Reviews

Self-Portrait with Boy by Rachel Lyon

kimnickens's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I enjoyed this read in spite of (or perhaps because of) my difficulty with the moral question that lies at the heart of this novel. Well-written debut.

relodwick's review

Go to review page

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

maria1085's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

This was an interesting read. Parts of it I really enjoyed and other parts I felt were drawn out and could have been left out of the book. It was an interesting plot that kept me interested but I definitely didn’t love the book. Definitely different from what I’ve been reading lately. It wasn’t really the ghost story I was expecting. A good book, but not my favorite.

sophronisba's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I think this novel could have been a bit shorter, but its portrait of an artist as a young woman will haunt me nevertheless. There's nothing I like more than a well-written character study, and you really get to know Lu Rile in the course of this book. I often did not particularly like her, but I did understand her, and that is all I ask for.

annwampler's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

“It has often occurred to me in the intervening years that if I'd had a digital camera back then, the kind with a screen where you can look at the picture you've just taken - if in the very moment of taking that four hundredth self-portrait I had seen immediately how the picture had turned out - I might have just deleted it. These days, working in digital, I often delete pictures reflexively. But a strip of plastic, gelatin, and silver halide crystals doesn't just disappear. You have to burn it.”

She should have deleted it! This book is hard for me. I really didn't enjoy the main character, Lu. It has an interesting plot, but as characters are more important to me than plot I am giving it three stars. If I had three and half I would.

yellowbrickreads_1's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Full review on instagram @yellowbrickreads1. 🌈

kirsten_snakes6's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

3.5 stars

drewsof's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Unexpected, in so many ways. A terrific entry into the "artists-in-pre-21st-Century-NYC" canon, one of the best novels about a photographer I think I've ever read, and a story about being haunted by all kinds of things. It's a bit of a slow start but the book works on you and then you consume the last 175 pages in a single sitting. Or at least, I did.

1of3bookgirls's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

You can hear my full review on EPISODE 86 of 3 BOOK GIRLS Podcast (the most inappropriate book club you never knew you were missing) NSFW
https://soundcloud.com/3bookgirls/episode-86-gone-with-nevernight-woman-in-the-window-self-portrait

I thought about this book for weeks after reading it. That is it's own recommendation. The ending fell flat, but the story haunted me.

damefolledechat's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Really interesting story. Not necessarily thought-provoking, but it was unique.

One of the things I liked the most was actually the writing style. The author doesn’t use quotations to discern between characters or mention who is speaking. It made me try to understand the characters a little deeper, so I’d be able to know who was speaking based off of their mannerisms and personality.

Wasn’t really a fan of the main character, mainly because of her interactions with her dad (his Christmas present to her, ugh she was so pretentious) and the scene with the rats in her apartment.