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mediaevalmuse 's review for:
Infamous
by Lex Croucher
I'm not quite sure how to rate this book. There's a lot about it that I liked: the development of the protagonist, the antagonist, etc. But I'm not sure if I liked it as a romance, per se. If you go in expecting a queer historical romance, I think you'll be somewhat disappointed, but if you go in expecting a story about a would-be writer who gets caught in a love triangle and must choose between real connection and professional ambition, then there's so much to like about this. I'm thus awarding it 3.5 stars because I'm not entirely sure it fits the category it's marketed as, but I did enjoy a lot of what it had to offer.
WRITING: The prose in this book feels somewhat impersonal for the first half, almost like a storybook or middle grade reader. I don't necessarily think this is bad since a lot of the plot in that section is about growing up and the transition to adulthood. To be clear: the writing itself doesn't feel young. It's just the tone. Otherwise, I think it is balanced and flows well.
The pace overall feels very deliberate. Croucher never seems to be in a hurry, so everything progresses at precisely the same speed, which may or may not frustrate some readers. Personally, I found it suited for some aspects of the plot, though some parts felt fairly slow.
All that being said, I don't think there's anything wrong with the prose. It's all going to come down to what you like, and for me, the prose was largely acceptable.
PLOT: The plot of this book follows Edith "Eddie" Miller, a 22 year old aspiring writer who must navigate the realities of her best friend, Rose Li, becoming in engaged. To make things more complicated, Eddie catches the eye of infamous poet Nash Nicholson, who invites Eddie to his salons and promises to contact his editor on his behalf. Throughout the book, Eddie must balance her feelings of being left behind by Rose with her budding relationship with a famous figure who may not be as benevolent as he seems.
This book doesn't feel focused enough on the main relationship for it to be a true romance, but it does feel like an interesting exploration of character that has romance in it (if that makes sense). I liked how Eddie had to grapple with not only feeling abandoned by Rose, but with her own expectations when it came to society and fame. Eddie hates "polite society" and the rituals that determine decorum, but when she is invited to Nash's reclusive home for a writing retreat, she learns that maybe having social relationships is a good thing. It was an interesting way to explore the balance between personal relationships and ambition.
That being said, I think the book really hit its stride when Eddie and Nash become closer at the house. For the first couple hundred pages, Eddie almost comes across as childish because she resents Rose for getting engaged and refuses to play nice with other society folks. But at Nash's house, things become real and complicated, forcing Eddie to grow up in a way that is both dramatic and high-stakes. It's an abrupt shift of tone, which I didn't dislike.
My main complaint, then, isn't so much that this book isn't a romance but that it doesn't put quite enough work into the romance it has. While I don't think this book needed to follow the formula of a typical romance, I did feel like Eddie and Rose's relationship received less attention than Eddie and Nash's relationship. Most of Eddie and Rose's interactions involve conflict and being pulled apart, which is fine except for when I'm asked to become invested in their life as a couple. I felt there could have been more positive emotional development between them to really show why they loved each other, not just references to their shared past.
CHARACTERS: Eddie, our protagonist, feels something like a cross between Eloise Bridgerton and Jo March. She desperately wants to be a published writer and abhors the song and dance she must perform to be accepted into polite society. I actually think she has good character development; at the beginning, Eddie refuses to accept marriage as a necessity for some people and throws herself headfirst into her career without much thought. By the end, she comes to see how personal relationships matter more than her career and her art, and she finally sees how Nash and his ilk have been using her.
Rose is admirable in that she always tries to see the best in people. I loved the relationship between Rose and her fiance - it felt like a queer alliance - and I adored the way Rose encouraged Eddie in contrast to Nash putting her down.
Nash, the poet, was unexpectedly compelling as a friend-turned-antagonist. He felt very much like a Lord Byron or Percy Shelley, and his insufferable attitude was on par for what I understand about a few Romantic poets.
I also very much liked that there were queer and people of color in multiple supporting roles. Not only is Rose east Asian and wlw, but within Nash's circle, there are a number of characters who aren't straight, white, or cis. It made the world feel more interesting and characters felt more varied.
TL;DR: Infamous is a compelling story when read as a character study and less so when read as a queer historical romance. The development of the protagonist is quite good, as is the conflict between personal relationships and ambition. While I wish the queer romance was more developed, I was admittedly enthralled by the disastrous relationship between Eddie and Nash, and I liked the lesson learned in the end.
WRITING: The prose in this book feels somewhat impersonal for the first half, almost like a storybook or middle grade reader. I don't necessarily think this is bad since a lot of the plot in that section is about growing up and the transition to adulthood. To be clear: the writing itself doesn't feel young. It's just the tone. Otherwise, I think it is balanced and flows well.
The pace overall feels very deliberate. Croucher never seems to be in a hurry, so everything progresses at precisely the same speed, which may or may not frustrate some readers. Personally, I found it suited for some aspects of the plot, though some parts felt fairly slow.
All that being said, I don't think there's anything wrong with the prose. It's all going to come down to what you like, and for me, the prose was largely acceptable.
PLOT: The plot of this book follows Edith "Eddie" Miller, a 22 year old aspiring writer who must navigate the realities of her best friend, Rose Li, becoming in engaged. To make things more complicated, Eddie catches the eye of infamous poet Nash Nicholson, who invites Eddie to his salons and promises to contact his editor on his behalf. Throughout the book, Eddie must balance her feelings of being left behind by Rose with her budding relationship with a famous figure who may not be as benevolent as he seems.
This book doesn't feel focused enough on the main relationship for it to be a true romance, but it does feel like an interesting exploration of character that has romance in it (if that makes sense). I liked how Eddie had to grapple with not only feeling abandoned by Rose, but with her own expectations when it came to society and fame. Eddie hates "polite society" and the rituals that determine decorum, but when she is invited to Nash's reclusive home for a writing retreat, she learns that maybe having social relationships is a good thing. It was an interesting way to explore the balance between personal relationships and ambition.
That being said, I think the book really hit its stride when Eddie and Nash become closer at the house. For the first couple hundred pages, Eddie almost comes across as childish because she resents Rose for getting engaged and refuses to play nice with other society folks. But at Nash's house, things become real and complicated, forcing Eddie to grow up in a way that is both dramatic and high-stakes. It's an abrupt shift of tone, which I didn't dislike.
My main complaint, then, isn't so much that this book isn't a romance but that it doesn't put quite enough work into the romance it has. While I don't think this book needed to follow the formula of a typical romance, I did feel like Eddie and Rose's relationship received less attention than Eddie and Nash's relationship. Most of Eddie and Rose's interactions involve conflict and being pulled apart, which is fine except for when I'm asked to become invested in their life as a couple. I felt there could have been more positive emotional development between them to really show why they loved each other, not just references to their shared past.
CHARACTERS: Eddie, our protagonist, feels something like a cross between Eloise Bridgerton and Jo March. She desperately wants to be a published writer and abhors the song and dance she must perform to be accepted into polite society. I actually think she has good character development; at the beginning, Eddie refuses to accept marriage as a necessity for some people and throws herself headfirst into her career without much thought. By the end, she comes to see how personal relationships matter more than her career and her art, and she finally sees how Nash and his ilk have been using her.
Rose is admirable in that she always tries to see the best in people. I loved the relationship between Rose and her fiance - it felt like a queer alliance - and I adored the way Rose encouraged Eddie in contrast to Nash putting her down.
Nash, the poet, was unexpectedly compelling as a friend-turned-antagonist. He felt very much like a Lord Byron or Percy Shelley, and his insufferable attitude was on par for what I understand about a few Romantic poets.
I also very much liked that there were queer and people of color in multiple supporting roles. Not only is Rose east Asian and wlw, but within Nash's circle, there are a number of characters who aren't straight, white, or cis. It made the world feel more interesting and characters felt more varied.
TL;DR: Infamous is a compelling story when read as a character study and less so when read as a queer historical romance. The development of the protagonist is quite good, as is the conflict between personal relationships and ambition. While I wish the queer romance was more developed, I was admittedly enthralled by the disastrous relationship between Eddie and Nash, and I liked the lesson learned in the end.