Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'
The Year Without Summer by Guinevere Glasfurd
1 review
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
4.0
The Year Without Summer is set in 1815-1816 yet I found it very relevant to today’s world. This is because it highlights many effects of climate change. In 1815-1816 the climate changed as a result of the world’s largest volcanic eruption in 10,000 years. Today’s climate change is down to humankind. The causes differ but the effects may well be very similar.
The novel is told via six unconnected points of view. Some are based closely on historical fact; others are looser adaptations. I appreciated the variety - a now-famous painter (Constance) and novelist (Mary Shelley), a ship’s doctor, an American preacher, a farm labourer and a returning soldier. The immediate effects of the eruption in Indonesia were catastrophic. In the northern hemisphere the extreme weather (droughts, snowstorms in summer) caused by the eruption led to crop failures led to hunger and rising food prices and poverty led to social unrest and many deaths. That’s the big picture but the details of the individual stories was where the interest lay. Admittedly I found some more interesting than others. Sarah the feisty farm labourer was a particular favourite. Also, interesting was that Constance and Shelley managed to find success while the other characters fared less well. Was this due to class privilege or crisis-driven creativity? Definitely something to ponder with regards to our current climate crisis.
All in all a sobering read, one which offers us lessons as to what we might expect if we continue to refuse to take action immediately.
The novel is told via six unconnected points of view. Some are based closely on historical fact; others are looser adaptations. I appreciated the variety - a now-famous painter (Constance) and novelist (Mary Shelley), a ship’s doctor, an American preacher, a farm labourer and a returning soldier. The immediate effects of the eruption in Indonesia were catastrophic. In the northern hemisphere the extreme weather (droughts, snowstorms in summer) caused by the eruption led to crop failures led to hunger and rising food prices and poverty led to social unrest and many deaths. That’s the big picture but the details of the individual stories was where the interest lay. Admittedly I found some more interesting than others. Sarah the feisty farm labourer was a particular favourite. Also, interesting was that Constance and Shelley managed to find success while the other characters fared less well. Was this due to class privilege or crisis-driven creativity? Definitely something to ponder with regards to our current climate crisis.
All in all a sobering read, one which offers us lessons as to what we might expect if we continue to refuse to take action immediately.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Violence
More...