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A review by loxeletters
The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I have a quite complicated relationship with this book. There are parts that I loved – or at least, found extremely satisfying to read – which include mostly the instances of Lucy winning over misogynist men. I enjoyed the prose, which was rich in imagery and overall pleasant to read. Where there were sex scenes, they felt mostly natural and weren't shrouded in awkward wording or overly explicit descriptions.
There is a lot of talk about both astronomy and embroidery/fashion (though it never gets too technical in either topic). If that doesn't interest you, this book might bore you at some point.
The characters were more or less well-developed, though most of the supporting characters fell a little flat. Catherine and Lucy both had their own hopes and dreams as well as their fear and weaknesses, Catherine even more so than Lucy in this regard.
There are two main points I took issue with:
a) the romance. It wasn't unhealthy or forced or anything but, boy oh boy, was it rushed. Insta-love at its finest. Lucy arrives at the mansion and is basically immediately in love with Catherine, even though she was just heartbroken by her prior lover's sudden marriage. Similarly for Catherine. The attraction seemed to rely entirely on physical attractiveness, as well. This, of course, ceased to be a relevant issue after the first few chapters – other than my second issue, which was constant throughout the book:
b) the handling of sexuality and past abuse. It's not that it was handled badly: in fact, the opposite. But at some point, suspense of disbelief just couldn't cover the insanely modern conceptions of sexuality and abuse that many of the main characters held. This is set in the 19th century, yet the characters, especially Lucy, felt like they'd been plucked from a modern-time feminist demonstration and transported into Victorian England. What's more, there simply was an astounding amount of homosexual people in this novel, reminiscent of some fanfictions where the author simply turns the entire cast into some LGBTQ variations.
I can appreciate what the author was trying to do here – show the diversity that of course existed even in those times – but in a book that revolves around only two characters the vast majority of the time, making seven characters LGB (just off of the top of my head) is an insane stretch.
Regarding (past) abuse: the author probably wanted to handle this topic carefully and discuss it in the way it deserves to be discussed. However, in my opinion, this again was difficult to reconcile with the time period the book takes place in. Also, I felt that the consequences of Catherine's trauma and her road to recovery could have been explored way more.
This is not to say that I didn't enjoy the book, however. What I found especially interesting were the discussions about art and science: the difference between them, what counts as art/science, and what part misogyny plays in such a definition. Another very insightful discussion was about legal marriage in contrast to "informal" relationships: the benefits and disadvantages of either, and the way the two solved this issue for themselves in the end.
Finally, I do need to mention that I saw the twist at the end coming from quite a bit earlier. This did not detract from my enjoyment of seeing entitled men suffer, though. :)
Overall, I wouldn't consider this book a literary masterpiece. However, it touches on very important subjects in an interesting and delightfully fresh way. The plot and characterisations are solid. The way the author incorporated LGB representation and the handling of abuse, though I disagree with it, are understandable. This is a quick, entertaining, and quite satisfying read.
There is a lot of talk about both astronomy and embroidery/fashion (though it never gets too technical in either topic). If that doesn't interest you, this book might bore you at some point.
The characters were more or less well-developed, though most of the supporting characters fell a little flat. Catherine and Lucy both had their own hopes and dreams as well as their fear and weaknesses, Catherine even more so than Lucy in this regard.
There are two main points I took issue with:
a) the romance. It wasn't unhealthy or forced or anything but, boy oh boy, was it rushed. Insta-love at its finest. Lucy arrives at the mansion and is basically immediately in love with Catherine, even though she was just heartbroken by her prior lover's sudden marriage. Similarly for Catherine. The attraction seemed to rely entirely on physical attractiveness, as well. This, of course, ceased to be a relevant issue after the first few chapters – other than my second issue, which was constant throughout the book:
b) the handling of sexuality and past abuse. It's not that it was handled badly: in fact, the opposite. But at some point, suspense of disbelief just couldn't cover the insanely modern conceptions of sexuality and abuse that many of the main characters held. This is set in the 19th century, yet the characters, especially Lucy, felt like they'd been plucked from a modern-time feminist demonstration and transported into Victorian England. What's more, there simply was an astounding amount of homosexual people in this novel, reminiscent of some fanfictions where the author simply turns the entire cast into some LGBTQ variations.
I can appreciate what the author was trying to do here – show the diversity that of course existed even in those times – but in a book that revolves around only two characters the vast majority of the time, making seven characters LGB (just off of the top of my head) is an insane stretch.
Regarding (past) abuse: the author probably wanted to handle this topic carefully and discuss it in the way it deserves to be discussed. However, in my opinion, this again was difficult to reconcile with the time period the book takes place in. Also, I felt that the consequences of Catherine's trauma and her road to recovery could have been explored way more.
This is not to say that I didn't enjoy the book, however. What I found especially interesting were the discussions about art and science: the difference between them, what counts as art/science, and what part misogyny plays in such a definition. Another very insightful discussion was about legal marriage in contrast to "informal" relationships: the benefits and disadvantages of either, and the way the two solved this issue for themselves in the end.
Finally, I do need to mention that I saw the twist at the end coming from quite a bit earlier. This did not detract from my enjoyment of seeing entitled men suffer, though. :)
Overall, I wouldn't consider this book a literary masterpiece. However, it touches on very important subjects in an interesting and delightfully fresh way. The plot and characterisations are solid. The way the author incorporated LGB representation and the handling of abuse, though I disagree with it, are understandable. This is a quick, entertaining, and quite satisfying read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Racism, Grief, Homophobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Alcohol, and Colonisation