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A review by mattypallett
The Editor by Steven Rowley
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I read this since I am a big fan of Rowley’s The Guncle, and while this book didn’t impress me as much as Guncle did, I still liked it.
My biggest issue is probably our protagonist James; simply put, he’s insufferable. I can handle unpleasant characters but I think I was supposed to like him and i just didn’t. He was still interesting, but he was so immature and exasperating throughout and treated those pretty much everyone around him (minus Jackie Onassis) like crap - yet I was still supposed to be rooting for him.
The book really shone for me however during the interactions between him and Jackie Onassis. I didn’t know much about her beyond the immediate aftermath of her husband’s assassination, but Rowley certainly painted her as a wonderful person, and she was a lot of fun to read about. Similarly, I think he wrote the tension between James and his mum excellently - even if I thought the reason at the core of that tension was a slightly underwhelming reveal.
All in all, I had a good time. Not Rowley’s best work imo, but absolutely worth a read!
My biggest issue is probably our protagonist James; simply put, he’s insufferable. I can handle unpleasant characters but I think I was supposed to like him and i just didn’t. He was still interesting, but he was so immature and exasperating throughout and treated those pretty much everyone around him (minus Jackie Onassis) like crap - yet I was still supposed to be rooting for him.
The book really shone for me however during the interactions between him and Jackie Onassis. I didn’t know much about her beyond the immediate aftermath of her husband’s assassination, but Rowley certainly painted her as a wonderful person, and she was a lot of fun to read about. Similarly, I think he wrote the tension between James and his mum excellently - even if I thought the reason at the core of that tension was a slightly underwhelming reveal.
All in all, I had a good time. Not Rowley’s best work imo, but absolutely worth a read!