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A review by lawbooks600
A Glimpse of Stocking by Elizabeth Gage
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Representation: N/A
Score: Six and a half points out of ten.
I own this book.
So this one is the last ever novel I read in 2023, and simultaneously, I finished it in the early days of 2024. All the libraries closed temporarily and I burned through all the other fictional works I owned, except this one. Now I had to pick it up and read it because this story is the only one left I haven't read. Did I mention I had it for years, but I left it untouched until now? It's also lengthy. When I finished it, I thought it was enjoyable, but it has flaws. A Glimpse of Stocking starts with a prologue set in the 1970s with a message from Christine explaining why she had to kill some people to protect Annie, but then it cuts to the late 1940s where Annie is unknowingly about to start her career as an actor, but in the opening pages, Annie lived through her childhood life. 200 pages in, Annie began her adult life and began her career as an actor for a seatbelt ad out of everything. Afterwards, another significant person, Damon Rhys, offered her an opportunity to act his movie, A Midnight Hour, leading to Annie's success. People even said she is the new Marilyn Monroe, which was surprising.
I liked the stars of the narrative, like Annie and Damon, but I don't understand the need for other POVs from insignificant players in the fictional work. The pacing was A Glimpse of Stocking's biggest drawback, as it was an unnecessary drag, clocking in at over 600 pages. I understand that the page count allows for deeper character development, but the piece of literature would be better without any filler. Also, splitting A Glimpse of Stocking into two would be a much needed improvement, as combining them would bloat it. After an incident, Annie spends time recovering from it; following that, Damon hires Annie to act in his last movie, The Fertile Crescent. Her character dynamic with Christine is intriguing, but the spotlight is mostly on Annie. That ending was dramatic.
Score: Six and a half points out of ten.
I own this book.
So this one is the last ever novel I read in 2023, and simultaneously, I finished it in the early days of 2024. All the libraries closed temporarily and I burned through all the other fictional works I owned, except this one. Now I had to pick it up and read it because this story is the only one left I haven't read. Did I mention I had it for years, but I left it untouched until now? It's also lengthy. When I finished it, I thought it was enjoyable, but it has flaws. A Glimpse of Stocking starts with a prologue set in the 1970s with a message from Christine explaining why she had to kill some people to protect Annie, but then it cuts to the late 1940s where Annie is unknowingly about to start her career as an actor, but in the opening pages, Annie lived through her childhood life. 200 pages in, Annie began her adult life and began her career as an actor for a seatbelt ad out of everything. Afterwards, another significant person, Damon Rhys, offered her an opportunity to act his movie, A Midnight Hour, leading to Annie's success. People even said she is the new Marilyn Monroe, which was surprising.
I liked the stars of the narrative, like Annie and Damon, but I don't understand the need for other POVs from insignificant players in the fictional work. The pacing was A Glimpse of Stocking's biggest drawback, as it was an unnecessary drag, clocking in at over 600 pages. I understand that the page count allows for deeper character development, but the piece of literature would be better without any filler. Also, splitting A Glimpse of Stocking into two would be a much needed improvement, as combining them would bloat it. After an incident, Annie spends time recovering from it; following that, Damon hires Annie to act in his last movie, The Fertile Crescent. Her character dynamic with Christine is intriguing, but the spotlight is mostly on Annie. That ending was dramatic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism
Full trigger warnings: Sexist and other slurs, physical injury and assault, blood, grief and loss depiction, murder, death of people, dismemberment