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mustakarppi's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ettuladyblue's review against another edition
4.0
What a fun trippy ride through space, time, movies and whales. Enjoyed this way more than I thought. It does play fast and loose with genres, and you're never going to get a straight answer.
What's more important, the truth we know or the truth we create? And does it matter?
What's more important, the truth we know or the truth we create? And does it matter?
aranafyre's review against another edition
5.0
I found this book fascinating. It was extremely intriguing and entertaining. I found I had to focus and look back and think about what I read in ways most books I pick up do not challenge me to do and I enjoyed that tremendously. I loved the broken timeline and the various storytelling formats streaming together to form a whole.
I loved the feel of the world as well. It has elements of gothic, mystery, and adventure as well as 1920's-1940's fashion. Beautifully crafted.
It did take me a while to get immersed into the world and I found myself much more successful when I was able to sit down and read for extended periods.
Mid-way through I was both hoping and fearing that Valente would answer the questions to the mysteries of Severin's mother and her disappearance. I did like what Valente did come up with but I feel I would have loved the book even more if I did not know what happened. Though on some level, the answers are not true; they are the fictional movie script of what Vincenza Mako shows at the end of the book. However, I would have preferred not having them.
I would highly recommend to certain readers but not everyone.
I loved the feel of the world as well. It has elements of gothic, mystery, and adventure as well as 1920's-1940's fashion. Beautifully crafted.
It did take me a while to get immersed into the world and I found myself much more successful when I was able to sit down and read for extended periods.
Mid-way through I was both hoping and fearing that Valente would answer the questions to the mysteries of Severin's mother and her disappearance. I did like what Valente did come up with but I feel I would have loved the book even more if I did not know what happened. Though on some level, the answers are not true; they are the fictional movie script of what Vincenza Mako shows at the end of the book. However, I would have preferred not having them.
I would highly recommend to certain readers but not everyone.
geekwayne's review against another edition
5.0
'Radiance'by Catherynne M. Valente called to me with it's decopunk stylizing of old Hollywood and Golden Era SF stories. It won me over with the kind of literary brilliance that I've come to expect from this author. I'm still processing it, and still in complete awe.
It's about a father and daughter, both filmmakers, in an alternate Hollywood, with studio lots on the moon. It's about love and loss and about the lies we tell ourselves when we only know or only can see partial truth. It's nostalgic and splashy. It's cunning and biting. It's romantic and horrific. I'm gushing, aren't I?
It's chapters take place out of order. Each one a type of film journalism. There are red carpet gossip reports, and journals. Memoirs and screenplays. The ending may not be as settled as some may like, but I found the whole thing shimmering and elegant, like a star-filled party under a star-filled sky.
It's about a father and daughter, both filmmakers, in an alternate Hollywood, with studio lots on the moon. It's about love and loss and about the lies we tell ourselves when we only know or only can see partial truth. It's nostalgic and splashy. It's cunning and biting. It's romantic and horrific. I'm gushing, aren't I?
It's chapters take place out of order. Each one a type of film journalism. There are red carpet gossip reports, and journals. Memoirs and screenplays. The ending may not be as settled as some may like, but I found the whole thing shimmering and elegant, like a star-filled party under a star-filled sky.
jaxbarlow3's review against another edition
I never leave reviews but the characters were so unlikeable I could not get myself past page 153. It’s a shame, though, because I thought the world building was great
ladytiara's review against another edition
4.0
This book was amazing, and I really I had read a hard copy rather than the ebook. There's so much going on, and I really wanted to be able to flip back and forth, which is just kind of a pain with an ebook.
tiarala's review against another edition
3.0
One of the reviews I read of Radiance declared that its genius is its downfall and I have to agree. It’s so artfully done, but the way Valente structures the narrative, in snippets of articles and interviews, gets in the story’s own way. It took me well over halfway through to care about any of the characters or to even really understand there was a true arc. Eventually she sucked me in but I started to resent the story by that point. Where this book failed, I think that’s what helped Space Opera to shine so brightly. Skip this, read Space Opera instead.
megadeathvsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This one was a lot of fun for me to read. I love how I had to put some of the pieces of the puzzle together myself. The tone and setting of the book is engaging and captivating. Great read.
tricapra's review against another edition
DNF'ing this at the 60% mark. I really tried. I think this is perhaps, just maybe the wrong moment in time? I found myself completely spacing out and having to rewind and just... No, not working for me. It is an ambitious book though, I'll give it that.
laurafd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5