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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
A lovely story set in San Francisco in the 1940's. There is a bit of magic, is it real?, you decide.
If there is such a thing as a Reverse Bechdel Test, this fails it. Two men talk to each other, but it is about a woman, specifically Big Jack (Jacqueline) discussed by a cop and a tourist. Other than sailors singing and an abusive husband, that is about as much male dialogue as we get.
If there is such a thing as a Reverse Bechdel Test, this fails it. Two men talk to each other, but it is about a woman, specifically Big Jack (Jacqueline) discussed by a cop and a tourist. Other than sailors singing and an abusive husband, that is about as much male dialogue as we get.
What a setting and concept! I loved the noir-style magical realist elements of this story, along with the 1930s San Francisco setting. Klages does an excellent job of showing an underground(ish) queer community in creative ways.
She also touches on the racism, sexism, and homophobia of the era while balancing it with queer love and resistance.
This one could easily have been a full length novel or a tighter short story, however. At its current length, I found that many of the characters didn’t get quite enough development. But the main romance is so sweet & I’ll gladly revisit it!
She also touches on the racism, sexism, and homophobia of the era while balancing it with queer love and resistance.
This one could easily have been a full length novel or a tighter short story, however. At its current length, I found that many of the characters didn’t get quite enough development. But the main romance is so sweet & I’ll gladly revisit it!
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Will add review ASAP.
I liked this book quite a lot, I loved the cover even before I started reading, and I'm sad to say the random magic that in the end played a big role was what weakened the book in my eyes.
I really enjoyed the characters, the female friendships and the how they helped each other, the aesthetic of the 1940s setting and the writing in general. It was clear that a lot of work had gone into portraying the era and some of its characteristic places (e.g. the World's Fair and Chinatown) and the work surely paid off, because the places described seemed vivid in my eyes.
At first I thought we'd get the POVs of all of the six women and see how their lives intersect, but in the end the book focused mostly on two or three of the women. I think that worked well for such a short book, because adding more POVs would have possibly made the story stretch thin. I did find it a little confusing at first, though, to get the POV of Helen and expect to see more of all the ladies only for it to turn out that the book was mostly focused on Emily and Haskel. However that wasn't anything bothersome.
What did bother me was the magic. I almost ignored the first mentions of magic in the story when the women only discussed it in relation to science and it wasn't used again for a big part of the book. Near the end, however, the magic started playing a big part and it left me slightly disappointed. I think the idea of it was very interesting, but it would have worked better if the magic had been incorporated in the story more.
I really enjoyed the characters, the female friendships and the how they helped each other, the aesthetic of the 1940s setting and the writing in general. It was clear that a lot of work had gone into portraying the era and some of its characteristic places (e.g. the World's Fair and Chinatown) and the work surely paid off, because the places described seemed vivid in my eyes.
At first I thought we'd get the POVs of all of the six women and see how their lives intersect, but in the end the book focused mostly on two or three of the women. I think that worked well for such a short book, because adding more POVs would have possibly made the story stretch thin. I did find it a little confusing at first, though, to get the POV of Helen and expect to see more of all the ladies only for it to turn out that the book was mostly focused on Emily and Haskel. However that wasn't anything bothersome.
What did bother me was the magic. I almost ignored the first mentions of magic in the story when the women only discussed it in relation to science and it wasn't used again for a big part of the book. Near the end, however, the magic started playing a big part and it left me slightly disappointed. I think the idea of it was very interesting, but it would have worked better if the magic had been incorporated in the story more.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No