jamiethomasss 's review for:

After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz
3.0
informative inspiring reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I have really mixed feelings about this novel. It’s such an ambitious premise, one which I found really interesting, and the writing is drop-dead gorgeous. I wish I owned a copy so I could underline the hell out of it. 

That being said, I was so close to DNFing it. Until it reached WWI, I wasn’t particular gripped by anything. This book is hard to read since it doesn’t really have a plot, but it also doesn’t really follow a single character in great depth. It’s hard to feel invested in any of the characters because there are so many and I often forgot who was who. My favourite parts were honestly of Virginina Woolf and Vita Sackville-West and their relationship which so sweet. Everything just felt like it wasn’t explored in enough depth for me to really care. I suppose, though, that that is the difficulty with this sort of hybrid fiction/non-fiction work. Overall, I did kind of enjoy it, but I had much higher expectations.