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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
What a delightful novella, although I would peg it as more of a historical romance than a fantasy novella (the magical element seemed at best shoe-horned in to offer resolution to a situation, although perhaps any handling of real-world magic should be out of tune with the details of a world we know). I was intrigued by this glimpse of war-time SF and its timely reminder of how recently even seemingly innocent things - like a woman wearing man's clothing - was illegal.
Full review
Full review
A wonderfully atmospheric tale about two women in love in historical San Francisco that enchanted me from beginning to end. The book highlights the struggle of queer women at that time, and I felt Klages handled every scene with sensitivity and honesty. With such a beautiful cover, I went in with high expectations and was not disappointed. I loved the light touches of magic the book has, never overwhelming the plot, while still complimenting the romantic aspects of the story nicely. This story was a breath of fresh air.
This was a nice romance, but the magic felt like an afterthought. It was only there to propel the plot forward and fell totally by the wayside.
An emotional, delightful, heart-gripping tale. I will have more words soon.
This is a gorgeously evocative portrait of queer ’40s San Francisco – it felt almost real enough to touch. I loved its exploration of identity and the different ways the characters negotiate the selves they present to the world. I keep thinking about the word “passing” in the title, and how many different meanings it has in the context of the story – from passing through time and space to ideas around gender identity and presentation. All of the characters were fascinating, particularly Haskel - I loved the way she found some control over her difficult past by making art. I loved the ways art, magic and science merged, and the hints of rich hidden worlds – I’d read a dozen more books about these characters and this setting.
How I love the Tor dot com novellas. I would like to own many more of them. Passing Strange is about a whole bunch of queer women in 1920s San Francisco who find themselves in trouble and have to hunt for a magical way around them.
This was unlike what I was expecting but it’s a magical and wonderful story.
The novella is split into two time lines: it starts at the modern time, San Francisco, then shifts into 1940s San Francisco. The story has a touch of magic, which I haven’t expected at all.
The reason I wanted to read the novella is it’s a sapphic story in historical setting and it did deliver a touching and realistic romance! I adore Haskel and Emily and them together, I love all of the supporting cast. The story is full of amazing queer women who support each other.
The ending is uplifting but the story itself addresses such topics as homophobia in the time period of 1940s USA, parental and spousal abuse, various discrimination and prejudices non-white non-straight people faced then. It’s not a happy fluffy story nor it’s tragedy porn of queer pain by any means.
The story feels real and honest. The story is told with care and love.
Highly recommend to read it!
The novella is split into two time lines: it starts at the modern time, San Francisco, then shifts into 1940s San Francisco. The story has a touch of magic, which I haven’t expected at all.
The reason I wanted to read the novella is it’s a sapphic story in historical setting and it did deliver a touching and realistic romance! I adore Haskel and Emily and them together, I love all of the supporting cast. The story is full of amazing queer women who support each other.
The ending is uplifting but the story itself addresses such topics as homophobia in the time period of 1940s USA, parental and spousal abuse, various discrimination and prejudices non-white non-straight people faced then. It’s not a happy fluffy story nor it’s tragedy porn of queer pain by any means.
The story feels real and honest. The story is told with care and love.
Highly recommend to read it!
Absolutely wonderful from start to finish.
https://acebookworm.wordpress.com/2018/06/22/passing-strange/
https://acebookworm.wordpress.com/2018/06/22/passing-strange/
So fucking magical and amazing and I absolutely loved it! Love of the city oozed from every page and it was so evocative I spent all last night and this morning daydreaming about finishing it. Gorgeous book, highly recommended.
Passing Strange is centered on the lesbian and bi women's culture of 1940s San Francisco. It's also one of the very very few books where the cover, or the painting on it is actually relevant to the plot - part of it, even, though I'm reluctant to talk about the plot when it comes to novellas. The amount of magic is fairly low to the point where it almost seems like an afterthought for most of the book, but the world comes off as very vibrant. Another thing I liked are the themes it examines - like art and the things artists do to pay the bills or navigating through the homophobia and racism of the era.
Highly recommended.
Enjoyment: 4/5
Execution: 4/5
Recommended to: those looking for wlw and Asian representation and books that center on art
Not recommended to: those who like more magic
Morre reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.
Highly recommended.
Enjoyment: 4/5
Execution: 4/5
Recommended to: those looking for wlw and Asian representation and books that center on art
Not recommended to: those who like more magic
Morre reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.