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A review by zaiphon
The New Life by Tom Crewe
emotional
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
"The New Life" is a historial fiction containing characters who are loosley based off of actual historical figures. Set in the 1890s, during the time of Oscar Wilde's infamous trial, we explore the narrative through the eyes of our two MMC's - John Addington and Henry Ellis . The aforementioned characters are based on John Addington Symonds and Henry Havelock Ellis and focuses on their piece of published work "Sexual Inversion" and the reaction of the public at the time. I enjoyed getting the opportunity to learn more information about these particular people and parts of history I would otherwise not have known.
However, I did have some issues with the way the characters were fictiously portrayed. There were a lot of historical information of the people these characters were based of that was simply not mentioned or grazed over (especially regarding Henry Havelock). The author mentions that he did intend to use the historical aspect as simply a foundation to build his story up from there. I can understand then that this novel intended to focus the narrative directly to the key points important in this story. With that being said, I felt in some places the story tended to drag. I think focusing on dissecting and further exploring these characters lives, thoughts, and choices would have made this more thoughtful. Otherwise, it felt a repetitive narrative at times and weakened the impact.
Overall, this is an interesting read and would recommend this to anyone looking for a book that has thought provoking aspects and challenges you to face other perspectives.
However, I did have some issues with the way the characters were fictiously portrayed. There were a lot of historical information of the people these characters were based of that was simply not mentioned or grazed over (especially regarding Henry Havelock). The author mentions that he did intend to use the historical aspect as simply a foundation to build his story up from there. I can understand then that this novel intended to focus the narrative directly to the key points important in this story. With that being said, I felt in some places the story tended to drag. I think focusing on dissecting and further exploring these characters lives, thoughts, and choices would have made this more thoughtful. Otherwise, it felt a repetitive narrative at times and weakened the impact.
Overall, this is an interesting read and would recommend this to anyone looking for a book that has thought provoking aspects and challenges you to face other perspectives.