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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
I'm quite disappointed with this book, only because the film has such high critical acclaim and the book really doesn't. I suppose I'd just call it anticlimactic. It was a great portrayal of the complexities an individual faces when they are transgender, and it was definitely eye-opening for me, but I know it could have been better. However, I don't know whether my lack of connection with the character of Lili is due to the fact that I've never felt how she's felt - so I can't really compare myself. I'm still going to see the film though, and I would recommend this.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Not all trans representation is good representation, I’d recommend an actual biography of Lili or Gerda.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Hm. I don't know how I feel about this book. I do think I will be thinking about it for a long time to come. Ultimately, I don't know if framing it through the lens of the time in which it was taking place is enough to make up for the way Lily's character was portrayed as being, ultimately, completely different from Einar. I can see the ways in which it could make sense, if you know that there wasn't necessarily the language to describe how Einar probably felt when he could present himself as Lily, however currently having the language means this book feels terribly outdated and incorrect in the ways we would present a transgender person now. Considering this was written in 2010, I feel that the story could have been told with much better language while still conveying how Lily felt throughout the book in the time period in which she lived through. Overall, I don't regret reading the story, but I can't really recommend the book either. I do feel like it could be a good read to induce conversation, but other than that - not really recommended.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Violence
This book uses outdated language and incorrect assumptions about being transgender.
A fantastically written story! To think that this work of fiction was written around the true story of Einar Wegener - it now has me wanting more. David Ebershoff's writing is so timeless and magical and had my imagination running wild with images of the 1920s. I can finally watch the film now, which I've only heard amazing things about. So glad I picked this up! So passionate and challenging; highly recommend.
This book was OK. I can't really get over excited by it, and I certainly don't understand all the hype surrounding it (although possibly the film may have more depth to it than the book). I chose this as part of my Book Riot 2016 Read Harder Challenge, and I'm not sure it would be a book I would have picked up otherwise.
The writing was so-so, and certainly lacked a lot of the depth and emotion I was expecting from such a subject. Overall the book feels dry, flat and one dimensional for the most-part, which is disappointing given the expectation. There was very little feeling of Lili as a trailblazer and I found the fact that she was overwhelmingly positively welcomed by her friends and family to be somewhat unrealistic. It does make me wonder how much of this book is "based on a true story" and how much is pure fiction.
Overall a disappointing read. I'm sure there are much more engaging and enlightening books on this topic, so I'd suggest that you give this one a miss.
This review was originally posted on Babs' Bookshelf
The writing was so-so, and certainly lacked a lot of the depth and emotion I was expecting from such a subject. Overall the book feels dry, flat and one dimensional for the most-part, which is disappointing given the expectation. There was very little feeling of Lili as a trailblazer and I found the fact that she was overwhelmingly positively welcomed by her friends and family to be somewhat unrealistic. It does make me wonder how much of this book is "based on a true story" and how much is pure fiction.
Overall a disappointing read. I'm sure there are much more engaging and enlightening books on this topic, so I'd suggest that you give this one a miss.
This review was originally posted on Babs' Bookshelf
Maybe closer to 2.5/5 stars, but rating down.
There are a couple things in this book that really bother me in terms of... like... that's not how that works. One of them is the description of Einar in more feminine ways, as if his body really knows that his brain says he's a woman: his smaller frame, being shorter, being more "delicate." The second thing is how it is written as if Lili is a separate person, as if there are two people living within the same body. Later after Einar undergoes surgery and has the male genitalia removed, it is told like she is fully Lili now and Einar has been cut out. She wakes and is like, "Where's Einar?" I get it symbolically for the novel, but overall I don't like the implications for those unfamiliar with the trans experience, so-to-speak. Yeah this was published in 2000, but still. Trans people have always existed.
I also just think it's kind of weird writing this fictional story to begin with. Well, more so publishing it this way. It's fictional but about people who really existed and whose stories aren't well-known nor have various biographies on them. It's kind of hard to explain my exact feelings but reading the Author's Note of, "I wrote the novel in order to explore the intimate space that defined their unusual marriage, and that space could only come to life through conjecture and speculation and the running of imagination," made me question the whole idea of the novel. Granted maybe if I enjoyed it more I wouldn't be saying this. I just know I'd like to do some actual research on Gerda Wegener and Lili Elbe.
Disclaimers: In this short review I refer to Lili as "Einar" and "he" at times to give indication that I'm talking about pre-transition Lili. I do not want to be disrespectful; I'm only trying to be clear about my thoughts and where the character is in terms of transitioning in context of the point I'm making. I also don't know, at the moment of writing this, how much incorporated into the novel is based on/from historical sources Ebershoff used. So, perhaps the things I had problems with were accurate to the way Lili described things in her diaries and correspondence, which was used in writing the story. I doubt it, but I won't disregard or ignore the possibility of that being the case. Again, I'm going to attempt to do research of my own and learn about the real-life figures.
There are a couple things in this book that really bother me in terms of... like... that's not how that works. One of them is the description of Einar in more feminine ways, as if his body really knows that his brain says he's a woman: his smaller frame, being shorter, being more "delicate." The second thing is how it is written as if Lili is a separate person, as if there are two people living within the same body. Later after Einar undergoes surgery and has the male genitalia removed, it is told like she is fully Lili now and Einar has been cut out. She wakes and is like, "Where's Einar?" I get it symbolically for the novel, but overall I don't like the implications for those unfamiliar with the trans experience, so-to-speak. Yeah this was published in 2000, but still. Trans people have always existed.
I also just think it's kind of weird writing this fictional story to begin with. Well, more so publishing it this way. It's fictional but about people who really existed and whose stories aren't well-known nor have various biographies on them. It's kind of hard to explain my exact feelings but reading the Author's Note of, "I wrote the novel in order to explore the intimate space that defined their unusual marriage, and that space could only come to life through conjecture and speculation and the running of imagination," made me question the whole idea of the novel. Granted maybe if I enjoyed it more I wouldn't be saying this. I just know I'd like to do some actual research on Gerda Wegener and Lili Elbe.
Disclaimers: In this short review I refer to Lili as "Einar" and "he" at times to give indication that I'm talking about pre-transition Lili. I do not want to be disrespectful; I'm only trying to be clear about my thoughts and where the character is in terms of transitioning in context of the point I'm making. I also don't know, at the moment of writing this, how much incorporated into the novel is based on/from historical sources Ebershoff used. So, perhaps the things I had problems with were accurate to the way Lili described things in her diaries and correspondence, which was used in writing the story. I doubt it, but I won't disregard or ignore the possibility of that being the case. Again, I'm going to attempt to do research of my own and learn about the real-life figures.
it was at times difficult to keep up with the switching of point of view
rated up to a 3 as it was more of a strong 2.5 for me.
rated up to a 3 as it was more of a strong 2.5 for me.
Life’s too short to finish this one. I did like that this book made me look up Gerda Wegener’s artwork, which is pretty great. Greta in the book is pretty flat. Both Lili and Gerda irl sound like interesting people, but this book makes them both so pallid I couldn’t get into it. But it was the representation of Lili as an alternate personality that made me lose interest. It seemed like such a pseudo magical realist device, or something, the way it was written.
The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff is one of the most dynamic stories of a nontraditional experience I've ever read. The story of a transgender woman coming into her own, with her wife and family friends is both enlightening to the experience and heart-wrenching to follow. Neither advocating for or against the trans community, Ebershoff simply tells the emotional story from enough sides to show the true cost of living outside of one's self. The book was suggested to me by a trans coworker when I asked for Book Riot 2016 Read Harder Challenge suggestions, and it it spot on for the intent of the challenge, and the ideals of a diverse readership.
The novel follows a fictional life of a real person: Lili Elbe, one of the first transwomen to have re-assignment surgery. It feels at times a little rambley, and is less direct than many other stories about this subject- but this makes the novel more biopic than a simple slice of life. There is an element of treating transgender as a mental illness as well- which is uncomfortable for many modern readers but reflective of the time this historical drama is set it.
Ebershoff approached a delicate and politically wrought subject in this, his first novel, and he does so with courtesy and caring of a far more experienced author. Really, the story here isn't the transition between man and woman, but instead the evolution of love and relationships when the utterly unexpected happens. This is a story about standing by your loved ones through illness and changes and things you do not understand. It is a story about accepting wholeheartedly those around you. The writing is soft and easy to follow, the characters are rich with emotion and details, and the subject is handled complexly. Overall, this is a respectful representation of a proper old fashioned love-in-marriage story.
The novel follows a fictional life of a real person: Lili Elbe, one of the first transwomen to have re-assignment surgery. It feels at times a little rambley, and is less direct than many other stories about this subject- but this makes the novel more biopic than a simple slice of life. There is an element of treating transgender as a mental illness as well- which is uncomfortable for many modern readers but reflective of the time this historical drama is set it.
Ebershoff approached a delicate and politically wrought subject in this, his first novel, and he does so with courtesy and caring of a far more experienced author. Really, the story here isn't the transition between man and woman, but instead the evolution of love and relationships when the utterly unexpected happens. This is a story about standing by your loved ones through illness and changes and things you do not understand. It is a story about accepting wholeheartedly those around you. The writing is soft and easy to follow, the characters are rich with emotion and details, and the subject is handled complexly. Overall, this is a respectful representation of a proper old fashioned love-in-marriage story.