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Sirens & Muses
Four artists are drawn into a web of rivalry and desire at an elite art school and on the streets of New York in this “gripping, provocative, and supremely entertaining� (BuzzFeed) debut
“Captures the ache-inducing quality of art and desire . . . a deeply relatable and profoundly enjoyable read, one drenched in prismatic color and light.”—Kristen Arnett, New York Times bestselling author of With Teeth
It’s 2011: America is in a deep recession and Occupy Wall Street is escalating. But at the elite Wrynn College of Art, students paint and sculpt in a rarefied bubble. Louisa Arceneaux is a thoughtful, observant nineteen-year-old when she transfers to Wrynn as a scholarship student, but she soon finds herself adrift in an environment that prizes novelty over beauty. Complicating matters is Louisa’s unexpected attraction to her charismatic roommate, Karina Piontek, the preternaturally gifted but mercurial daughter of wealthy art collectors. Gradually, Louisa and Karina are drawn into an intense sensual and artistic relationship, one that forces them to confront their deepest desires and fears. But Karina also can’t shake her fascination with Preston Utley, a senior and anti-capitalist Internet provocateur, who is publicly feuding with visiting professor and political painter Robert Berger—a once-controversial figurehead seeking to regain relevance.
When Preston concocts an explosive hoax, the fates of all four artists are upended as each is unexpectedly thrust into the cutthroat New York art world. Now all must struggle to find new identities in art, in society, and among each other. In the process, they must find either their most authentic terms of life—of success, failure, and joy—or risk losing themselves altogether.
With a canny, critical eye, Sirens & Muses overturns notions of class, money, art, youth, and a generation’s fight to own their future.
“Captures the ache-inducing quality of art and desire . . . a deeply relatable and profoundly enjoyable read, one drenched in prismatic color and light.”—Kristen Arnett, New York Times bestselling author of With Teeth
It’s 2011: America is in a deep recession and Occupy Wall Street is escalating. But at the elite Wrynn College of Art, students paint and sculpt in a rarefied bubble. Louisa Arceneaux is a thoughtful, observant nineteen-year-old when she transfers to Wrynn as a scholarship student, but she soon finds herself adrift in an environment that prizes novelty over beauty. Complicating matters is Louisa’s unexpected attraction to her charismatic roommate, Karina Piontek, the preternaturally gifted but mercurial daughter of wealthy art collectors. Gradually, Louisa and Karina are drawn into an intense sensual and artistic relationship, one that forces them to confront their deepest desires and fears. But Karina also can’t shake her fascination with Preston Utley, a senior and anti-capitalist Internet provocateur, who is publicly feuding with visiting professor and political painter Robert Berger—a once-controversial figurehead seeking to regain relevance.
When Preston concocts an explosive hoax, the fates of all four artists are upended as each is unexpectedly thrust into the cutthroat New York art world. Now all must struggle to find new identities in art, in society, and among each other. In the process, they must find either their most authentic terms of life—of success, failure, and joy—or risk losing themselves altogether.
With a canny, critical eye, Sirens & Muses overturns notions of class, money, art, youth, and a generation’s fight to own their future.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published July 12, 2022
959 people are currently reading
72.3k people want to read
About the author
Antonia Angress
1book730followersAntonia Angress, named a �5 Under 35� honoree by the National Book Foundation in 2024, is the author of the novel Sirens & Muses, which was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award. She is a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellow, a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grantee, and a graduate of Brown University and the University of Minnesota MFA program. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Costa Rica, she lives in Minneapolis with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,992 reviews
January 14, 2022
I love this book because I wrote it. :)
January 16, 2024
is there any better feeling in the world than reading a book you're enjoying so much that life feels like the moments between picking it up?
i found this book totally consuming in every way: in its plot, which wrapped me up in spite of being fractured among perspectives and stories; in its depiction of the art world, constantly sending me to google without breaking me out of the story; in its writing, lovely and clear; and above all in its characters, who i found unlikable and complicated and lovable and real. i hated them and i adored them and i won't forget them.
books like this are why i read!
bottom line: i knew i would love this book, and i actually did.
4.5 may raise to 5
-----------------
tbr review
if i can't be addicted to school anymore i can at least be addicted to reading about it
i found this book totally consuming in every way: in its plot, which wrapped me up in spite of being fractured among perspectives and stories; in its depiction of the art world, constantly sending me to google without breaking me out of the story; in its writing, lovely and clear; and above all in its characters, who i found unlikable and complicated and lovable and real. i hated them and i adored them and i won't forget them.
books like this are why i read!
bottom line: i knew i would love this book, and i actually did.
4.5 may raise to 5
-----------------
tbr review
if i can't be addicted to school anymore i can at least be addicted to reading about it
April 29, 2023
a story about a sapphic relationship that is intense, sensual & artistic with beautiful writing. what more could you want.
August 21, 2022
would’ve loved if there were no men in this
August 30, 2022
didnt love this, but definitely didnt hate it either. just kinda feeling indifferent about it for the most part.
i always enjoy an academic narrative. im not the biggest art fan, but i liked reading about the MCs experiences at an elite art school. im bummed it was only for the first half of the book (the second is about them living in NYC), but the book as a whole very much gives off the whole “working (yet pretentious) artist� vibe. which is what i wanted.
i think the main reason im feeling indifferent about the story in general is due to the characters themselves. theyre fine. i just never really connected with any of them or felt anything more than just mild interest.
i think readers who have a stronger connection to fine arts colleges or just the art world in general will have a more positive reaction to this book than mine.
� 3 stars
i always enjoy an academic narrative. im not the biggest art fan, but i liked reading about the MCs experiences at an elite art school. im bummed it was only for the first half of the book (the second is about them living in NYC), but the book as a whole very much gives off the whole “working (yet pretentious) artist� vibe. which is what i wanted.
i think the main reason im feeling indifferent about the story in general is due to the characters themselves. theyre fine. i just never really connected with any of them or felt anything more than just mild interest.
i think readers who have a stronger connection to fine arts colleges or just the art world in general will have a more positive reaction to this book than mine.
� 3 stars
June 21, 2023
When you feel wholly uninspired to write a review, it’s telling.
This is a book of literature (pronounced lit-rrrruh-chuh). Thus, in addition to the central romance, there are several supplemental storylines seeking to make a statement. And since the story takes place in the early “twenty-tens" and focuses on the world of art, these statements mostly have to do with Occupy Wall Street and the aggressive commoditization of art.
It's all a bit pretentious, and just because I kept reading - for the sex stuff, obviously - that doesn’t mean I was okay with the affected prose: “As Karina took in the painting—it described the bleak loveliness of loneliness, she decided, the lush austerity of the isolated mind—she realized she wasn’t alone� (13).
Is it just me, or is this sentence... done to death?
Anyway, I read to the end because I cared - just barely enough - to see if the bisexual couple stays together or goes the way of the twenty-tens.
And since I did finish, a three-unenthusiastic-stars rating seems fair.
Book/Song Pairing:
This is a book of literature (pronounced lit-rrrruh-chuh). Thus, in addition to the central romance, there are several supplemental storylines seeking to make a statement. And since the story takes place in the early “twenty-tens" and focuses on the world of art, these statements mostly have to do with Occupy Wall Street and the aggressive commoditization of art.
It's all a bit pretentious, and just because I kept reading - for the sex stuff, obviously - that doesn’t mean I was okay with the affected prose: “As Karina took in the painting—it described the bleak loveliness of loneliness, she decided, the lush austerity of the isolated mind—she realized she wasn’t alone� (13).
Is it just me, or is this sentence... done to death?
Anyway, I read to the end because I cared - just barely enough - to see if the bisexual couple stays together or goes the way of the twenty-tens.
And since I did finish, a three-unenthusiastic-stars rating seems fair.
Book/Song Pairing:
July 20, 2022
I can’t really explain why but somehow this book deeply moved me. I loved the flawed characters, the accurate descriptions of the longing to create something worthwhile, the messy relationships and the character growth. Bittersweet and relatable.
November 3, 2022
I haven't loved a novel this much in a LONG time. �
to hear more of my thoughts on this book over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!
to hear more of my thoughts on this book over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!
March 14, 2024
i love a campus novel and this one prompted me to write some poetry for the first time in years so that has to count for something!
July 24, 2022
such great character writing, i wished for a bit more relationship development between karina and louisa (not that there was a LACK of it, i just wanted even more lol) but this story completely jumped off the page and enraptured me
March 3, 2022
I liked this book way more than I ever expected to love a book about 19- and 20-year-old artists. Liked it very much, in fact.
Quite appropriately, it played out across the screen of my mind like a visually striking, thought-provoking, cleverly curated exhibition of fine art.
To be fair, one of the principal characters in middle-aged, but the rest are very young. The book starts off with all of them at a prestigious art school � the older character as a visiting professor, the younger ones as a self-designated agent provocateur/enfant terrible, Preston, a small Louisiana town’s fish-out-or-water barely able to afford it Louisa, and the stunning/gifted/wealthy New Yorker, Karina. And then the book follows each of the four protagonists as they leave the university, each departure unplanned and premature for various reasons and try to…follow their artistic bliss and try to find their place in the world.
Their lives are intertwined, tangentially or otherwise, interconnected in many ways, but each of their paths is unique � partially predetermined, like some many things in life, by their socioeconomic status, and partially by their individual and very different personalities.
That divergent yet interwoven structure allows the author to explore the many layers of not just the art world but the world at large. The novel is set a decade back from the time of this review’s publication and thus right in the middle of the Occupy Wall Street and other well-meant failed social movements.
The social consciousness was on a very high setting back then, but the art world’s mores and morals were always very much its own thing. The novel does a great job of juxtaposing the two and drawing parallels, especially for male characters who both get involved with the movements, albeit from different ends and for different reasons.
There’s a love story too, just so you don’t think it’s all sociopolitical commentary. A proper novel offers many things to its readers, and this is very much a proper novel, a proper work of literature. The language sings. The characters come alive. So much so, you don’t even have to like them, and they’ll still manage to engage you.
For how contrived and artificial the art scene is, at large and in New York specifically, the novel is strikingly emotionally sincere and poignant. Great read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at
Quite appropriately, it played out across the screen of my mind like a visually striking, thought-provoking, cleverly curated exhibition of fine art.
To be fair, one of the principal characters in middle-aged, but the rest are very young. The book starts off with all of them at a prestigious art school � the older character as a visiting professor, the younger ones as a self-designated agent provocateur/enfant terrible, Preston, a small Louisiana town’s fish-out-or-water barely able to afford it Louisa, and the stunning/gifted/wealthy New Yorker, Karina. And then the book follows each of the four protagonists as they leave the university, each departure unplanned and premature for various reasons and try to…follow their artistic bliss and try to find their place in the world.
Their lives are intertwined, tangentially or otherwise, interconnected in many ways, but each of their paths is unique � partially predetermined, like some many things in life, by their socioeconomic status, and partially by their individual and very different personalities.
That divergent yet interwoven structure allows the author to explore the many layers of not just the art world but the world at large. The novel is set a decade back from the time of this review’s publication and thus right in the middle of the Occupy Wall Street and other well-meant failed social movements.
The social consciousness was on a very high setting back then, but the art world’s mores and morals were always very much its own thing. The novel does a great job of juxtaposing the two and drawing parallels, especially for male characters who both get involved with the movements, albeit from different ends and for different reasons.
There’s a love story too, just so you don’t think it’s all sociopolitical commentary. A proper novel offers many things to its readers, and this is very much a proper novel, a proper work of literature. The language sings. The characters come alive. So much so, you don’t even have to like them, and they’ll still manage to engage you.
For how contrived and artificial the art scene is, at large and in New York specifically, the novel is strikingly emotionally sincere and poignant. Great read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at
August 30, 2022
this was just magnetic wow
September 24, 2022
This was kind of an underwhelming read for me and it took me a while to get through it because it never really managed to keep my full attention. The story unfolded with a languid pace, without a particular plot in place. The two male MC's were boring and flat, they hardly added anything to the narrative. The only thing that was keeping my interest was the relationship between Louisa and Karina, and having that in mind the ending was especially disappointing.
Also, why would someone write in a Cajun character and do absolutely nothing to include some part of their vibrant culture in their book? Such a wasted opportunity.
Also, why would someone write in a Cajun character and do absolutely nothing to include some part of their vibrant culture in their book? Such a wasted opportunity.
July 8, 2023
no sirens, no muses. a lackluster "sapphic relationship," if you could even call it that. just rich white art people being insufferable.
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
August 31, 2022DNF 250 pages in
This book initially caught my attention with its lush prose and unique setting, as I have never read a book following artists in an academic setting, but once I hit the 100 page mark, my interest disappeared entirely.
I did not care for Preston and dreaded switching to his POV while also finding little to no substance in the professor’s perspective. The plot, overall, lacked intrigue and meandered in no actual direction, which was the major reason as to why I couldn’t finish this story.
This book initially caught my attention with its lush prose and unique setting, as I have never read a book following artists in an academic setting, but once I hit the 100 page mark, my interest disappeared entirely.
I did not care for Preston and dreaded switching to his POV while also finding little to no substance in the professor’s perspective. The plot, overall, lacked intrigue and meandered in no actual direction, which was the major reason as to why I couldn’t finish this story.
February 16, 2023
Sirens & Muses follows four artists connected to Wrynn, an elite art school in their quest for success. Three of the artists are students and one is a visiting professor. Preston comes from a world of privilege but risks being cutoff by his disciplined father, further increasing their already tense relationship. Karina is deemed a brilliant artist, has gained somewhat of a notorious relationship at Wrynn, and is also the daughter of wealthy, well-known art collectors. Louisa is a scholarship student from Louisiana, working hard to keep her place in this new (to her) world and is also Karina’s roommate. Robert Berger accepts a teaching position at least partially in an attempt to regain relevance in the art world.
Preston creates a dramatic scene through the guise of art after going head to head with Robert at Wrynn. This turn of events results in these 4 artists moving beyond the school and entering NYC’s competitive world of art. There is pressure, jealously, self-reflection, and the ever present desire for creativity.
I love reading about the art world, real or fictional, and there were plenty of complicated relationship dynamics in this story to keep me interested. Most of the characters in Sirens & Muses leaned toward unlikable, but I felt for each of them at times too.
Preston creates a dramatic scene through the guise of art after going head to head with Robert at Wrynn. This turn of events results in these 4 artists moving beyond the school and entering NYC’s competitive world of art. There is pressure, jealously, self-reflection, and the ever present desire for creativity.
I love reading about the art world, real or fictional, and there were plenty of complicated relationship dynamics in this story to keep me interested. Most of the characters in Sirens & Muses leaned toward unlikable, but I felt for each of them at times too.
February 6, 2022
Sort of a campus novel and sort of not. It’s really about power, attraction, and art. The power of art over the artist and the other way about, the power of rivalry, the power of commercialism, and the power of our desires be they romantic or otherwise.
December 15, 2022
i feel like this book was written for me
August 21, 2022
taking place from late 2011 to 2012, 𝐒𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐒 & 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐒 centers around four artists who are allured into the brutal world of art, and caught between the throes of rivalry and desire in this complex and intelligently crafted debut.
i have not read many dark academia books, so i do not have anything to compare this to. but i do consider sirens & muses to be quite bold on tackling themes of female desires, class, politics, privilege, capitalism, male dominance, and art through its main characters � louisa, karina, preston, and robert.
i enjoyed reading how their relationships intertwined with one another � in both the school and New York setting. however, i was particularly more attached to louisa and karina’s plotlines than preston and robert’s, but angress� intricate narrative and fantastic writing truly kept me invested with each protagonist. i found louisa’s storyline � a shy transfer student struggling with finances and self-esteem but has a flare of ambition � relating to the most in comparison to the other three figures.
the characters are pretentious, unlikable, and not good people, but its purposefully done so to explore the complex nature and privilege encircling the art world by examining the themes mentioned before. however, angress explores each characters� goals, traumas, and personalities in a compelling way that i was eager to learn more about each one.
it is a novel that prioritizes on characters than plot, which i appreciate in this context because it is written so affectively. although there is some plot, it is a slow build up and not as dramatic as the summary writes. rather it takes a quiet turn with consequences that is resolved quick but the aftermath lingers.
there are two things i think slightly hindered my experience on fully enjoying or calling it a perfect novel because it isn’t. one, i think if the author focused primarily on louisa and karina then the story would’ve been slight better in terms of character development since they were more evolved than preston and robert. to read from the point of view of two girls � with very different personalities � falling for their desires for one another and prospering in the male-dominated art scene would definitely be powerful but i understand why angress didn’t go that route. two, while the ending is bittersweet and open-ended, unfortunately it is rushed. nonetheless i’m rating it five stars because i don’t think it influenced how i felt afterwards and it tied up its story nicely.
i also want to add that this book may not be for everyone especially if you prefer plot over character driven books. i also wouldn’t compare sirens & muses to sally rooney’s works despite what critics say. 4.5 or 5 stars!
𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: sexual assault, infidelity, misogyny, drug use, mental illness, physical and emotional abuse, suicide, toxic relationships, death, sexual content, suicidal thoughts
original review: babes, i ate this book up. it’s either 4.5 or 4.75 stars. hell, maybe even 5 stars. just know it’s up there. rtc!
i have not read many dark academia books, so i do not have anything to compare this to. but i do consider sirens & muses to be quite bold on tackling themes of female desires, class, politics, privilege, capitalism, male dominance, and art through its main characters � louisa, karina, preston, and robert.
i enjoyed reading how their relationships intertwined with one another � in both the school and New York setting. however, i was particularly more attached to louisa and karina’s plotlines than preston and robert’s, but angress� intricate narrative and fantastic writing truly kept me invested with each protagonist. i found louisa’s storyline � a shy transfer student struggling with finances and self-esteem but has a flare of ambition � relating to the most in comparison to the other three figures.
the characters are pretentious, unlikable, and not good people, but its purposefully done so to explore the complex nature and privilege encircling the art world by examining the themes mentioned before. however, angress explores each characters� goals, traumas, and personalities in a compelling way that i was eager to learn more about each one.
it is a novel that prioritizes on characters than plot, which i appreciate in this context because it is written so affectively. although there is some plot, it is a slow build up and not as dramatic as the summary writes. rather it takes a quiet turn with consequences that is resolved quick but the aftermath lingers.
there are two things i think slightly hindered my experience on fully enjoying or calling it a perfect novel because it isn’t. one, i think if the author focused primarily on louisa and karina then the story would’ve been slight better in terms of character development since they were more evolved than preston and robert. to read from the point of view of two girls � with very different personalities � falling for their desires for one another and prospering in the male-dominated art scene would definitely be powerful but i understand why angress didn’t go that route. two, while the ending is bittersweet and open-ended, unfortunately it is rushed. nonetheless i’m rating it five stars because i don’t think it influenced how i felt afterwards and it tied up its story nicely.
i also want to add that this book may not be for everyone especially if you prefer plot over character driven books. i also wouldn’t compare sirens & muses to sally rooney’s works despite what critics say. 4.5 or 5 stars!
𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: sexual assault, infidelity, misogyny, drug use, mental illness, physical and emotional abuse, suicide, toxic relationships, death, sexual content, suicidal thoughts
original review: babes, i ate this book up. it’s either 4.5 or 4.75 stars. hell, maybe even 5 stars. just know it’s up there. rtc!
January 2, 2023
oh I loved this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A campus novel turned New York novel with all the right ingredients: contemporary art, sexuality, kunstlerroman. Goldfinch-ian in its execution, a true exercise in atmosphere, plot, and character. Compulsively readable, effortlessly rendered.
I knew from page one this would have resonant themes for me, and it did not disappoint. Oof
I knew from page one this would have resonant themes for me, and it did not disappoint. Oof
March 25, 2024
melancholic sapphic academia supremacy
January 27, 2022
� � 2.5 stars.
rtc to come.
edit, jan. 27: ty to netgalley for a free arc in exchange for an honest review!
this book had so much potential but simply didn't deliver.
the main issue with this book was the absence of plot to the point where there were several things happening to make it seem busy but in all honestly, this was just a musing on creatives and how they interact with each other. the language of the novel is beautiful and the writing is poignant and stirring at times, but the characters had a tendency to come off as flat and a bit insufferable.
the atmosphere is written to be properly pretentious but almost to a fault. it made me as a reader disengage and feel detached from the experience of reading this book. i really wish it was better and that we had expanded more on some of the important social aspects discussed throughout the whole of the book rather than just trying to unpack them in the literal last 15 percent of the novel.
i hope other people enjoy this but it just wasn't for me.
rtc to come.
edit, jan. 27: ty to netgalley for a free arc in exchange for an honest review!
this book had so much potential but simply didn't deliver.
the main issue with this book was the absence of plot to the point where there were several things happening to make it seem busy but in all honestly, this was just a musing on creatives and how they interact with each other. the language of the novel is beautiful and the writing is poignant and stirring at times, but the characters had a tendency to come off as flat and a bit insufferable.
the atmosphere is written to be properly pretentious but almost to a fault. it made me as a reader disengage and feel detached from the experience of reading this book. i really wish it was better and that we had expanded more on some of the important social aspects discussed throughout the whole of the book rather than just trying to unpack them in the literal last 15 percent of the novel.
i hope other people enjoy this but it just wasn't for me.
December 15, 2024
Alone With You in the Ether but make it artsy and sapphic!
high 3 stars. love the ending, the discussions about art, & the overall character growth.
high 3 stars. love the ending, the discussions about art, & the overall character growth.
September 14, 2022
I regret to inform y’all that I have nothing profound or interesting to say in this review.
In reality this might be a 2 star read just based on my complete nonchalant attitude about it but I don’t think that’s fair. I simply don’t have any strong (or even existing) feelings about this book.
I like art, I like (gay) women. this book had both of those. do with that as you will.
In reality this might be a 2 star read just based on my complete nonchalant attitude about it but I don’t think that’s fair. I simply don’t have any strong (or even existing) feelings about this book.
I like art, I like (gay) women. this book had both of those. do with that as you will.
August 13, 2022
this book should’ve been right up my alley, given it’s a light academia-ish novel centering around two bisexual art students. but i don’t know, it fell a little flat. the storylines about the other two male characters i never really cared for, and the ending disappointed me?
i wanted to love it but i just did not :( but is the first book i’ve finished in a bit - so it gets some merit for that.
i wanted to love it but i just did not :( but is the first book i’ve finished in a bit - so it gets some merit for that.
Read
July 13, 2024finally remembered my password on here, this twas gurt some of the dialogue was very YA romance but overall rlly pacey n earnest n enjoyable. good stuff team
October 17, 2022
DNF ~100 pages.
This was boring and all of the characters sucked (especially the frat bro who had a photoshop collage tumblr).
However, it was this egrigous exchange of dialogue that made me slam the book shut and return it to the library:
"I thought I needed to get away from home in order to see it clearly," Louisa said. "You know J.M.W. Turner?"
"Yeah," Karina said. "All those sky and ocean paintings. Romantic era, right?"
Where do I even begin with how bad this is?
Sophomores at a prestigious New England art college wouldn't need to ask if someone knows of Turner. You know of Turner. You know NOT to refer to him as "J.M.W. Turner" because it's not like there's also a famous painted named Barnaby Turner and you need to differentiate. He's Turner. "You know Pierre-Auguste Renoir?" It's Renoir, you absolute philistine. It's like a sophomore film student at NYU asking, "You know Francis Ford Coppola?" A) You'd just say Coppola, and B) WHAT A DUMB FUCKING QUESTION TO ASK SOMEONE MAJORING IN FILM. It showed me immediately that the author has no idea what she's talking about, doesn't know art intimately enough to write about it authentically, and just googled "famous painters" and decided to drop some names in, like salt bae sprinkling in artists for cred.
It's even more offensive a slip because the author told us Karina grew up with an Egon Schiele portrait of Wally Neuzil in her childhood bedroom, and her parents are major art collectors who are auctioning everything off in their divorce to the tune of $40 million. A sophomore painting major with a Schiele painting in her bedroom and uber-wealthy art collector parents isn't going to ask, "Romantic era, right?"
As someone who wrote a book about the art world and worked in the art world for years and whose father was an artist, it just rang so false and pulled me straight out of the narrative, and I already had a waning interest in it anyway. Next.
This was boring and all of the characters sucked (especially the frat bro who had a photoshop collage tumblr).
However, it was this egrigous exchange of dialogue that made me slam the book shut and return it to the library:
"I thought I needed to get away from home in order to see it clearly," Louisa said. "You know J.M.W. Turner?"
"Yeah," Karina said. "All those sky and ocean paintings. Romantic era, right?"
Where do I even begin with how bad this is?
Sophomores at a prestigious New England art college wouldn't need to ask if someone knows of Turner. You know of Turner. You know NOT to refer to him as "J.M.W. Turner" because it's not like there's also a famous painted named Barnaby Turner and you need to differentiate. He's Turner. "You know Pierre-Auguste Renoir?" It's Renoir, you absolute philistine. It's like a sophomore film student at NYU asking, "You know Francis Ford Coppola?" A) You'd just say Coppola, and B) WHAT A DUMB FUCKING QUESTION TO ASK SOMEONE MAJORING IN FILM. It showed me immediately that the author has no idea what she's talking about, doesn't know art intimately enough to write about it authentically, and just googled "famous painters" and decided to drop some names in, like salt bae sprinkling in artists for cred.
It's even more offensive a slip because the author told us Karina grew up with an Egon Schiele portrait of Wally Neuzil in her childhood bedroom, and her parents are major art collectors who are auctioning everything off in their divorce to the tune of $40 million. A sophomore painting major with a Schiele painting in her bedroom and uber-wealthy art collector parents isn't going to ask, "Romantic era, right?"
As someone who wrote a book about the art world and worked in the art world for years and whose father was an artist, it just rang so false and pulled me straight out of the narrative, and I already had a waning interest in it anyway. Next.
Shelved as 'dnf'
September 11, 2022DNF at 25%. There are four main characters in this novel, two young women artists, one young male artist, and a middle aged male artist/professor, all white. The narrative switches POVs throughout the chapters. Unfortunately half of these characters compelled me and the other half didn't, guess which was which?? These days an author would have to do some pretty extraordinary character work to make me care about cishet white men and that was not the case in Sirens and Muses.
This is despite lovely, smart writing, especially about making art and the art world. I was also interested in Angress's characterization of the different desires for genders that Louisa and Karina felt as bi women. If the novel was going to expand beyond Karina and Louisa (I don't think it needed to), I would have rathered read about their painting teacher Maureen, an older woman who has passed the point of caring what anyone thinks about her and wears oversized tshirts and cargo pants to class every day.
This is despite lovely, smart writing, especially about making art and the art world. I was also interested in Angress's characterization of the different desires for genders that Louisa and Karina felt as bi women. If the novel was going to expand beyond Karina and Louisa (I don't think it needed to), I would have rathered read about their painting teacher Maureen, an older woman who has passed the point of caring what anyone thinks about her and wears oversized tshirts and cargo pants to class every day.
May 17, 2022
Well written, engaging, but could use a little trimming. The four central characters are likeable, flaws and all, and the author's knowledge of contemporary art is deep and well represented. I'm hoping that there will be a followup, since the narrative ends with me wanting to know more. I feel I must make mention of the timing of the proceedings -- before 2016 and the changes that ensued that year. I feel that several authors are deliberately pushing their work to that era so as not to have to incorporate how the world has changed.
March 29, 2025
I genuinely loved this book. I couldn't put it down and found myself squeezing chapters in on the tube, and at dinner, and in the middle of the night. I loved that all four MCs were wonderfully, realistically flawed, and I wanted to throttle every single one of them at one point or another. And yet, that they all still had redeeming qualities. They were real, and nuanced, and layered.
I loved the art. I admittedly don't know a ton about visual arts—other than some pieces move me and others leave me baffled—but I absolutely enjoy reading about them, especially when they are brought into such vivid detail as Antonia Angress managed in this book. Some of her concepts described were just incredible. I found myself wishing I could Google "Dying Man" or the bird woman paintings or even some of the images mentioned on The Wart. It was truly fascinating.
But more than anything—I LOVED Angress's style and prose. It was brilliant. Beautiful. Evocative. Edgy. Everything I want in my fiction.
I will definitely add her to my "instant read" list of authors for future publications.
I loved the art. I admittedly don't know a ton about visual arts—other than some pieces move me and others leave me baffled—but I absolutely enjoy reading about them, especially when they are brought into such vivid detail as Antonia Angress managed in this book. Some of her concepts described were just incredible. I found myself wishing I could Google "Dying Man" or the bird woman paintings or even some of the images mentioned on The Wart. It was truly fascinating.
But more than anything—I LOVED Angress's style and prose. It was brilliant. Beautiful. Evocative. Edgy. Everything I want in my fiction.
I will definitely add her to my "instant read" list of authors for future publications.
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