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laurenisallbooked 's review for:
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk
by Kathleen Rooney
medium-paced
It was okay! The premise seemed sweet with room to be reflective, lighthearted, and charming. It didn't really do that.
The book took a few turns into examining the heartbreaks of life and the ways society and institutions failed (white) women in the first half of the 20th century, but there wasn't a robust analysis or critique of anything. Plus it was peppered with racism!
I'm curious if basing the protagonist off a real woman was limiting Rooney's exploration of Ms Boxfish. I don't think Rooney nailed the voice of a Victorian-born woman.
The book took a few turns into examining the heartbreaks of life and the ways society and institutions failed (white) women in the first half of the 20th century, but there wasn't a robust analysis or critique of anything. Plus it was peppered with racism!
I'm curious if basing the protagonist off a real woman was limiting Rooney's exploration of Ms Boxfish. I don't think Rooney nailed the voice of a Victorian-born woman.
We chat about the things New Yorkers chat about -- the constant low grade lunacy of life in the city -- but I am surprised to find, and I think they are too, that our stories emphasize the serendipitous, even the magical. Our tone is that of conspirators, as though we are afraid to be overheard speaking fondly of a city that conventional wisdom declares beyond hope. My long walks, I discover, have provided a rich reserve of encounters with odd enthusiastic decent people.