, as well as following Cass during the day, as she gets ready to launch her album. Throughout Cass’ reminiscence, there are portentous hints that lead up to Cass’ present-day.
At no point in this story did I feel that Cass wasn’t believable as a character. She has lead both a hard life, but also one with a sense of joy and freedom that few people will get the chance to experience. Cass at her core is strong-willed, but she is also racked with crippling self-doubt, both of which lead to conflict throughout the story. Cass can also alienate other people in her life, as they try to help her when she is struggling to hold it all together.
At its heart, Greatest Hits is all about the life and times of Cass Wheeler, although there are other well-rounded and unique characters, you rarely get to see what happens to them when they are not affecting or being affected by Cass’ life. Even with this focus on Cass there are a number of standout characters including Cass’ Aunt Lily, who always seems so carefree and cool; Ivor, the boyfriend and “bad boy” guitarist who gets her started on her road to fame, Ivor is so eloquently described that you know that whatever happens between him and Cass is going to be epic; last but by no means least is Kim, who is Cass’ rock in both good and bad times. These are just a few of the people who are part of the framework that makes Cass’ life so vivid.
The structure of the book is captivating, each chapter is titled after the tracks on Cass’ Greatest Hits. Track One is titled Common Ground, one of the first songs Cass ever writes. With this track, you can see that Cass channels her emotions into her songs. Some of the Tracks start in the present, with Cass gearing herself up to listen to a song, while others lead us straight into the past allowing us to see the events that led to the song being written. This allows Laura Barnett to slowly fill in the details of Cass’ life, as little by little details are revealed.
Another thing that makes this book so interesting is that Laura Barnett has teamed up with singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams to make the songs in this book a reality. More information on how to access this album can be found here: http://kathrynwilliams.co.uk/. At this time I haven’t listened to the whole album, although you can listen to Common Ground on Williams’ website, which I appreciated as it gave a new dimension to the story being told. Both the book and the album are due for release in Mid-June, so I don’t have to wait too much longer for the full album.
Greatest Hits is an evocative story that hits hard as you follow the ups and downs of Cass’ life. By the time I reached Track 15 I was in tears, I felt more exhilarating and connected to a story than I have in a while. Greatest Hits is an accessible story that may not be for everyone, but if you want to read a story that could easily be identifiable as being written about a real life musician from the 20th Century, I don’t think that you will be disappointed. Greatest Hits is one of those books that is hard to put down, and when you finish you will want to read again. I feel that this is a truly impressive novel, following a very strong debut.
Originally posted here: https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2017/05/book-review-greatest-hits-by-laura-barnett/
Cass Wheeler, after years living a secluded life, has decided to come out of retirement. Cass has finally decided to release the songs that meant the most to her during her career. Over the course of Greatest Hits, we get to follow Cass down memory lane as she revisits sixteen tracks. Although this isn’t a straightforward biography of Cass’ life. Instead, we see the momentous points in time that led to the songs being written, as well as following Cass during the day, as she gets ready to launch her album. Throughout Cass’ reminiscence, there are portentous hints that lead up to Cass’ present-day.
At no point in this story did I feel that Cass wasn’t believable as a character. She has lead both a hard life, but also one with a sense of joy and freedom that few people will get the chance to experience. Cass at her core is strong-willed, but she is also racked with crippling self-doubt, both of which lead to conflict throughout the story. Cass can also alienate other people in her life, as they try to help her when she is struggling to hold it all together.
At its heart, Greatest Hits is all about the life and times of Cass Wheeler, although there are other well-rounded and unique characters, you rarely get to see what happens to them when they are not affecting or being affected by Cass’ life. Even with this focus on Cass there are a number of standout characters including Cass’ Aunt Lily, who always seems so carefree and cool; Ivor, the boyfriend and “bad boy” guitarist who gets her started on her road to fame, Ivor is so eloquently described that you know that whatever happens between him and Cass is going to be epic; last but by no means least is Kim, who is Cass’ rock in both good and bad times. These are just a few of the people who are part of the framework that makes Cass’ life so vivid.
The structure of the book is captivating, each chapter is titled after the tracks on Cass’ Greatest Hits. Track One is titled Common Ground, one of the first songs Cass ever writes. With this track, you can see that Cass channels her emotions into her songs. Some of the Tracks start in the present, with Cass gearing herself up to listen to a song, while others lead us straight into the past allowing us to see the events that led to the song being written. This allows Laura Barnett to slowly fill in the details of Cass’ life, as little by little details are revealed.
Another thing that makes this book so interesting is that Laura Barnett has teamed up with singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams to make the songs in this book a reality. More information on how to access this album can be found here: http://kathrynwilliams.co.uk/. At this time I haven’t listened to the whole album, although you can listen to Common Ground on Williams’ website, which I appreciated as it gave a new dimension to the story being told. Both the book and the album are due for release in Mid-June, so I don’t have to wait too much longer for the full album.
Greatest Hits is an evocative story that hits hard as you follow the ups and downs of Cass’ life. By the time I reached Track 15 I was in tears, I felt more exhilarating and connected to a story than I have in a while. Greatest Hits is an accessible story that may not be for everyone, but if you want to read a story that could easily be identifiable as being written about a real life musician from the 20th Century, I don’t think that you will be disappointed. Greatest Hits is one of those books that is hard to put down, and when you finish you will want to read again. I feel that this is a truly impressive novel, following a very strong debut.
Originally posted here: https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2017/05/book-review-greatest-hits-by-laura-barnett/