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A review by amyvl93
Spring by Ali Smith
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ahead of attempting to read the Women's Prize longlist, I picked up Spring so when I read Summer I'll be up-to-date with this quartet. And I feel like I've been on a real journey with Smith's writing, I was very on the fence about Autumn but really liked Winter and similarly enjoyed Spring.
The novel technically covers two seemingly disconnected characters; an ageing television maker mourning the loss of a dear friend and collaborator, and a young woman who works in an immigrant detention facility who has an encounter with a mysterious schoolgirl on her way into work. These two plotlines begin to interconnect, but as with Winter this book is both about and not about the individual characters.
Smith just makes moving between detailed character studies and big contemporary issues seem so easy - there's reflections on the changes in art, immigration and the role of the private sector, fake news, trolling, the history of Scotland's relationship with England - but it all generally feels pretty seamless. I'm excited to get to Summer soon.
The novel technically covers two seemingly disconnected characters; an ageing television maker mourning the loss of a dear friend and collaborator, and a young woman who works in an immigrant detention facility who has an encounter with a mysterious schoolgirl on her way into work. These two plotlines begin to interconnect, but as with Winter this book is both about and not about the individual characters.
Smith just makes moving between detailed character studies and big contemporary issues seem so easy - there's reflections on the changes in art, immigration and the role of the private sector, fake news, trolling, the history of Scotland's relationship with England - but it all generally feels pretty seamless. I'm excited to get to Summer soon.