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binnurdolunay's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
I loved this book!
Beautifully written and narratively strong with three stories woven into one.
Smith’s voice is very compelling. I liked the social commentary and found that the cultural and political references enriched the story.
Discovered this book at a bookstore in Inverness where Smith is from. It was the first work of hers that I’ve read and it certainly won’t be the last!
Beautifully written and narratively strong with three stories woven into one.
Smith’s voice is very compelling. I liked the social commentary and found that the cultural and political references enriched the story.
Discovered this book at a bookstore in Inverness where Smith is from. It was the first work of hers that I’ve read and it certainly won’t be the last!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Suicide attempt
withlivjones's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A really interesting read, definitely not what I expected just from reading the back of the book, but I would honestly recommend going into any Ali Smith book not knowing anything about its contents. I loved the first part of the book, with the non-chronological exploration of the relationship between Richard and Paddy. I also found Brit’s character fascinating to read - she is definitely not a likeable character but she is a very interesting one, and there are many real people like her who simply close themselves off when presented with something that challenges their worldview. Ali Smith is a master of character creation - she makes these very unique and specific characters that shouldn’t meet on a normal day, and then forces them together.
I have two main issues with the book. The first is that I didn’t really understand the character of Florence, although perhaps she’s not meant to be understood. Her powers of invisibility as explained in the book made sense to a point, but past that she seemed overpowered in a way that made everything very convenient for the other characters. The second issue is that the book just doesn’t feel seasonal enough. The “present day” portion of the story happens in October, which isn’t even in Spring! Something I really loved about Winter was that the bleakness of the writing perfectly matched the tone of the season, and the fact that the main story takes place over Christmas helps with that too, and I just didn’t get that same feeling in this book.
I still love Ali Smith’s writing, and she told a very important story in this book, but I’m hoping the rest of the series will improve from this instalment.
I have two main issues with the book. The first is that I didn’t really understand the character of Florence, although perhaps she’s not meant to be understood. Her powers of invisibility as explained in the book made sense to a point, but past that she seemed overpowered in a way that made everything very convenient for the other characters. The second issue is that the book just doesn’t feel seasonal enough. The “present day” portion of the story happens in October, which isn’t even in Spring! Something I really loved about Winter was that the bleakness of the writing perfectly matched the tone of the season, and the fact that the main story takes place over Christmas helps with that too, and I just didn’t get that same feeling in this book.
I still love Ali Smith’s writing, and she told a very important story in this book, but I’m hoping the rest of the series will improve from this instalment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Deportation
Moderate: Death, Racism, and Sexism
maggiefae's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Racism
Moderate: Suicide attempt
kglas's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
I just finished reading the whole seasonal quartet, and here is my experience with some recommendations.
1) It's definitely best to read the seasonal quartet in the order im which the books were published: autumn - winter - spring - summer. Even though there are new characters at the heart of each novel, it is such a delight to re-encounter some loveable ones in more than one of them. Especially, half of the fun of reading Summer at the end is recognising the characters and stories from previous seasons.
2) I read Autumn twice. I finished it and realised that for understanding more deeply I needed to read it again , and that was fully worth it. I may also re-read some of the quartet at some point and I am sure I'll keep discovering connections and passages that I haven't realised so far.
3) I regularly checked out the references to artists and other writers, looking at their work online. That made the reading experience more complete and made me get to know some exciting works of art I'd had no idea about before reading these books.
To sum up, I adore Ali Smith's masterful writing style, her wordplay, the topics she picks up (female art, migration, the Brexit, climate change, COVID 19, activism, ...) and the loving, caring characters she has created.
A must-read for anyone who loves good and sometimes complex novels.
1) It's definitely best to read the seasonal quartet in the order im which the books were published: autumn - winter - spring - summer. Even though there are new characters at the heart of each novel, it is such a delight to re-encounter some loveable ones in more than one of them. Especially, half of the fun of reading Summer at the end is recognising the characters and stories from previous seasons.
2) I read Autumn twice. I finished it and realised that for understanding more deeply I needed to read it again , and that was fully worth it. I may also re-read some of the quartet at some point and I am sure I'll keep discovering connections and passages that I haven't realised so far.
3) I regularly checked out the references to artists and other writers, looking at their work online. That made the reading experience more complete and made me get to know some exciting works of art I'd had no idea about before reading these books.
To sum up, I adore Ali Smith's masterful writing style, her wordplay, the topics she picks up (female art, migration, the Brexit, climate change, COVID 19, activism, ...) and the loving, caring characters she has created.
A must-read for anyone who loves good and sometimes complex novels.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Xenophobia, Grief, and Suicide attempt
sketchydelusion's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Grief
Moderate: Excrement
Minor: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, and War
itsbumley's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Colonisation, Classism, and Deportation
megsotto's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Deportation
Moderate: Cancer
deedireads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Spring is my favorite of Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet so far. It’s a deeply felt novel with smart, resonant social commentary.
For you if: You love characters that feel real enough to break your heart.
FULL REVIEW:
I’m currently reading Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet in order, season by season (with @caseys_chapters!). I’ve liked them all, but I think Spring is my favorite so far.
This one focuses on two main characters: Richard, an older man who was once a moderately successful film director, mourning the loss of his closest friend; and Brit, a corrections officer for the quartet’s fictional security company (which is also involved with border security). Richard has decided there’s nothing left for him, and Brit finds herself traveling with a remarkable young schoolgirl named Florence.
I think this one felt a little less abstract in terms of how it related to the season it’s named for, which helped. It sang with positioning of spring against the idea of borders and migration and the kind of impossible, barely-there hope that always exists despite the brokenness of the world. It might also be that the social commentary felt a little fresher (since the book is newer); I was particularly struck by Brit and the momentum that keeps her from opening her eyes, much less taking action.
But even considered on its own, the power of Ali Smith’s prose is (as always) somehow unnameable but also unmistakeable, and the characters broke my heart. This was deeply felt and effective, and I can’t wait to read Summer.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Spring is my favorite of Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet so far. It’s a deeply felt novel with smart, resonant social commentary.
For you if: You love characters that feel real enough to break your heart.
FULL REVIEW:
I’m currently reading Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet in order, season by season (with @caseys_chapters!). I’ve liked them all, but I think Spring is my favorite so far.
This one focuses on two main characters: Richard, an older man who was once a moderately successful film director, mourning the loss of his closest friend; and Brit, a corrections officer for the quartet’s fictional security company (which is also involved with border security). Richard has decided there’s nothing left for him, and Brit finds herself traveling with a remarkable young schoolgirl named Florence.
I think this one felt a little less abstract in terms of how it related to the season it’s named for, which helped. It sang with positioning of spring against the idea of borders and migration and the kind of impossible, barely-there hope that always exists despite the brokenness of the world. It might also be that the social commentary felt a little fresher (since the book is newer); I was particularly struck by Brit and the momentum that keeps her from opening her eyes, much less taking action.
But even considered on its own, the power of Ali Smith’s prose is (as always) somehow unnameable but also unmistakeable, and the characters broke my heart. This was deeply felt and effective, and I can’t wait to read Summer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Confinement
katekenney's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I had very few preconceptions about this book other than finding the concept of four independent, seasonal novels really interesting. I read this book way faster than expected. The author deftly navigates multiple voices and manages to tell story wrapped in a much bigger story about the unfailing persistence of life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Trafficking and Suicide attempt
Non-linear storytelling, some questions left answeredsoupy_twist's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Suicide attempt