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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
4.25
The New Life is a queer historical fiction novel set in England in the 1890s, one that is inspired by real events and real people. At it’s centre are John Addington and Henry Ellis who collaborate on a book aimed at shifting public opinion towards an acceptance of homosexuality. They are quietly confident their book will be well-received…until the trial of Oscar Wilde that is. The book also explores the complicated personal life of each man. John is homosexual, married to Catherine, but tired of hiding and trying to ignore his true self, particularly once he meets Frank. Henry is recently married but has a new sort of marriage, a meeting of minds as much as anything. The two live separately, his wife Edith enters another relationship with a woman, and Henry has sexual secrets of his own.
I thought this book poignantly and beautifully captured the love - and lust - men felt for each other as well as the anguish, shame and fear they suffered when they had to hide part of who they were. I appreciated the way it raised questions but didn’t offer easy - or any - answers. For example how could John balance his homosexuality and his desire for it to be generally accepted with what was fair to his family and in their best interests? John’s wife Catherine was such an intriguing character, and her position must have been such a lonely one. Given the prevailing attitudes towards homosexuality who could she possibly talk to? She was sympathetic to John but part of a marriage that was not fulfilling to her. I respected her for drawing her line in the sand and holding firm to it while not taking any punitive action against John.
This story brought a fresh perspective to historical fiction set in the Victorian era. I’m really glad to have read it, even if it left me feeling melancholic.
I thought this book poignantly and beautifully captured the love - and lust - men felt for each other as well as the anguish, shame and fear they suffered when they had to hide part of who they were. I appreciated the way it raised questions but didn’t offer easy - or any - answers. For example how could John balance his homosexuality and his desire for it to be generally accepted with what was fair to his family and in their best interests? John’s wife Catherine was such an intriguing character, and her position must have been such a lonely one. Given the prevailing attitudes towards homosexuality who could she possibly talk to? She was sympathetic to John but part of a marriage that was not fulfilling to her. I respected her for drawing her line in the sand and holding firm to it while not taking any punitive action against John.
This story brought a fresh perspective to historical fiction set in the Victorian era. I’m really glad to have read it, even if it left me feeling melancholic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
caidyn's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
3.75
What a difficult book to rate. On some level, it's an excellent read about the 1890s and how queer people had to live. Yet, I still found the characters, largely, abhorrent on many levels. And I still loved and felt for them and their complex lives. I think my favorite part of the book was Mrs. Addington's speech.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Homophobia
levc's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Homophobia
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Sexual assault
deedireads's review against another edition
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
The New Life is a well-written and deeply emotional novel about experiences of queerness in late-1800s London. I loved it.
For you if: You like deeply imagined characters who make questionable choices.
Not for you if: You don’t like sexual content or prose occasionally on the flowery side.
FULL REVIEW:
I picked up The New Life after seeing it on a few most-anticipated lists for 2023, and wowza, am I glad I did! What a well-written, deeply emotional novel.
The book takes place in London in the late 1800s Two men have teamed up to write a book making a scientific argument against the criminalization of homosexuality. John is a closeted, married gay man who begins a passionate affair with a man from a different social class. Henry is a quiet but prolific proponent of “the new life,” a future where marriage is redefined. He’s married to a woman from the same movement, and theirs is anything but a traditional marriage. The book they’re writing is going well, until Oscar Wilde’s sodomy trial happens — when taking a stand goes from feeling clear and right to questionable and risky.
One thing I’ll say right off the bat is that this book has a lot of sexual content — from literally the first page. But there’s a big difference between sex for sex’s sake, and what Crewe does here, which is use it to deepen our understanding of these characters and what motivates them. Honestly, I found it impressive.
I also thought that Crewe wrote confrontation scenes in a really expert way. Whenever the characters were in direct conflict, we got so much insight into their psyches, but in a way that felt like we were learning about them just as they were learning about themselves. It was particularly heart-wrenching and just very well done.
I will say that the prose can be flowery at times. I happen to like that, but I know it’s not for everyone. All in all, I found this to be a really excellent novel about queerness and sexual exploration, plus the tension between being true to yourself and the unintended consequences on those around you.
Please read this!
TL;DR REVIEW:
The New Life is a well-written and deeply emotional novel about experiences of queerness in late-1800s London. I loved it.
For you if: You like deeply imagined characters who make questionable choices.
Not for you if: You don’t like sexual content or prose occasionally on the flowery side.
FULL REVIEW:
I picked up The New Life after seeing it on a few most-anticipated lists for 2023, and wowza, am I glad I did! What a well-written, deeply emotional novel.
The book takes place in London in the late 1800s Two men have teamed up to write a book making a scientific argument against the criminalization of homosexuality. John is a closeted, married gay man who begins a passionate affair with a man from a different social class. Henry is a quiet but prolific proponent of “the new life,” a future where marriage is redefined. He’s married to a woman from the same movement, and theirs is anything but a traditional marriage. The book they’re writing is going well, until Oscar Wilde’s sodomy trial happens — when taking a stand goes from feeling clear and right to questionable and risky.
One thing I’ll say right off the bat is that this book has a lot of sexual content — from literally the first page. But there’s a big difference between sex for sex’s sake, and what Crewe does here, which is use it to deepen our understanding of these characters and what motivates them. Honestly, I found it impressive.
I also thought that Crewe wrote confrontation scenes in a really expert way. Whenever the characters were in direct conflict, we got so much insight into their psyches, but in a way that felt like we were learning about them just as they were learning about themselves. It was particularly heart-wrenching and just very well done.
I will say that the prose can be flowery at times. I happen to like that, but I know it’s not for everyone. All in all, I found this to be a really excellent novel about queerness and sexual exploration, plus the tension between being true to yourself and the unintended consequences on those around you.
Please read this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Homophobia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
abigailbat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Loosely inspired by actual people, this novel tells the story of two men who endeavored to publish a book normalizing homosexual behavior in 1890s England. At the time, being gay and the acts of male homosexual sex could get you sent to prison and doing hard labor. This book (which actually existed) set out to argue against criminalizing something that is part of some people’s natures. Although the book is definitely a huge bummer, it was eye opening to read. This is a important part of history (however we might not like that to be true). Through novelizing the story, the author is able to humanize the characters, both extremely flawed. It’s well worth a read for anyone interested in queer history.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Homophobia
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