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A review by rachd24
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
3.0
3.5/5* Review.
I read this book as part of The Transatlantic Book Project - http://confessionsofabookgeek.com/2015/11/15/the-transatlantic-book-project/ - 10 bloggers, 2 books, 2 countries.
Magical realism isn't a genre I tend to gravitate towards. I either do contemporary, or full on fantasy, but rarely anything in between. Magical elements make sense to me in a fantasy setting, because they are supposed to be there, but magical realism doesn’t always work for me because the magical, and often downright odd, elements are inexplicable.
The first, and most obvious, thing to say about this book, is how amazed I am that this is Walton’s debut. Whether magical realism works for you or not, there is no denying that this is a beautifully written story. Spanning three generations of Roux women, I loved the historical element to the tale, and the back stories we get for each character. The novel is told with a somewhat whimsical and dream-like tone, reminiscent of an adult/modern fairy tale. While the story is character driven, there is plenty of plot, and the book never really drags at any point – it’s well paced and has an element of mystery throughout, which is intensified by some seriously ominous foreshadowing.
While this book could drown you, at times, in tragedy, unfairness and grief, it could also be quietly uplifting, reassuring and occasionally hopeful. My biggest concern is that our main character does suffer some traumatic circumstances, which were largely left unpunished, and that ultimately didn’t sit right with me.
Check out my full review:
http://confessionsofabookgeek.com/2015/12/09/review-the-strange-and-beautiful-sorrows-of-ava-lavender/
I read this book as part of The Transatlantic Book Project - http://confessionsofabookgeek.com/2015/11/15/the-transatlantic-book-project/ - 10 bloggers, 2 books, 2 countries.
Magical realism isn't a genre I tend to gravitate towards. I either do contemporary, or full on fantasy, but rarely anything in between. Magical elements make sense to me in a fantasy setting, because they are supposed to be there, but magical realism doesn’t always work for me because the magical, and often downright odd, elements are inexplicable.
The first, and most obvious, thing to say about this book, is how amazed I am that this is Walton’s debut. Whether magical realism works for you or not, there is no denying that this is a beautifully written story. Spanning three generations of Roux women, I loved the historical element to the tale, and the back stories we get for each character. The novel is told with a somewhat whimsical and dream-like tone, reminiscent of an adult/modern fairy tale. While the story is character driven, there is plenty of plot, and the book never really drags at any point – it’s well paced and has an element of mystery throughout, which is intensified by some seriously ominous foreshadowing.
While this book could drown you, at times, in tragedy, unfairness and grief, it could also be quietly uplifting, reassuring and occasionally hopeful. My biggest concern is that our main character does suffer some traumatic circumstances, which were largely left unpunished, and that ultimately didn’t sit right with me.
Check out my full review:
http://confessionsofabookgeek.com/2015/12/09/review-the-strange-and-beautiful-sorrows-of-ava-lavender/