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2.82 AVERAGE
2.82 AVERAGE
I received this free from the publishers via Netgalley
All quotes are from my arc edition and may be subject to change
Toni and Gretchen are the perfect couple. They never fight and are expected to be together forever. But then college comes along, Gretchen to NYU and Toni to Harvard and they are sure they'll be ok. However, the distance does put a toll on their relationship. Toni is genderqueer and when T finds a sense of belonging with a group transgender upperclassman, Gretchen struggles to find out who she is outside of their relationship.
I adored Robin Talley's other novel Lies We Tell Ourselves, so What We Left Behind was high on my anticipated reads for this year. However, I was left extremely disappointed with this novel.
I'm not massively educated on things like transgender or genderqueer. What We Left Behind suggests that those who identify as genderqueer are just confused about their gender identity, where as my impression was that those who are genderqueer identifies with neither, both, or a combination of male and female genders. However, What We Left Behind seems to insinuate that it is a transitional period for people to decide which gender they belong to. When talking about a transgender meeting, this is said:
The plot was also incredibly weak. It actually read like a textbook on gender identity and sexual orientation, and the only noticeable plot was the relationship between Toni and Gretchen, which in itself was weak.
Toni actually has quite a large disdain for straight and cis-gendered, and outright feminine girls, and T won't give them the time of day for that exact reason.
I personally didn't know that not being feminine was a requirement of being a feminist.
While some of the girls aren't nice people in general, I think this is the wrong message to send to young people. All girls don't have to dress the same. Some are 'girly' and some are not. People dress and look differently. Toni is really adverse to gender specific pronouns and gender specific labels and things in general. Which is fine, but T seems to want to force T's views on everyone else, and tries to force labels on others and everyone T meets T tries to put them in a box and to see which box they fit into, such as being transgender and cis etc, and then T decides whether T wants to like them.
When Toni doesn't use pronouns for T's transgender friends, and T gets called out on it as to why it is problematic and why it is important for them, T still won't use pronouns for them for the sole reason as T doesn't like them.
Toni also seems happy that T brings some LGBT diversity to T's roommates, as if race and sexuality is some fashion label.
Also, Gretchen's new friend is transphobic and it is never really addressed and Gretchen still continues to befriend him without addressing the issue.
Overall, I wasn't particular impressed with most of this novel and it is a huge disappointment. Perhaps, i'm wrong with what i'm talking about, so please do correct me and call me out if i've said something wrong/offensive.
All quotes are from my arc edition and may be subject to change
Toni and Gretchen are the perfect couple. They never fight and are expected to be together forever. But then college comes along, Gretchen to NYU and Toni to Harvard and they are sure they'll be ok. However, the distance does put a toll on their relationship. Toni is genderqueer and when T finds a sense of belonging with a group transgender upperclassman, Gretchen struggles to find out who she is outside of their relationship.
I adored Robin Talley's other novel Lies We Tell Ourselves, so What We Left Behind was high on my anticipated reads for this year. However, I was left extremely disappointed with this novel.
I'm not massively educated on things like transgender or genderqueer. What We Left Behind suggests that those who identify as genderqueer are just confused about their gender identity, where as my impression was that those who are genderqueer identifies with neither, both, or a combination of male and female genders. However, What We Left Behind seems to insinuate that it is a transitional period for people to decide which gender they belong to. When talking about a transgender meeting, this is said:
"Come hang out with us, T!" Pete calls. "We're having a support group meeting for the formerly genderqueer!"
The plot was also incredibly weak. It actually read like a textbook on gender identity and sexual orientation, and the only noticeable plot was the relationship between Toni and Gretchen, which in itself was weak.
Toni actually has quite a large disdain for straight and cis-gendered, and outright feminine girls, and T won't give them the time of day for that exact reason.
'Besides, who the hell are they to talk? Joanna gets up at six in the morning to start a ninety-minute hair care regimen, and Felicia wears designer high heels every day even though they always get caught in the sidewalks. Joanna and Felicia are the ultimate gender conformists. Neither of them has the right to talk about feminism until they stop posting pictures of themselves in bikinis'
I personally didn't know that not being feminine was a requirement of being a feminist.
Why do they always have to dress that way? Gretchen doesn't. Neither does Ebony. It's like Joanna and Felicia are trying to be as girly as humanly possible
While some of the girls aren't nice people in general, I think this is the wrong message to send to young people. All girls don't have to dress the same. Some are 'girly' and some are not. People dress and look differently. Toni is really adverse to gender specific pronouns and gender specific labels and things in general. Which is fine, but T seems to want to force T's views on everyone else, and tries to force labels on others and everyone T meets T tries to put them in a box and to see which box they fit into, such as being transgender and cis etc, and then T decides whether T wants to like them.
"You couldn't tell about Eli, so you were checking him out hard-core for, like, ten minutes."
When Toni doesn't use pronouns for T's transgender friends, and T gets called out on it as to why it is problematic and why it is important for them, T still won't use pronouns for them for the sole reason as T doesn't like them.
Toni also seems happy that T brings some LGBT diversity to T's roommates, as if race and sexuality is some fashion label.
I'm the only one of my roommates who's white. Ebony and Felicia are both black, and Joanna is Vietnamese. I felt a little weird at first, like I was boring next to them. Then I remembered that I bring in the LGBTQIA diversity angle, so I was still contributing
Also, Gretchen's new friend is transphobic and it is never really addressed and Gretchen still continues to befriend him without addressing the issue.
Overall, I wasn't particular impressed with most of this novel and it is a huge disappointment. Perhaps, i'm wrong with what i'm talking about, so please do correct me and call me out if i've said something wrong/offensive.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book has a lot of important inclusion of varied gender expressions and that's important but I hate the protagonist so much that I cannot go above 3 stars.
This might be my most disappointing read of 2015. I have been so excited for this book. There are so few books out there about people who identify as genderqueer that I couldn't wait for this book to be available. But it did so many things wrong.
Firstly, I knew early on that this wasn't going to get more than three stars. It read like a textbook or essay discussing and informing the reader about being transgender and being genderqueer. The story itself - about Toni and Gretchen's relationship - was weak and underdeveloped. Starting with instalove and never growing into anything that interesting, it merely served as a platform for the issues to be discussed.
But that wasn't a completely bad thing either. I would have given this three stars if it educated teens about people so rarely represented in YA.
There were many discussions about the fluidity of gender and language. I found this latter particularly interesting and enjoyed learning about the ways language has changed to incorporate LGBTQIA individuals and words like sexism and homophobia. But the book started to really go downhill when it began to completely misrepresent what it means to be "genderqueer".
You can read many blog posts and articles by people who identify as genderqueer, you can watch videos by those who are genderqueer and hear firsthand what they have to say about it. But to summarize, being genderqueer means that you do not identify with "masculinity" or "femininity", you do not simply fall into either box. This might be because you fall somewhere between the two, having both traditionally masculine and feminine gender traits. Or it might be because you find yourself somewhere outside the expectations of either.
It is not, however, a transition period in which you decide which gender you belong to. And it annoys me so much that this book suggests genderqueer people are those who haven't made their minds up which gender they want to be. That is NOT true. Just like bisexual people are not those who simply haven't decided whether they like girls or boys yet.
But that's not all that bothered me.
I hated the disdain for every white heterosexual person in the book. Both Toni and Gretchen comment on this. Gretchen doesn't want to be "straight" because it's so "normal", and Toni comments on her roommates all being non-white but is relieved she brings some LGBT diversity. Sexuality and gender identity are not fashion statements! It's not about being cool! Bloody hell.
My issue with this isn't because I feel so sorry for all the poor white heterosexual people, it's because it sells the right-wing misconception that gay or transgender people have disdain for straight, cisgender people. It's so stupid! And so wrong!
I think the only straight, cisgender character in the book that isn't mean is Toni's little sister Audrey. Seriously, I'm not exaggerating. The others are viewed like this:
Because feminists can't possibly want to be attractive and take pictures of themselves in bikinis, right? ...Wrong!
I'm also confused about the decision to have Gretchen befriend a homophobic, transphobic guy who calls Toni a "shemale". I thought it was going to be part of a lesson/message the book was imparting, but nope, she just decided she liked him.
This book was just a complete mess. I'm so so disappointed. I really am. We need more books with genderqueer characters, just not like this.
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Firstly, I knew early on that this wasn't going to get more than three stars. It read like a textbook or essay discussing and informing the reader about being transgender and being genderqueer. The story itself - about Toni and Gretchen's relationship - was weak and underdeveloped. Starting with instalove and never growing into anything that interesting, it merely served as a platform for the issues to be discussed.
But that wasn't a completely bad thing either. I would have given this three stars if it educated teens about people so rarely represented in YA.
There were many discussions about the fluidity of gender and language. I found this latter particularly interesting and enjoyed learning about the ways language has changed to incorporate LGBTQIA individuals and words like sexism and homophobia. But the book started to really go downhill when it began to completely misrepresent what it means to be "genderqueer".
You can read many blog posts and articles by people who identify as genderqueer, you can watch videos by those who are genderqueer and hear firsthand what they have to say about it. But to summarize, being genderqueer means that you do not identify with "masculinity" or "femininity", you do not simply fall into either box. This might be because you fall somewhere between the two, having both traditionally masculine and feminine gender traits. Or it might be because you find yourself somewhere outside the expectations of either.
It is not, however, a transition period in which you decide which gender you belong to. And it annoys me so much that this book suggests genderqueer people are those who haven't made their minds up which gender they want to be. That is NOT true. Just like bisexual people are not those who simply haven't decided whether they like girls or boys yet.
But that's not all that bothered me.
I hated the disdain for every white heterosexual person in the book. Both Toni and Gretchen comment on this. Gretchen doesn't want to be "straight" because it's so "normal", and Toni comments on her roommates all being non-white but is relieved she brings some LGBT diversity. Sexuality and gender identity are not fashion statements! It's not about being cool! Bloody hell.
My issue with this isn't because I feel so sorry for all the poor white heterosexual people, it's because it sells the right-wing misconception that gay or transgender people have disdain for straight, cisgender people. It's so stupid! And so wrong!
I think the only straight, cisgender character in the book that isn't mean is Toni's little sister Audrey. Seriously, I'm not exaggerating. The others are viewed like this:
Joanna gets up at six in the morning to start a ninety-minute hair care regimen, and Felicia wears designer high heels every day even though they always get caught in the sidewalks. Joanna and Felicia are the ultimate gender conformists. Neither of them has the right to talk about feminism until they stop posting pictures of themselves in bikinis.
Because feminists can't possibly want to be attractive and take pictures of themselves in bikinis, right? ...Wrong!
I'm also confused about the decision to have Gretchen befriend a homophobic, transphobic guy who calls Toni a "shemale". I thought it was going to be part of a lesson/message the book was imparting, but nope, she just decided she liked him.
This book was just a complete mess. I'm so so disappointed. I really am. We need more books with genderqueer characters, just not like this.
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challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I did enjoy this quite a bit, especially the subtle language shifts and choices. But there is some conflation of genderqueer and trans identities, which seemed like two separate things to me (and reading some of the other reviews, I see I'm not the only one who had problems with that). But I did enjoy this quite a lot.
This novel begins so beautifully. I adore how Toni met Gretchen at the dance and how they just knew they were going to be together. I loved how it was purely about two people discovering a mutual attraction without the novel being too specific about what gender or sexual orientation they were. It was gorgeous and I couldn’t wait to read more!
However, from the point when Toni and Gretchen leave for University it felt like this novel became less of a journey of discovery for these two characters and became more of a platform to educate the reader on issues surrounding gender identity. Toni prefers to be referred to in a gender neutral way, so no he or she. The problem is that when a novel is written like this it is incredibly jarring to read; to have a person’s name repeated two or three times in a single sentence, and then repeatedly through entire paragraphs means it just doesn’t flow at all well and I found it brought me out of the story too much. I absolutely understand that Talley was putting the reader right into Toni’s place and getting us to see the world through this character’s eyes, it’s about making us see and understand how hard it is to be gender neutral and I commend the attempt, but it prevented me from getting into the book so it was problematic.
Toni very quickly becomes one dimensional. All the thoughts and conversations Toni has throughout the book just felt like like I was being lectured to, it was all very dry and there was very little emotion, which made it hard to see Toni as any more than a platform for awareness of gender identity issues. This really did feel like less of a novel and more of a statement being made. I don’t think we really learnt anything about Toni other than the gender identity struggles, and then the struggles seemed to be explained over and over again without any progression. I know the issues in this book are incredibly important but a novel still needs to maintain a level of entertainment and to evoke feelings in the reader, and the characters still need to be fleshed out otherwise it stops the reader making any kind of connection with the book. For me, it doesn’t matter what a character in a book is experiencing, it doesn’t have to be something I have any experience of but the character has to be three dimensional otherwise it just becomes words on a page; to get really engrossed in a novel the characters have to become real to a reader.
I did find more to connect with in Gretchen due to her character being a little more rounded. We see more of Gretchen relating to her new friends about a range of things, which gives her an added dimension that Toni’s character never really has. The beginning of the book when Toni and Gretchen first meet, and the point when they finally figure out their relationship are about the only times in the novel when there was a lot of emotion and feelings and therefore more depth to Toni’s character, which made Toni, just for that brief time, seem real. I really wish we’d seen much more of this emotional side of Toni throughout the rest of the novel, it would have made the character feel like a person rather than a mouthpiece through which a point could be made.
I can appreciate what the author was trying to do in this novel but for me it just doesn’t achieve what it seems it meant to achieve.
I received a copy of this book from Mira Ink via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
What We Left Behind is out now and available on Amazon.
However, from the point when Toni and Gretchen leave for University it felt like this novel became less of a journey of discovery for these two characters and became more of a platform to educate the reader on issues surrounding gender identity. Toni prefers to be referred to in a gender neutral way, so no he or she. The problem is that when a novel is written like this it is incredibly jarring to read; to have a person’s name repeated two or three times in a single sentence, and then repeatedly through entire paragraphs means it just doesn’t flow at all well and I found it brought me out of the story too much. I absolutely understand that Talley was putting the reader right into Toni’s place and getting us to see the world through this character’s eyes, it’s about making us see and understand how hard it is to be gender neutral and I commend the attempt, but it prevented me from getting into the book so it was problematic.
Toni very quickly becomes one dimensional. All the thoughts and conversations Toni has throughout the book just felt like like I was being lectured to, it was all very dry and there was very little emotion, which made it hard to see Toni as any more than a platform for awareness of gender identity issues. This really did feel like less of a novel and more of a statement being made. I don’t think we really learnt anything about Toni other than the gender identity struggles, and then the struggles seemed to be explained over and over again without any progression. I know the issues in this book are incredibly important but a novel still needs to maintain a level of entertainment and to evoke feelings in the reader, and the characters still need to be fleshed out otherwise it stops the reader making any kind of connection with the book. For me, it doesn’t matter what a character in a book is experiencing, it doesn’t have to be something I have any experience of but the character has to be three dimensional otherwise it just becomes words on a page; to get really engrossed in a novel the characters have to become real to a reader.
I did find more to connect with in Gretchen due to her character being a little more rounded. We see more of Gretchen relating to her new friends about a range of things, which gives her an added dimension that Toni’s character never really has. The beginning of the book when Toni and Gretchen first meet, and the point when they finally figure out their relationship are about the only times in the novel when there was a lot of emotion and feelings and therefore more depth to Toni’s character, which made Toni, just for that brief time, seem real. I really wish we’d seen much more of this emotional side of Toni throughout the rest of the novel, it would have made the character feel like a person rather than a mouthpiece through which a point could be made.
I can appreciate what the author was trying to do in this novel but for me it just doesn’t achieve what it seems it meant to achieve.
I received a copy of this book from Mira Ink via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
What We Left Behind is out now and available on Amazon.
I had such high expectations for this book, but sadly I was disappointed. This book was not that good. I liked the LGBTQ aspect in this book, but the story itself was just flat. I honestly don't recommend reading this book. It's really just a waste of time.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
First things first, I was so excited to read a book about these particular themes, on the one hand, dealing with a long-distance relationship but more importantly, to learn more about what it means to be genderqueer. I probably should have read the reviews first, because I didn't learn much. I disliked most of the characters, they came across as pretty one-dimensional to me. I particularly disliked T, I don't know why, I just couldn't connect with her/him/T and a lot of what she/he/T did and said annoyed me. But there were a few aspects of the story that I enjoyed, particularly the pain and hurt they both felt as they left for university. I shouldn't have enjoyed those parts, should I? Oh well!
Full review on my blog:
http://originalbooker.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/what-we-left-behind-robin-talley.html
First things first, I was so excited to read a book about these particular themes, on the one hand, dealing with a long-distance relationship but more importantly, to learn more about what it means to be genderqueer. I probably should have read the reviews first, because I didn't learn much. I disliked most of the characters, they came across as pretty one-dimensional to me. I particularly disliked T, I don't know why, I just couldn't connect with her/him/T and a lot of what she/he/T did and said annoyed me. But there were a few aspects of the story that I enjoyed, particularly the pain and hurt they both felt as they left for university. I shouldn't have enjoyed those parts, should I? Oh well!
Full review on my blog:
http://originalbooker.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/what-we-left-behind-robin-talley.html