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loviattara 's review for:
Kudottujen kujien kaupunki
by Emmi Itäranta
If you're a friend of speculative fiction looking for books that focus on female characters, read this. And don't let the unfortunately white-washed American cover lead you astray.
The City of Woven Streets is beautifully written—my copy was in Finnish, but I'm sure this holds true for the English version as well, since both have been written/translated by the author herself. Itäranta's prose is lyrical, and her world-building captivates. However, I think the readers who enjoy floating upon the waves of her unhurried, carefully crafted sentences might find the latter part of the book too rushed, without similar attention to detail or adequate foreshadowing. Perhaps those who first find themselves unable to sink into the novel's world might be happier with the final chapters of magical adventure, but I am part of the first group.
The novel touches upon many important themes, such as oppression of women, class/caste systems, climate change and pollution. It is not quite as good as Itäranta's first novel, [b:Memory of Water|18505844|Memory of Water|Emmi Itäranta|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389990493l/18505844._SY75_.jpg|18908129], and while her writing is more beautiful than ever, I was left a little disappointed after too great expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed the ambiguity of the ending, though, and The City of Woven Streets is still a book I would recommend to my friends who enjoy fantasy with.
Itäranta's novel avoids some major pitfalls of speculative fiction: too often, sci-fi features brown and black characters only to thematise racial oppression, and fantasy fiction uses characters of colour to create caricatures of different magical races. It is also a breath of fresh sea air to. For that, [b:The City of Woven Streets|30337558|The City of Woven Streets|Emmi Itäranta|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464880705l/30337558._SY75_.jpg|45652178] might deserve half a star more.
The City of Woven Streets is beautifully written—my copy was in Finnish, but I'm sure this holds true for the English version as well, since both have been written/translated by the author herself. Itäranta's prose is lyrical, and her world-building captivates. However, I think the readers who enjoy floating upon the waves of her unhurried, carefully crafted sentences might find the latter part of the book too rushed, without similar attention to detail or adequate foreshadowing. Perhaps those who first find themselves unable to sink into the novel's world might be happier with the final chapters of magical adventure, but I am part of the first group.
The novel touches upon many important themes, such as oppression of women, class/caste systems, climate change and pollution. It is not quite as good as Itäranta's first novel, [b:Memory of Water|18505844|Memory of Water|Emmi Itäranta|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389990493l/18505844._SY75_.jpg|18908129], and while her writing is more beautiful than ever, I was left a little disappointed after too great expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed the ambiguity of the ending, though, and The City of Woven Streets is still a book I would recommend to my friends who enjoy fantasy with
Spoiler
lesbian romanceItäranta's novel avoids some major pitfalls of speculative fiction: too often, sci-fi features brown and black characters only to thematise racial oppression, and fantasy fiction uses characters of colour to create caricatures of different magical races. It is also a breath of fresh sea air to