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srubin12 's review for:
The Vaster Wilds
by Lauren Groff
It truly pains me to put a Lauren Groff book this far down on my list. I am a huge Lauren Groff fan, and I’m definitely not the only one since she was recently named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2024. Not only is her prose delicious and fun to read, she is also working to support independent bookstores and protect access to stories by opening her own “bookstore with a purpose” in her home-state of Florida. And for the Swifties, Florence Welch revealed she based her verse in Swift’s song “Florida!!!” on one of Groff’s stories.
I first learned about her when her book Fates and Furies made alllll the lists in 2015. I loved this book; most people I know either loved it or hated it but I quickly fell for Groff’s prose and style. I’ve eagerly read all of her new releases, but her latest books haven’t grabbed me as much as her earlier works. My favorite books of hers, the previously mentioned Fates and Furies and a short story collection called Florida, are set in the present and cover relatively current topics. Her most recent books are historical fiction that are set centuries ago and primarily focus on one person’s growth through life. While her prose remains beautiful, I didn’t feel any drive to finish this latest novel or curiosity about the plot. If you enjoy stories about survival in nature, internal monologues, and religion, this story might resonate more strongly for you than it did for me.
I’ll keep reading her new releases but I really hope that she returns to writing stories more similar to her initial novels. And if you’ve never read any Lauren Groff, I would highly recommend!!
I first learned about her when her book Fates and Furies made alllll the lists in 2015. I loved this book; most people I know either loved it or hated it but I quickly fell for Groff’s prose and style. I’ve eagerly read all of her new releases, but her latest books haven’t grabbed me as much as her earlier works. My favorite books of hers, the previously mentioned Fates and Furies and a short story collection called Florida, are set in the present and cover relatively current topics. Her most recent books are historical fiction that are set centuries ago and primarily focus on one person’s growth through life. While her prose remains beautiful, I didn’t feel any drive to finish this latest novel or curiosity about the plot. If you enjoy stories about survival in nature, internal monologues, and religion, this story might resonate more strongly for you than it did for me.
I’ll keep reading her new releases but I really hope that she returns to writing stories more similar to her initial novels. And if you’ve never read any Lauren Groff, I would highly recommend!!