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A review by amyvl93
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I picked up The Final Revival of Opal & Nev as it was longlisted for the Women's Prize, was in paperback and felt like it'd be a good holiday read. And it was. It is the story of a fictional rock duo made up of Opal Pearl, a black woman from the US, and Nev Charles, a white man from England who had a brief stint of fame hinging around a moment of violence at a concert, before she became relatively quiet and he went on to greater and greater success in pop music. It's told in interview format to a journalist, who has a connection to the band and who is the first black editor of a popular music magazine.
If the format and rough synopsis sounds familiar, it's because Opal & Nev has had some heavy comparison to the much-loved Daisy Jones & The Six, and I think whilst the former also deals with race and the role that played in the music scene at the time; I found myself feeling very similar about both novels. Walton did an amazing job at creating a music history that felt incredibly real; Opal, Nev, the record management, other band members, all felt incredibly real - as did the magazine that the journalist is writing for. However, like Daisy Jones, I didn't really warm to either of the lead characters, and the interview format didn't help with that, as we were just getting glimpses of them based on their own interpretation of events and the thoughts of others about them.
It's definitely a fun read, I flew through it, and I'd be interested to see what Walton writes next.
If the format and rough synopsis sounds familiar, it's because Opal & Nev has had some heavy comparison to the much-loved Daisy Jones & The Six, and I think whilst the former also deals with race and the role that played in the music scene at the time; I found myself feeling very similar about both novels. Walton did an amazing job at creating a music history that felt incredibly real; Opal, Nev, the record management, other band members, all felt incredibly real - as did the magazine that the journalist is writing for. However, like Daisy Jones, I didn't really warm to either of the lead characters, and the interview format didn't help with that, as we were just getting glimpses of them based on their own interpretation of events and the thoughts of others about them.
It's definitely a fun read, I flew through it, and I'd be interested to see what Walton writes next.