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A review by theymakehistory
Marlene by C.W. Gortner
3.0
*I won an advanced reader copy through a Goodreads Giveaway*
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-3 Stars
-Enjoyable to read from a fictional version of Marlene's point of view, rather than the usual third person perspective used in historical fiction novels.
-The lack of avoiding the topic of homosexuality and bisexuality was fantastic, and I applaud the author for it. It also wasn't any more sexualized than heterosexual relationships were.
*I will be focusing on the negative parts*
-The fact the author is male was evident at times, such as when lovers were described. It was clear that it was a male attempting to write a female perspective. It wasn't terribly done though.
-The descriptions were sporadic, if not lacking at times. An example is one of Marlene's lovers, who I have no mental image of due to a lack of her being described.
-The description of the book mentions Marlene's involvement in the USO, but it was barely in the book and only toward the end which is not what I expected.
- Sometimes the passing of time was choppy or unclear. The book had sections with a set range of years, but it wasn't always clear which year it was in.
-The use of pronouns instead of proper names became confusing at times, when referring to multiple people within one setting.
-Nicknames were frequently used, and it was not always clear who the nickname was referencing. Ernest Hemingway was called "Papa" once when meeting him, then a fair amount later in the book, he was only referred to that way without and reminder of the fact it was Hemingway.
- As the book came toward its end, there was a lack of describing new characters or any clarification regarding who they were.
-The end of the book seemed choppy and rushes, compared to the nicely explained and somewhat drawn out beginning.
-Marlene's involvement in the drag scene wasn't as focused on as the description implied.
-The non-explicit sex scenes were lacking, and at times comical in how they were written. In one scene, a man's penis was compared to a "skyscraper," which does not come off as sexy.
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-3 Stars
-Enjoyable to read from a fictional version of Marlene's point of view, rather than the usual third person perspective used in historical fiction novels.
-The lack of avoiding the topic of homosexuality and bisexuality was fantastic, and I applaud the author for it. It also wasn't any more sexualized than heterosexual relationships were.
*I will be focusing on the negative parts*
-The fact the author is male was evident at times, such as when lovers were described. It was clear that it was a male attempting to write a female perspective. It wasn't terribly done though.
-The descriptions were sporadic, if not lacking at times. An example is one of Marlene's lovers, who I have no mental image of due to a lack of her being described.
-The description of the book mentions Marlene's involvement in the USO, but it was barely in the book and only toward the end which is not what I expected.
- Sometimes the passing of time was choppy or unclear. The book had sections with a set range of years, but it wasn't always clear which year it was in.
-The use of pronouns instead of proper names became confusing at times, when referring to multiple people within one setting.
-Nicknames were frequently used, and it was not always clear who the nickname was referencing. Ernest Hemingway was called "Papa" once when meeting him, then a fair amount later in the book, he was only referred to that way without and reminder of the fact it was Hemingway.
- As the book came toward its end, there was a lack of describing new characters or any clarification regarding who they were.
-The end of the book seemed choppy and rushes, compared to the nicely explained and somewhat drawn out beginning.
-Marlene's involvement in the drag scene wasn't as focused on as the description implied.
-The non-explicit sex scenes were lacking, and at times comical in how they were written. In one scene, a man's penis was compared to a "skyscraper," which does not come off as sexy.