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lochanreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The final revival of Opal & Nev is a fictitious biographical novel about the riotous rise to fame of an oddly compelling interracial Afropunk duo. The story imagines the 70s era music industry as it was but with the coupling of Opal & Nev as part of the canon. The narrative has an interesting interview style structure, encompassing several different testimonies from the artists, producers, industry experts, journalists, such as the main narrator and family members. I thought its style and musicality was conceptualised well and it has a loud activist voice, personified through its boldy daring and confident heroine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent
oatmilkdyke's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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
5.0
Dawnie Walton writes with such this novel with an incredibly unique and immersive style, and many times I would legitimately forget that this is fiction. Her characters are flawed and deeply real. I felt so invested in their journey from the jump and somehow it just got more and more compelling, devastating, complicated, and RAW. Wow. Gonna be processing this for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Police brutality
alomie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was such a fabulous book, like a avant-garde punk version of Daisy Jones and the Six, with so much more to say.
Steeped in conversations about race and gender, the winners and losers and who should be getting the spotlight, and how so many times the system fails women and people of colour.
Nev is still a highly successful, white "rock star" but with all the ego and none of the sparkle, a talented musician sure, but a man who is willing to step on anyone to get the fame, and who allegedly started a riot, that ends up killing a man.
Opal is by far the stand out of the pair, vibrant, powerful and with a richly layered past, brings a fire to the music and performance Nev can only wish, but as is the way, Opal is the one who is sidelined and not taken seriously, and ridiculed.
I really enjoyed this book, and I understand why this was on the women's prize shortlist.
Steeped in conversations about race and gender, the winners and losers and who should be getting the spotlight, and how so many times the system fails women and people of colour.
Nev is still a highly successful, white "rock star" but with all the ego and none of the sparkle, a talented musician sure, but a man who is willing to step on anyone to get the fame, and who allegedly started a riot, that ends up killing a man.
Opal is by far the stand out of the pair, vibrant, powerful and with a richly layered past, brings a fire to the music and performance Nev can only wish, but as is the way, Opal is the one who is sidelined and not taken seriously, and ridiculed.
I really enjoyed this book, and I understand why this was on the women's prize shortlist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, and Sexual harassment
katewhite77's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really recommend consuming this novel via audio if at all possible as I should imagine it's the best way to differentiate between all the different colourful characters featured.
On one level this is very entertaining and upsetting in equal measure spoof aural history of a spoof of a 1970s Anglo American pop duo and on another it says something important about racism sexism and capitalism on both sides of the Atlantic.
I think fans of Daisy Jones and the Six would really like this as they are similar in both Audio and print. I would say The Final Rival of Opal And New has another strand to it though.
On one level this is very entertaining and upsetting in equal measure spoof aural history of a spoof of a 1970s Anglo American pop duo and on another it says something important about racism sexism and capitalism on both sides of the Atlantic.
I think fans of Daisy Jones and the Six would really like this as they are similar in both Audio and print. I would say The Final Rival of Opal And New has another strand to it though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Sexism, and Terminal illness
naturally's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
all of the characters (bar sunny) are so fleshed out and rich in detail that i felt as though i was reading a non-fiction piece in a magazine publication or a documentary transcript. opal, pearl, rosemary and virgil were standout voices to me. i adored opal's POV in particular, her story feels like an ode to all the black musical legends who have been used and thrown aside by the music industry and whom haven't been given the opportunity to tell their own stories.
typically, i find song lyrics in books cringey, but nev's knack for songwriting and lyricism come across well on the page, and further illustrate his quirks.
the commentary on race, gender, politics and the music industry are real and raw without coming across as preachy.
my only criticisms are that i would have liked to have read more about how nev handled the fallout of his and opal's reunion concert. i also felt that, despite having such a personal stake in the story, sunny's editor notes felt very distant and impersonal? as a character, her personality just felt a lot flatter than everyone else's...
overall, this is an amazing debut by dawnie walton - i'll definitely be reading another book by her!
typically, i find song lyrics in books cringey, but nev's knack for songwriting and lyricism come across well on the page, and further illustrate his quirks.
the commentary on race, gender, politics and the music industry are real and raw without coming across as preachy.
my only criticisms are that i would have liked to have read more about how nev handled the fallout of his and opal's reunion concert. i also felt that, despite having such a personal stake in the story, sunny's editor notes felt very distant and impersonal? as a character, her personality just felt a lot flatter than everyone else's...
overall, this is an amazing debut by dawnie walton - i'll definitely be reading another book by her!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual content
kimveach's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was amazing! I loved it. Please listen to it. I'm sure it's good in print, but the full-cast audio makes this a performance. The book is in a similar documentary style as Daisy Jones & The Six, but it's also different in so many ways. I loved this one a little more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
cdreibelbis's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime and Racism
kbeucler's review against another edition
4.0
I said above that I’d never read a book formatted like Daisy Jones and the Six. Well, this book is also formatted like that, which did at first make it seem a little less exciting and fresh. But I really liked that this book engaged more with the current events that were happening in the 1970s. It shows the collision of rock and roll and the Civil Rights Movement. I also loved how it explores the difficulties Black women still face and how white silence can be just as insidious as loud, aggressive, in your face white racism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Sexual assault
melchncookies's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Murder
Moderate: Addiction and Racial slurs
jkens's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Murder