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libwinnie's review
4.0
This breath-taking novel may be a fictionalized account of the life of one of the first gender reassignment patients in history, but it is really about strength of character, being true to oneself and ultimately the love that binds friends and family. Taking place in Copenhagen in the late 1920's, it interweaves art, marriage and family history into the story.
briannegk's review
3.0
Good character development. A little slow but that many have had to do with me doing the audio book.
melissagallant_'s review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely fascinating. I was impressed by the characterization and the story alike. I would recommend this to anybody.
haylie23's review
3.0
I can't really put into words how I feel about this book - it's one of those stories that makes you feel a big array of emotions inside all at once. It's a beautifully moving story and with such an important topic it really strikes you when you're reading it - it draws out your inner emotions and you feel so much pity or sadness or joy for the characters. I know this is incredibly short but I think it's one you really have to read for yourself before fully grasping the story.
lindetiel's review
4.0
This novel is a subtle and elegant dance of fiction and fact. It gives the reader a glimpse into a mind of a person who's constantly trapped within one's own consciousness and restrained by the definitions imposed by society and culture alike. This applies to not only Einar Wegener (Lili) but also Einar's wife - Greta. It's a remarkable story of how far love and support in a relationship can go, and how much it can endure.
It's worth mentioning though that people looking for fact and Lili Elbe's biography may feel disappointed, as this is mainly work of fiction and for the purpose of good fiction the protagonists' lives have been glossed over to fit the prose.
It's worth mentioning though that people looking for fact and Lili Elbe's biography may feel disappointed, as this is mainly work of fiction and for the purpose of good fiction the protagonists' lives have been glossed over to fit the prose.
nachtblueher's review
informative
reflective
slow-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? No
2.0
curlypip's review
4.0
It took me a while to get into, but by the second quarter, I was hooked. I found myself thinking about it even when I wasn’t reading the story, and I approached the end with anticipation but also dread - I wanted to know what happened but didn’t want it to be over.
I’m not a fan of the ending, but, otherwise I enjoyed it
I’m not a fan of the ending, but, otherwise I enjoyed it
pewterwolf's review
2.0
Review Taken From The Pewter Wolf
Based very loosely on the lives of danish artists, Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. It looks at a marriage and the story of Lili, pioneer in transgender history.
Now, I am going to admit that I struggled while writing this write-up. Its hard to put into words my feelings over this as, while I believe the story is interesting and important, I have equal feeling towards it that it annoyed me and the story missed the point.
I have read other reviews and I know I am one of the few int he minority, but I am going to be honest about my thoughts and feelings about this.
There were elements of the writing that reminded me of The Hours by Michael Cunningham. I can't put my finger on why I kept drawing comparisons between the two, but my mind kept going there. And there were moments where words and lines just flowed.
However, I struggled with this at times too. There were times, I found the writing and the way the narrator read the story hard work and, on two or three occasions, I considered quitting. It felt like hard work to like the characters when the story was doing no favours for them.
But my biggest issue, the thing I had the most problems over, was how the issue of transgender was handled. I completely understand why the author wrote Lili and Einar as separate characters - but I fear some readers will struggle with this. But my biggest things was how this was handled. It was written in a way that, I fear, would make the reader feel that, instead of reading a book about a person who is transgender, they are reading a character who is suffering from a mental health issue, such a split personality disorder.
And I say this because there was one or two times, I felt like I wasn't reading someone who was transgender and I was going "Nononono!" over how this was handled. I wasn't happy over it!
I do want to watch the movie when it comes out on DVD so my opinion might change. But I wasn't a fan of this story, and I believe the movie might tell this story better.
Based very loosely on the lives of danish artists, Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. It looks at a marriage and the story of Lili, pioneer in transgender history.
Now, I am going to admit that I struggled while writing this write-up. Its hard to put into words my feelings over this as, while I believe the story is interesting and important, I have equal feeling towards it that it annoyed me and the story missed the point.
I have read other reviews and I know I am one of the few int he minority, but I am going to be honest about my thoughts and feelings about this.
There were elements of the writing that reminded me of The Hours by Michael Cunningham. I can't put my finger on why I kept drawing comparisons between the two, but my mind kept going there. And there were moments where words and lines just flowed.
However, I struggled with this at times too. There were times, I found the writing and the way the narrator read the story hard work and, on two or three occasions, I considered quitting. It felt like hard work to like the characters when the story was doing no favours for them.
But my biggest issue, the thing I had the most problems over, was how the issue of transgender was handled. I completely understand why the author wrote Lili and Einar as separate characters - but I fear some readers will struggle with this. But my biggest things was how this was handled. It was written in a way that, I fear, would make the reader feel that, instead of reading a book about a person who is transgender, they are reading a character who is suffering from a mental health issue, such a split personality disorder.
And I say this because there was one or two times, I felt like I wasn't reading someone who was transgender and I was going "Nononono!" over how this was handled. I wasn't happy over it!
I do want to watch the movie when it comes out on DVD so my opinion might change. But I wasn't a fan of this story, and I believe the movie might tell this story better.
dcliz's review against another edition
2.0
I think the author could have done so much more with these characters. As written, I didn't find it a compelling story at all, although it did make me very curious about what the real story was! I was very disappointed with the invented elements, when the true-life people had such interesting stories that could have been explored.