Reviews

The Lightness by Emily Temple

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cait_henry56's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book is like the feminine Fight Club, which I mean as both a compliment and an insult. It reminds me of a line from Lucy Corin that paraphrased claimed that men explode outward to kill others while women explode inward, killing themselves. The book is full of angst, transporting the reader back to being 15 and hating everything about yourself and the world around you. This was so close to a five star read for me, but the book meandered for too long between time jumps and slathering page after page with vague foreshadowing. It also doesn't have much warmth or hearth, but them again, what tale of feminine rage does?

Content Warnings

below_average_baker's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

3.5

Content Warnings

alisarae's review against another edition

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5.0

dobbyhasnomaster's review against another edition

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3.0

The beginning and middle of the story were quite boring, but then the end really picked up the pace and saved the book for me. The writing style is interesting, sometimes beautiful (the short paragraphs) and sometimes annoying (the overuse of “etc.” to explain things). I liked learning about buddhism.

kennedyfio_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

I feel like this accomplished the feelings that "Dogs of Summer" and "Brutes" were supposed to give. It felt "cult-like", while focusing on those slightly-too-close relationships young teens have with each other. Clear and fast-paced, this is worth the read.

"The Lightness" follows Olivia over eight-weeks at a Buddhist summer camp for "troubled" girls, and the deep, interconnected relationships she forms with Serena, Laurel, and Janet - relationships that are those type of friendships you can only make at summer camp. For those who know, you know.

Layered with Olivia's personal experiences with her parents and Buddhism, this novel explores the girls' formative summer while they attempt to achieve a form of enlightenment. You do not need to know anything about Buddhism to read this book!

It is truly an exploration of girlhood, and those complicated relationships teen girls form with each other that change their lives forever.

Read it in one day, I highly recommend.