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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Well, this was just what I needed after some unpleasant books. Passing Strange is a sweet little story about love and friendship in 1940 San Francisco. It’s a quick read and has a light, dreamy quality to it. You can tell the author spent a lot of time with her characters, even though we don’t. For such breif sketches, there is a warmth and vibrancy in the women.
The spine of my library book labels this as science fiction, but it really is not. It’s a romantic fantasy. There are a few magical elements essential to the plot, but they are just there as devices, not explored. Barely commented on in fact. If I was reading this for a nice hit of sci-fi I would have been disappointed.
It would have been nicer if things had been more fleshed out, but on the other hand perhaps one of the reasons it is so charming is that it’s more a sketch.
The spine of my library book labels this as science fiction, but it really is not. It’s a romantic fantasy. There are a few magical elements essential to the plot, but they are just there as devices, not explored. Barely commented on in fact. If I was reading this for a nice hit of sci-fi I would have been disappointed.
It would have been nicer if things had been more fleshed out, but on the other hand perhaps one of the reasons it is so charming is that it’s more a sketch.
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A dreamy, stand alone, slightly magic novella set deeply in queer San Francisco in the 40's and it turns out to be a TOR novella -- go figure. No wonder I loved it to its very bones. Ellen Klages takes us on a trip in time, and brings us to an irreverent, funny, vital lesbian circle of women who are finding ways to remain fiercely themselves despite the horrifying local laws governing their dress, their property, their rights as women and minorities. In addition, there's a little bit of magic, a little bit of satisfying revenge, some wish fulfillment and characters worth their salt. Delightful.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have mixed feelings about this novella. On the one hand, the story is wonderful - unique, moving, and thought-provoking. I was up well past my bedtime thinking about the ending after I finished the book.
On the other hand, I found the writing style off-putting. It's not straightforward enough to be transparent to the reader, which is my preference. But it's not graceful enough to be lyrical. It's full of embellishments which didn't entirely fly for me - it sort of clunked around rather than singing.
But I'm willing to put up with prose choices that don't work for me for a special story, and this story is special. The 1930s queer San Francisco setting is wonderful to read about, and I loved the glimpses we got of the magical system.
On the other hand, I found the writing style off-putting. It's not straightforward enough to be transparent to the reader, which is my preference. But it's not graceful enough to be lyrical. It's full of embellishments which didn't entirely fly for me - it sort of clunked around rather than singing.
But I'm willing to put up with prose choices that don't work for me for a special story, and this story is special. The 1930s queer San Francisco setting is wonderful to read about, and I loved the glimpses we got of the magical system.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
A fantastically atmospheric story of women-loving-women in 1940s San Francisco. This book found me at the perfect moment, when I wanted to kind of drift along through a magical world without getting too deep into the magic or have to do much heavy lifting as a reader. That's not to say it's a basic or half-arsed book, just that the sense of place is so immediate that the reader can kind of sink into it and then be carried along through the series of short-story-like chapters to the end. I can imagine in a different mood this wouldn't land with me at all, I'm just very glad I picked it up at the right moment.
I just wasnt interested in it anymore
Parts of the story feel a little rushed, and what makes the story genre feels forced, but that's the only thing keeping this from being a five-star review. This story of two women who want to be together in an era where it's illegal is beautiful, emotional, and uplifting.