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mazza57's review against another edition
1.0
I received an ARC of this book from net galley in return for an honest review.
In 1815 a volcan erupted causing mass death and destruction and climate change. Fomr this the author has woven together several time lines and characters all impacted from strange weather systems
Pery Byshe Shelly
john Constable
Hope peter - a veteran of the napoleonic wars
Laurel - a woman in America trying to keep her farm going (i think)
The trouble - as far as i see it- is the time lines are too disparate, there is no relationship between them. I feel as if Shelley and Constable are included to add to kudos to the story line
it is tiring, laboured uninteresting. I feel as if the author might have been better to concentrate on the volcanic eruption and its outcomes in the immediate vicinity. I don't believe there are any real connections between the events described
It was a stolid heavy read and I am not inclined to look for more by this author
In 1815 a volcan erupted causing mass death and destruction and climate change. Fomr this the author has woven together several time lines and characters all impacted from strange weather systems
Pery Byshe Shelly
john Constable
Hope peter - a veteran of the napoleonic wars
Laurel - a woman in America trying to keep her farm going (i think)
The trouble - as far as i see it- is the time lines are too disparate, there is no relationship between them. I feel as if Shelley and Constable are included to add to kudos to the story line
it is tiring, laboured uninteresting. I feel as if the author might have been better to concentrate on the volcanic eruption and its outcomes in the immediate vicinity. I don't believe there are any real connections between the events described
It was a stolid heavy read and I am not inclined to look for more by this author
charlottaliukas's review against another edition
The 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia was the most powerful volcanic eruption in modern history that killed over 100.000 people. Unknown at the time, it affected climate conditions throughout the Northern Hemisphere, causing crop failures, famines and social unrest far and wide. The novel follows real (Mary Shelley, John Constable) and fictional characters on separate journeys in the bleak year that follows, especially highlighting how the poor were and continue to be the most vulnerable to both natural disasters and climatic changes.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
‘Never had there been such a bad year as this.’
In 1815, Mount Tambora on Sumbawa Island (then part of the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia) exploded. This powerful volcanic eruption killed thousands immediately, led to the starvation of thousands more, and had a massive impact on the world’s climate in 1816. The Year Without Summer, as 1816 came to be known, caused famine resulting in poverty and riots. Snow fell in the northern hemisphere in August.
‘It was the end of times; he knew of no other reason for it.’
In this novel, Ms Glasfurd imagines the impact of The Year Without Summer through the lives of six different people. The six people include a Fenland farm labourer, a preacher in Vermont, a doctor on a ship, a war veteran, as well as the author Mary Shelley and the painter John Constable.
None of these stories are related, each serves to highlight the impact of The Year Without Summer. John Constable’s painting was influenced by changes to light, Mary Shelley struggled to find a story to write. The Vermont preacher persuades people not to move and has to live with the consequences. The ship’s doctor describes what he sees in the ocean off the Dutch East Indies, and how helpless he is. The war veteran and the Fenland farm labourer are both caught up in riots as crops fail, wages fall, and producers seek to mechanise labour-intensive work.
‘The year of 1816 was one of flood and fire, of popular protest and revolutionary struggle, of Constable’s art and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.’
As I read this novel, in Australia in January 2020, I am surrounded by fires. Some of those fires have resulted from weather caused by existing fires. In the north, there has been some flooding, close by a massive hailstorm. The impact of climatic events is all too real. I found this novel difficult to put down. While the six stories are not interrelated, they don’t need to be. One purpose of the narrative is to imagine the widespread impact of such a climate disaster.
Unsettling. Highly recommended. I just wish I could confine it all to fiction.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
In 1815, Mount Tambora on Sumbawa Island (then part of the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia) exploded. This powerful volcanic eruption killed thousands immediately, led to the starvation of thousands more, and had a massive impact on the world’s climate in 1816. The Year Without Summer, as 1816 came to be known, caused famine resulting in poverty and riots. Snow fell in the northern hemisphere in August.
‘It was the end of times; he knew of no other reason for it.’
In this novel, Ms Glasfurd imagines the impact of The Year Without Summer through the lives of six different people. The six people include a Fenland farm labourer, a preacher in Vermont, a doctor on a ship, a war veteran, as well as the author Mary Shelley and the painter John Constable.
None of these stories are related, each serves to highlight the impact of The Year Without Summer. John Constable’s painting was influenced by changes to light, Mary Shelley struggled to find a story to write. The Vermont preacher persuades people not to move and has to live with the consequences. The ship’s doctor describes what he sees in the ocean off the Dutch East Indies, and how helpless he is. The war veteran and the Fenland farm labourer are both caught up in riots as crops fail, wages fall, and producers seek to mechanise labour-intensive work.
‘The year of 1816 was one of flood and fire, of popular protest and revolutionary struggle, of Constable’s art and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.’
As I read this novel, in Australia in January 2020, I am surrounded by fires. Some of those fires have resulted from weather caused by existing fires. In the north, there has been some flooding, close by a massive hailstorm. The impact of climatic events is all too real. I found this novel difficult to put down. While the six stories are not interrelated, they don’t need to be. One purpose of the narrative is to imagine the widespread impact of such a climate disaster.
Unsettling. Highly recommended. I just wish I could confine it all to fiction.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
cliobemuzedbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
I was intrigued when I heard about this book, because I had only recently found out about this volcanic eruption in 1815 and its impact on Mary Shelley ad the creation of Frankenstein.
Though this is what initially drew me to this book, there was a lot more to savour here.
We are following six accounts of individual lives impacted by this volcanic eruption in Indonesia. None of these storylines ever interconnect, however, they often bare resemblance to each other and there are often echoes of one present in the other.
In that sense it could somewhat be seen as a collection of short stories though the formatting does bring them closer together as we see an ever increasing impact of the eruption on these people's lives.
It's resemblance to a short story colelction does leave it open to frequent criticism of that genre and that is that their are some storylines that work better, are more compelling than others. Personally I was mainly drawn to the storyline of Sarah, a young country girl struggling to get by and earn a living who gets caught up in social unresst ; and Henry, a young physician who is among the crew who is sent out to examine what ahs taken place on the island of Sumbawa where the eruption took place.
However, I did feel there was ultimately merit in all of these storylines and as we got closer to the end and some tragic events started to unfold in many of these storylines I did find myself deeply caring for these characters. I also greatly appreciated the life Glasfurd brought to her world. Most characters that she put to page, regardless of their small role to the story, really did feel like full characters, which resulted in vivid worldbuilding.
I would highly encourage all readers to also stick around for the afterword where these events are placed in their historic context and where they are linked to current events.
The story as a whole serves as a bit of a cautionary tale about possible outcomes to climate changes and the harrowing circumstances that a change in a few degrees can make and how it is ultimately mainly the poor who will pay the price.
A promising debut, I will definitely be on the lookout for future work by Guinevere Glasfurd.
I was intrigued when I heard about this book, because I had only recently found out about this volcanic eruption in 1815 and its impact on Mary Shelley ad the creation of Frankenstein.
Though this is what initially drew me to this book, there was a lot more to savour here.
We are following six accounts of individual lives impacted by this volcanic eruption in Indonesia. None of these storylines ever interconnect, however, they often bare resemblance to each other and there are often echoes of one present in the other.
In that sense it could somewhat be seen as a collection of short stories though the formatting does bring them closer together as we see an ever increasing impact of the eruption on these people's lives.
It's resemblance to a short story colelction does leave it open to frequent criticism of that genre and that is that their are some storylines that work better, are more compelling than others. Personally I was mainly drawn to the storyline of Sarah, a young country girl struggling to get by and earn a living who gets caught up in social unresst ; and Henry, a young physician who is among the crew who is sent out to examine what ahs taken place on the island of Sumbawa where the eruption took place.
However, I did feel there was ultimately merit in all of these storylines and as we got closer to the end and some tragic events started to unfold in many of these storylines I did find myself deeply caring for these characters. I also greatly appreciated the life Glasfurd brought to her world. Most characters that she put to page, regardless of their small role to the story, really did feel like full characters, which resulted in vivid worldbuilding.
I would highly encourage all readers to also stick around for the afterword where these events are placed in their historic context and where they are linked to current events.
The story as a whole serves as a bit of a cautionary tale about possible outcomes to climate changes and the harrowing circumstances that a change in a few degrees can make and how it is ultimately mainly the poor who will pay the price.
A promising debut, I will definitely be on the lookout for future work by Guinevere Glasfurd.
tatianavog's review against another edition
2.0
DNF at 20%
I personally didn’t connect with the story and I didn’t feel motivated to read it and therefore I’m unfortunately putting it down however I would recommend if you are a history buff wanting to read a topic which hasn’t really been explored
I personally didn’t connect with the story and I didn’t feel motivated to read it and therefore I’m unfortunately putting it down however I would recommend if you are a history buff wanting to read a topic which hasn’t really been explored
fiendfull's review against another edition
3.0
The Year Without Summer is a historical novel following the stories of six characters and how their lives are affected by the eruption of the volcano Tambora in 1815. The eruption caused global climate disruption and famine, and the novel looks at different ways this affected people and the political and artistic mood. From a ship surgeon close to Tambora to a farm labourer fighting the injustice of going hungry whilst the farmers get everything, the six characters are very different. two are famous figures—Mary Shelley and painter John Constable—and many of the narratives are woven with real events as the characters deal with their lives changing thanks to an event most of them are unaware of.
The novel's six narratives are completely separate, which means that inevitably everyone will find certain ones more engrossing. Mary Shelley is the figure perhaps most famously linked to the 'year without summer' as it forms part of the myth-making around her writing of Frankenstein, and Glasfurd's version plays into this with a focus on the real life figures involved. Constable's story, too, feels quite detailed, even for those who don't know anything about his life, and this is possibly the result of having details about these people's lives to work from. Otherwise, the farm labourer Sarah' story is an interesting one, highlighting the riots and battle against injustice that went on during the period. The other narratives were less gripping, and in particular the ship surgeon and Vermont preacher's narratives didn't feel like they offered much.
This is a novel that clearly engages with current climate concerns on one level whilst telling a range of historical stories on the other. It is a decent historical fiction book in some regards, but the six narratives don't quite work together and the book can drag due to this. It's difficult not to wish there were fewer narratives and more space to explore them.
The novel's six narratives are completely separate, which means that inevitably everyone will find certain ones more engrossing. Mary Shelley is the figure perhaps most famously linked to the 'year without summer' as it forms part of the myth-making around her writing of Frankenstein, and Glasfurd's version plays into this with a focus on the real life figures involved. Constable's story, too, feels quite detailed, even for those who don't know anything about his life, and this is possibly the result of having details about these people's lives to work from. Otherwise, the farm labourer Sarah' story is an interesting one, highlighting the riots and battle against injustice that went on during the period. The other narratives were less gripping, and in particular the ship surgeon and Vermont preacher's narratives didn't feel like they offered much.
This is a novel that clearly engages with current climate concerns on one level whilst telling a range of historical stories on the other. It is a decent historical fiction book in some regards, but the six narratives don't quite work together and the book can drag due to this. It's difficult not to wish there were fewer narratives and more space to explore them.
louiseslibrary's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
rachelnatmcg's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
bookish_arcadia's review against another edition
3.0
A very uneven story of 6 lives transformed in 1816. The crux of the change is the supervolcanic eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815 which had a dramatic effect on the world climate. The consequences were wide-ranging but by limiting her treatment of this event to one storyline Glasfurd fails to create a clear, unifying thread of it. Having so many storylines that never explicitly connect means that the reader had to do a lot of heavy lifting in creating coherence and it just doesn't quite work. One of the problems of that this is historical fiction that lacks a lot of historical detail. There is too little explanation of the many events occurring which leaves the personal stories floundering. Fewer narratives with more depth and detail and more understanding of how the regulation contributed to them and was experienced by the characters, even if they didn't know it, would have created a stronger novel.