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A review by whipcreamsucks
Delayed Rays of a Star by Amanda Lee Koe
5.0
At a party in Berlin, 1928, Marlene Dietrich, Anna May Wong and Leni Riefenstahl pose for a photo at a party. The rest is as follows:
This novel is so extravagantly panoramic. It's written and executed so wonderfully, there are bits that leave me breathless and inspired. It's not an easy read, with its non-linear narrative and heavy subject matter ranging from Nazis to Hollywood racism, and follows so many important historical events. And I live for it. This is the best ever fanfic epic I've ever read about history. The skill and knowledge here is so expansive it could literally double as an encyclopedia. And yet, it never once feels like an encyclopedic tome. I really get the feeling of watching lives go by with every turn of the page.
Marlene, Anna May and Leni are all so alive and vividly-portrayed. So are their side characters. I swear to God that Bébé steals every moment she's in; some of the most memorable chapters are hers. Lee Koe said herself that Bébé's the "breakout kid" of the novel when I went to get my copy signed. Their lives are entwined by their similar pursuit of being a female artist in a time where all artists scrutinised femininity heavily. And in the case of Anna May, the first ever Asian-American actress, she's also very much weighed down by racism and stereotyping.
The thing is. I love this. Amanda Lee Koe is a fuckin genius to have mixed such hotfoot devastation with the glitz of vintage cinema with such grace. I was genuinely entertained the whole way. I sincerely, absolutely can't wait to see what she's going to do next.
This novel is so extravagantly panoramic. It's written and executed so wonderfully, there are bits that leave me breathless and inspired. It's not an easy read, with its non-linear narrative and heavy subject matter ranging from Nazis to Hollywood racism, and follows so many important historical events. And I live for it. This is the best ever fanfic epic I've ever read about history. The skill and knowledge here is so expansive it could literally double as an encyclopedia. And yet, it never once feels like an encyclopedic tome. I really get the feeling of watching lives go by with every turn of the page.
Marlene, Anna May and Leni are all so alive and vividly-portrayed. So are their side characters. I swear to God that Bébé steals every moment she's in; some of the most memorable chapters are hers. Lee Koe said herself that Bébé's the "breakout kid" of the novel when I went to get my copy signed. Their lives are entwined by their similar pursuit of being a female artist in a time where all artists scrutinised femininity heavily. And in the case of Anna May, the first ever Asian-American actress, she's also very much weighed down by racism and stereotyping.
The thing is. I love this. Amanda Lee Koe is a fuckin genius to have mixed such hotfoot devastation with the glitz of vintage cinema with such grace. I was genuinely entertained the whole way. I sincerely, absolutely can't wait to see what she's going to do next.