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nanobooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Immediate thoughts: I think we often aggrandize bad people as true villains when... they're just bad people? I don't know what to make of the ending.
Review This was a difficult read. Anna is a mid-twenties opera postgrad in London on an opera scholarship. One day, she meets a late-thirties man and he gaslights her. Hard. Repeatedly. But sometimes he's nice. Sometimes he's so tender, so sensitive, that it's hard to see the other side.
It's hard to say that the character of Anna has development instead of just resolving the problem that this man creates. I don't know if we're supposed to feel gaslit by the end but I definitely did.
This said, I could not stop reading and, even though I was not looking forward to reading about opera, I thought the author did a great job making it interesting and connecting the feeling behind the operas to Anna's life.
Thanks to Henry Holt and Co. for the ARC!
Review This was a difficult read. Anna is a mid-twenties opera postgrad in London on an opera scholarship. One day, she meets a late-thirties man and he gaslights her. Hard. Repeatedly. But sometimes he's nice. Sometimes he's so tender, so sensitive, that it's hard to see the other side.
It's hard to say that the character of Anna has development instead of just resolving the problem that this man creates. I don't know if we're supposed to feel gaslit by the end but I definitely did.
This said, I could not stop reading and, even though I was not looking forward to reading about opera, I thought the author did a great job making it interesting and connecting the feeling behind the operas to Anna's life.
Thanks to Henry Holt and Co. for the ARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual assault and Toxic relationship
becca_thegrimreader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
2.75
A coming of age story that tackles navigating a career, and relationships. I enjoyed many things in this book, with some razor-sharp analysis on performance careers, feminism, and toxic relationships.
Anna is a young opera singer studying at a prestigious opera school. She is struggling financially, working as a jazz singer in a hotel bar while living in below standard accommodation. While at work she meets Max, an older man who captures her attention. Throughout the book, Anna is trying to piece together who Max is as a person. He is a man who doesn’t talk about himself and does not share personal details with Anna unless he has to. It’s hard to call what Anna and Max have a relationship. Anna is naïve and Max takes advantage of that. Sections of this book were difficult to read due to Max’s controlling behaviour and how he gaslights and manipulates her into making decisions about her life. We watch as Anna becomes anxious and wrought with self-doubt as the book progresses.
As a musician, the sections of the book that feature her singing are relatable. We all have high hopes when we begin college, and the sudden vulnerability that Anna feels when starting at her conservatoire is familiar for me. As Max’s control over her strengthens, it is hard to read how Anna’s voice becomes a fearful thing for her. Her voice is her instrument, and it was a powerful choice to display his effect in that way.
I received this book from Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing. My review is unbiased and honest.
I received this book from Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing. My review is unbiased and honest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
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