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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
More...