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3.12 AVERAGE
3.12 AVERAGE
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I would probably give the book a 1.5 star rating, rather than a 1 star, because I almost thought it was okay. I'll start with what I liked about it. It did stick pretty closely to the original myth, and there were both obvious and subtle references to that story that I enjoyed picking out (I'm a big fan of Greek Myth, hence why I thought I would really like this). The plot was pretty easy to follow too, and didn't feel too complicated. Unfortunately, the cons far outweigh the pros in this book. I'll start with the characters. Claire, the narrator of the tale, may as well not have been there. I didn't feel like she did an awful lot rather than just watch, say 'What?' and be overly protective and attached to her best friend Ella (the Eurydice of our story). I didn't like her or feel sorry for her, I found her pretty irritating most of the time. But what about our loved up young couple? Even worse. They were both so ridiculously in their own worlds that at times I felt they needed professional help, and frankly their romance went far beyond love at first sight with no development whatsoever. Ella giggled too much and Orpheus didn't have to have much of a personality because he could just get his lyre out and sing away his troubles. As far as the rest of the cast went, they just faded into the background with no real purpose other than to be consistently blown away by Orpheus' marvelous playing. Also I'm a fan of writing that has a nice, poetic style but this took it way beyond my limit. It just felt like Almond was trying too hard to make everything into something dramatic and beautiful and meaningful. I actually couldn't stop laughing at some points, they felt so ridiculous. Not to mention that the entire story seemed like an ode to youth and I am fairly certain that most teens do not behave or talk that way. Sorry. There were a few, rare moments with this book (I did quite like the Underworld scene) but unfortunately it just didn't cut it for me.
For a full review, see here: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/book-review-song-for-ella-grey-david.html
For a full review, see here: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/book-review-song-for-ella-grey-david.html
Ella Grey is gone. She has left behind friends and the love of her life. Claire is Ella’s best friend. She must tell the story in fits and starts so that she (and the reader) may understand. Ella’s love for Orpheus was quick and complete. Nothing in her short life had prepared her for the depth of their love, yet when her life is suddenly cut short all who are left behind believe they are at fault.
A Song for Ella Grey is a story that leaves a lot to be desired. I usually don’t mind a story that jumps around, yet this book was not enhanced by the storytelling format. Readers who are looking for a relaxing read that can be quickly finished without a lasting impression will be happy, but those who want just a little more meat will feel as if something is missing. This should not be moved to the top of a TBR pile, but it would be a good choice when a simple escape is needed.
A Song for Ella Grey is a story that leaves a lot to be desired. I usually don’t mind a story that jumps around, yet this book was not enhanced by the storytelling format. Readers who are looking for a relaxing read that can be quickly finished without a lasting impression will be happy, but those who want just a little more meat will feel as if something is missing. This should not be moved to the top of a TBR pile, but it would be a good choice when a simple escape is needed.
I have to admit, I was very intrigued when I was first invited to read A Song for Ella Grey. I've never read the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, though I'd seen it referenced in a few books before, and I've always been curious. As far as I know, there aren't many retellings of the myth out in the YA genre, so I was even more excited to check this out!
The narrator of this story is Claire, Ella Grey's best friend. While we are reading the words from Claire's point of view, she feels more like a secondary character than a main character. Ella Grey and Orpheus are the stars in this book, and Claire is their storyteller. Getting to know these characters was a very interesting experience, they were all so captivating and mysterious.
I really enjoyed the writing style for the novel. It has a lovely lyrical feel to it, and I found the writing to be very beautiful. While I don't know much about the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, I was able to follow along with the retelling very well, and now I'm even more curious to check out the myth as well.
Overall; I can't say I've read many books like A Song for Ella Grey, but I really enjoyed reading the story David Almond created. I'm definitely going to check out the original myth now, as soon as I possibly can. I'm super excited to check it out as well!
I hate doing this and I hate to say it, but I did not finish this book. I got halfway & could NOT go any further. If I could give negative stars, I would. This book is horrible. The narrator felt like she was always on something & I'm thinking the author might have been when he wrote this. I don't know the Greek myth this was based on, but this "modern day retelling" of it sucked!
Hrrrrrrrghrgh.
Okay, I started to write "what a load of pretentious bullcrap," but I realize that that might be a little too strong. I realize that other people might be emotionally attached to this book for some reason. I'm sorry.
But I DO think it's pretentious, and I DO think it's a bullcrap story.
I don't get it. Maybe that's it. Maybe I'm just too dumb to get it - why we're supposed to care about some scruffy mystical Hozier kid with no attention span, or why we're supposed to think blank-slate dreamy-eyed Ella is supposed to be All That to both scruffy mystical Hozier and our awkwardly bisexual heroine Claire. (I don't usually like tagging characters for their sexuality, but there is literally nothing else to Claire to distinguish her by.) It's not that Almond doesn't do a good job at retelling their love story; it's that there IS NO LOVE STORY. They are suddenly Very Committed to each other because he sang to her over Claire's cellphone.
I don't get it.
I don't get why Claire has to be here at all. It's an Orpheus and Eurydice tale, and eventually it doesn't matter about Claire, because it's all about Orpheus and Eurydice. Does Claire go into the Underworld for Ella? No. She, somehow, vaguely, inexplicably, tells Orpheus's side of the story. She's nothing but a drab, lifeless mouthpiece and I. Don't. Get. It.
And then the wild "Maenads" at the end? Because... well, Orpheus has to get ripped to shreds, it's all doomed to happen, so we don't have to worry about setting ANYTHING up. It's just a bunch of women who are mad that their beautiful boy-toy doesn't seem to like women anymore. Okay.
And if I had to read one more time about how youth makes the youth "mad" - in terribly transparent attempts to justify idiotic, senseless, and meaningless choices that the characters made because That's What The Story Calls For - I was going to pitch something out a window. I'm pretty sure the only people who can talk about youth-mad youths are people who are no longer youths and who very much want to be.
I try not to get angry over books anymore but this book makes me angry because it's so poorly constructed and so poorly characterized. I'll be the first to admit that there's not much to the original Orpheus and Eurydice story, but even I feel a little something that I'm supposed to feel when I read it. This book makes me want to hit something. The only reason it gets two stars is because the writing is, really, very good.
It's just such a piss-poor story it tells.
Okay, I started to write "what a load of pretentious bullcrap," but I realize that that might be a little too strong. I realize that other people might be emotionally attached to this book for some reason. I'm sorry.
But I DO think it's pretentious, and I DO think it's a bullcrap story.
I don't get it. Maybe that's it. Maybe I'm just too dumb to get it - why we're supposed to care about some scruffy mystical Hozier kid with no attention span, or why we're supposed to think blank-slate dreamy-eyed Ella is supposed to be All That to both scruffy mystical Hozier and our awkwardly bisexual heroine Claire. (I don't usually like tagging characters for their sexuality, but there is literally nothing else to Claire to distinguish her by.) It's not that Almond doesn't do a good job at retelling their love story; it's that there IS NO LOVE STORY. They are suddenly Very Committed to each other because he sang to her over Claire's cellphone.
I don't get it.
I don't get why Claire has to be here at all. It's an Orpheus and Eurydice tale, and eventually it doesn't matter about Claire, because it's all about Orpheus and Eurydice. Does Claire go into the Underworld for Ella? No. She, somehow, vaguely, inexplicably, tells Orpheus's side of the story. She's nothing but a drab, lifeless mouthpiece and I. Don't. Get. It.
And then the wild "Maenads" at the end? Because... well, Orpheus has to get ripped to shreds, it's all doomed to happen, so we don't have to worry about setting ANYTHING up. It's just a bunch of women who are mad that their beautiful boy-toy doesn't seem to like women anymore. Okay.
And if I had to read one more time about how youth makes the youth "mad" - in terribly transparent attempts to justify idiotic, senseless, and meaningless choices that the characters made because That's What The Story Calls For - I was going to pitch something out a window. I'm pretty sure the only people who can talk about youth-mad youths are people who are no longer youths and who very much want to be.
I try not to get angry over books anymore but this book makes me angry because it's so poorly constructed and so poorly characterized. I'll be the first to admit that there's not much to the original Orpheus and Eurydice story, but even I feel a little something that I'm supposed to feel when I read it. This book makes me want to hit something. The only reason it gets two stars is because the writing is, really, very good.
It's just such a piss-poor story it tells.
A modern-day retelling of the tale of Orpheus, with Ella the subject of his charm. The story is told through the eyes of Claire, Ella’s best friend and arguably true love, as they, along with their group of friends, explore sexuality, freedom and choice as they reach their late teens. Orpheus’ appearance heightens certain tensions between different factions of the group.
The North-East is a special place for me (which is possibly why I am constantly drawn back to Almond’s writing) and the beach and castle of Bamburgh provide a fitting setting for this group of wantaway teenagers. However, I didn’t fall for any of the characters - Claire seemed too fixated on Ella with no real explanation; Ella was flighty in the extreme; and the other characters didn’t do a lot for the story itself.
A mixed bag.
The North-East is a special place for me (which is possibly why I am constantly drawn back to Almond’s writing) and the beach and castle of Bamburgh provide a fitting setting for this group of wantaway teenagers. However, I didn’t fall for any of the characters - Claire seemed too fixated on Ella with no real explanation; Ella was flighty in the extreme; and the other characters didn’t do a lot for the story itself.
A mixed bag.
Full review on my blog
Sometimes you read a book and you are filled with expectations about the book. You've read on Tumblr how amazing it is, have seen a ton of booktubers talk about it, read about it in the newspaper,.... And sometimes you come to a book with no expectations at all and are completely open to being surprised by a new story.
asongforellagrey.jpg
That was the case for me and A Song for Ella Grey. I'm reading it because it is on the YA book prize shortlist and I must admit that I wouldn't have picked it up if it wasn't on that list. The cover is gorgeous, but the description of the plot is too vague to pull me in.
ELLA AND ORPHEUS : YOUR HIPSTER GREEK MYTHOLOGY COUPLE
Turns out that Ella's Orpheus is indeed the very cool version of Greek Orpheus. Ella's friends, including Claire the narrator, are on vacation when a young attractive guys shows up and starts playing his lyre so amazingly that everyone becomes entranced by him. Claire calls Ella and she has a conversation with Orpheus over the phone and as most teenagers do, Ella and Orpheus fall madly in love without knowing a thing about each other.
They even want to get married, though Orpheus never stays in one place for long and seems to have some kind of musical magic. Claire is skeptical of the marriage, but decides to play along. Now, if you know the myth of Orpheus, you can probably imagine how the story will end. But not Claire and Ella. While Claire has some sense of rationality, Ella is completely out of this world. It's justified by saying that "Ella is a dreamer", but really she is just naive and kind of stupid. She acts all mature and intelligent, but makes the worst decisions. Ella is the hipster at Starbucks that runs a Tumblr blog about how life should be and how little art there is in the world - in other words, she's pretty annoying. But a perfect match for Orpheus, who could sit next to her and run a similar blog. He's just as "deep" as she is and is Grease's John Travolta for current 13 year olds.
CLAIRE WHO?
With two such distinctive and strong personality main characters, narrator Claire kind of falls out of the story. Yes, she narrates the story, but it is really the story of Ella. We know little of Claire, besides that we assume she has some romantic feelings for Ella, but I feel like I knew more about Ella. This was a shame, because Claire has so much potential. She is more realistic, stronger and I would have loved to have seen her figure out what her feelings for Ella are and how to deal with it.
DAVID ALMOND IS AS AMAZING AS E. LOCKHART
However, what saves this book is the amazing writing. I love writing that is compound and straight to the point, like E. Lockhart's. No words are wasted and yet there is so much information in the story. David Almond masters this writing too, meaning that A Song For Ella Grey reads very similarly to We Were Liars. Even though Ella and Orpheus are annoying, the writing is so beautiful that you don't even notice that you don't like them until you put the book down. I for one read this book in one night and just adored it. The writing takes you on such an immense journey that you'll feel like you're in another world completely. And that's what great books do.
RATING
So the rating for this book is actually kind of hard. While I was reading it, I was sure I would give it five stars; I loved everything about it. It wasn't until the next morning, when I talked it over with my friend, that I realized that a lot of characters in the book are annoying little hipsters and make really dumb choices. I wish the characters would have been more relatable, because with David's writing, this could have been one of the best books I've ever read. It will have to be another four stars, but I can't wait to read more of David's writing
Sometimes you read a book and you are filled with expectations about the book. You've read on Tumblr how amazing it is, have seen a ton of booktubers talk about it, read about it in the newspaper,.... And sometimes you come to a book with no expectations at all and are completely open to being surprised by a new story.
asongforellagrey.jpg
That was the case for me and A Song for Ella Grey. I'm reading it because it is on the YA book prize shortlist and I must admit that I wouldn't have picked it up if it wasn't on that list. The cover is gorgeous, but the description of the plot is too vague to pull me in.
ELLA AND ORPHEUS : YOUR HIPSTER GREEK MYTHOLOGY COUPLE
Turns out that Ella's Orpheus is indeed the very cool version of Greek Orpheus. Ella's friends, including Claire the narrator, are on vacation when a young attractive guys shows up and starts playing his lyre so amazingly that everyone becomes entranced by him. Claire calls Ella and she has a conversation with Orpheus over the phone and as most teenagers do, Ella and Orpheus fall madly in love without knowing a thing about each other.
They even want to get married, though Orpheus never stays in one place for long and seems to have some kind of musical magic. Claire is skeptical of the marriage, but decides to play along. Now, if you know the myth of Orpheus, you can probably imagine how the story will end. But not Claire and Ella. While Claire has some sense of rationality, Ella is completely out of this world. It's justified by saying that "Ella is a dreamer", but really she is just naive and kind of stupid. She acts all mature and intelligent, but makes the worst decisions. Ella is the hipster at Starbucks that runs a Tumblr blog about how life should be and how little art there is in the world - in other words, she's pretty annoying. But a perfect match for Orpheus, who could sit next to her and run a similar blog. He's just as "deep" as she is and is Grease's John Travolta for current 13 year olds.
CLAIRE WHO?
With two such distinctive and strong personality main characters, narrator Claire kind of falls out of the story. Yes, she narrates the story, but it is really the story of Ella. We know little of Claire, besides that we assume she has some romantic feelings for Ella, but I feel like I knew more about Ella. This was a shame, because Claire has so much potential. She is more realistic, stronger and I would have loved to have seen her figure out what her feelings for Ella are and how to deal with it.
DAVID ALMOND IS AS AMAZING AS E. LOCKHART
However, what saves this book is the amazing writing. I love writing that is compound and straight to the point, like E. Lockhart's. No words are wasted and yet there is so much information in the story. David Almond masters this writing too, meaning that A Song For Ella Grey reads very similarly to We Were Liars. Even though Ella and Orpheus are annoying, the writing is so beautiful that you don't even notice that you don't like them until you put the book down. I for one read this book in one night and just adored it. The writing takes you on such an immense journey that you'll feel like you're in another world completely. And that's what great books do.
RATING
So the rating for this book is actually kind of hard. While I was reading it, I was sure I would give it five stars; I loved everything about it. It wasn't until the next morning, when I talked it over with my friend, that I realized that a lot of characters in the book are annoying little hipsters and make really dumb choices. I wish the characters would have been more relatable, because with David's writing, this could have been one of the best books I've ever read. It will have to be another four stars, but I can't wait to read more of David's writing
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated