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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
3.5 rounded up.
A beautiful story. I loved seeing New York, and life, through Lillian's eyes. What a life!
A beautiful story. I loved seeing New York, and life, through Lillian's eyes. What a life!
It is 1984 and 85 year old former ad writer Lillian Boxfish takes a long walk through NYC on New Year’s Eve and reflects on her life as she has encounters with bodega owners, drivers, and others late on New Year’s Eve. Portrait of a woman who is fully of New York City and won’t leave despite the warnings of violence and the downturn of the city she hears from her son. Nice book for New Year’s Eve/day. Fine but not a standout.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found this book similar to Manhattan When I Was Young, but with more humor and wit...probably because it wasn't an autobiography. Both follow ambitious women in NYC in the literary/advertising world when it was still dominated by men. Both women are talented, but mental health issues come into play. I enjoyed them both equally.
This was a very sweet story. It reads like a memoir mixed in to a story of an elderly woman walking around Manhattan. I enjoyed how the author used her own poetic background to add a poetic voice to Lilian as she narrated her story. Lilian Boxfish was in advertising, but also a poet. You can hear that in how she interacts with the other characters in the book as well as in the way she describes her surroundings.
I also enjoyed the various points in her life she reflects on. The order in which she reveals her life was well done. The first story gives a good overview of how Lilian presents herself to the world, but as you gone, you start peeling back the layers to learn who she really is.
I also enjoyed the various points in her life she reflects on. The order in which she reveals her life was well done. The first story gives a good overview of how Lilian presents herself to the world, but as you gone, you start peeling back the layers to learn who she really is.
I read this for the Read Harder Challenge. I was very interested to see that Lillian was based on a real woman who "was the highest paid female advertising copywriter." I enjoyed watching Lillian negotiate different groups in New York while reflecting on her life. I enjoyed the way it was organized.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A fascinating character study based on real-life highest-paid female advertising copywriter in the 1930s, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk is a whimsical ode to New York City, the art of taking walks, and independent women who find love and loss. The shape of the novel itself is creative in that all present action takes place during a single walk taken by an 80-something-year-old woman on New Year’s Eve in 1985. While a lot of the tension is found in the flashbacks, author Kathleen Rooney includes enough forward momentum and interaction in the walk itself to make this an intriguing read. While I wasn’t as drawn to the character at times as I might have wished, this book is still an interesting read, particularly when you get to the historical note at the end of the book.