A review by emilyinherhead
Costalegre by Courtney Maum

adventurous reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

What I loved most about this book was the narrator’s voice. Courtney Maum perfectly captures the feeling of being a 15-year-old girl who is often left to her own devices while her mother’s attention is elsewhere. The longing is palpable.

I wish I were a mermaid. I wish that I could swim. I wish that I could scream until my pores were tentacles and I pulled each and every person down with me until life was soft again. And then I would come up on the shore and I’d be human. And I’d know where to go.

I also really bought the interactions between the artists who live with the young protagonist and her mother. Their dynamic is entertaining and felt real—of course, they are based on real figures from history, so that scans.

The diary format of the story works well, and I liked the addition of a few illustrations.

That’s what I want. To make something truly beautiful. To make something that stays with you in that upsetting way.

Having read this one a couple of months ago now, I’ve already forgotten some plot details. But the mood of it has stayed with me in that upsetting way. Overall, it’s a well-told story, with lots of beautiful prose sprinkled throughout. I found myself wanting more at the end!