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maggie_blakeney 's review for:
Woodworking
by Emily St. James
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Overall a heartwarming and hopeful story about generational (and individual) differences within trans experiences, trans community and inclusion. I hadn't heard of the concept of "woodworking" in this context before, and the ongoing decisions of the characters about when/how/whether to share parts of their identity gave me a lot to think about.
I didn't love the writing style for the most part - I felt the novel was marketed as literary but the prose did a lot of 'telling rather than showing' which made the writing feel a bit too YA. The relationships were quite one-dimensional/convenient, and I would have liked to dive further into the nuances of. However I did enjoy the exploration of identity and sense of self through the use of first, second and third person narration at different points for different characters, and found the Brooke chapters to be especially beautifully written.
I didn't love the writing style for the most part - I felt the novel was marketed as literary but the prose did a lot of 'telling rather than showing' which made the writing feel a bit too YA. The relationships were quite one-dimensional/convenient, and I would have liked to dive further into the nuances of. However I did enjoy the exploration of identity and sense of self through the use of first, second and third person narration at different points for different characters, and found the Brooke chapters to be especially beautifully written.