Quite a brilliant look into the mother daughter relationship, with a back drop of the heady art scene and the drama and unusual life in a commune settQuite a brilliant look into the mother daughter relationship, with a back drop of the heady art scene and the drama and unusual life in a commune setting. The work seems not to dive completely into the cultish world, thought it does show the effects of being on the fringes and the all encompassing feelings of love and obsession.
A mother deeply loving her daughter, while still neglecting her, focussing on the self, her art, her stalled career and failed romantic entanglement. I was sad witnessing a daughter fending for herself, stepping into the parental role while her mother was unable to snap herself out of the depths of despair, realising too late the mess made.
Beautifully written conjuring lush imagery while completely convincing the reader of the messy and fractured relationship. I didn't completely love either of the protagonists, but it wasn't necessary to form a bond with them to understand the act of defiance of the daughter, and the reaction of the mother, even if this was much too late for decisive and protective action.
A scene showing the daughter's strength and beauty in describing her shaved head touches on the author's skill and provocative writing, seeming to translate easily to the page.
This is a complex story stretching over time, a slow burn reflecting on moral ambiguity, power and control. I knew who I sided with and I'd not be surprised to learn that I'm in the minority.
Thank you to Ultimo Press for my review copy....more
I was so pleased to have a connection after noticing YOURU randomly on Instagram, then book karma got me by jumping out at me again, it was not gettinI was so pleased to have a connection after noticing YOURU randomly on Instagram, then book karma got me by jumping out at me again, it was not getting away from me! Thank you Sarah for my copy ...more
A deep cut, in the music biz, are the artist’s songs that are not well known, the ones that aren’t ‘hits� but are no less adored by those in the know.A deep cut, in the music biz, are the artist’s songs that are not well known, the ones that aren’t ‘hits� but are no less adored by those in the know. I LOVED seeing the characters in this story live by the songs, absorb them, analyse and almost worship them. I am not a music person at all, but the references I was able to adhere to were solid, giving me a homey nostalgia hit as I went along. Those who love music, who really get it, will be able to ride the highs and lows of this book. It’s a melody that is slow and fast � I found the less exciting bits meander� but these crescendo back into highs once more. The setting of the aughts was brilliant for me, and New York, made me feel the grungy setting, the angst and the love and the heartbreak through the music. The sweaty hair and struggling to pay the rent, the groupies and the jealousies. Joe and Percy are the ones almost taking a back step to the real story here. The music. The lingo of the biz, the love and the loss, the friendship and the elasticity of shall they be together, or not. Soulmates but not. Percy is the critic, Joe is the star. Holly Brickley is the true genius here, an author telling a deep story with lyric, hooks and the backdrop of the music scene setting the stage for two young people’s story for over a decade. The baggage they each bring, and the wisdom needed for all of this to come together as fluidly as it did is remarkable. And for me, someone who knows little about music, to be swept up in it all is testament to it all. I wanted Bay Window to be a real song. This new novelist (how is this a debut) is someone to keep an eye on. Brilliant! Thank you HarperCollins for my review copy, via #firstinbestread. Listen to the Spotify playlist, too....more
Thank you Echo for this beauty! I love a book doesn’t match up with anything I’ve read before.
Ruth and Kate are decades apart in age, with each a storThank you Echo for this beauty! I love a book doesn’t match up with anything I’ve read before.
Ruth and Kate are decades apart in age, with each a story to tell. Ruth retells the story of a murder in a heady time of her youth, 1970’s England to young Kate, a Sydney journalist trying to find the underlying cause of this story that will make her career. Ruth is the only one alive who can recount the story surrounding the death of an iconic singer. The lives in this era are so enmeshed, fraught and frantic.
She’s vivid though guarded in her memories, enjoying drip feeding and controlling the events, while slowly telling the reader of a deep friendship and love. Sad and swarming with memories as she holds her version of events close to her chest, disallowing Kate to get ahead with the story.
Kate has her own issues dealing with an entitled unemployed partner, while commuting from the city to Katoomba. I felt drawn in by my proximity to the location. The older woman is biting in her observations. The ‘sharp white teeth� of Kate who is constantly searching for the red button on the phone.
Drugs, alcohol, infidelities, and jealousies come across authentically, a perfect example of show versus telling. Beautifully written, astute. Many observations from both women toward their surroundings and lives were simple yet breathtaking.
Ruth and ‘her clever spikiness�, this is a special story of friendship and love, not bound by a single generation and an impenetrable bond of the womanhood. Both women’s lives so much richer, due to the other.
This is a book of drama told completely without any. Bereft of anything saccharine, and full of a richness hard to pinpoint, while being clearly evident. I highly recommend this one. The words are chosen with care, imparting quite a profound feeling.
‘Adela and I could never work out why men disliked women so much�
I’m off to read Simone de Beauvour’s The Second Sex now!...more
Twisty, turny, devilish, compulsive and quite unputdownable! This story has it all, and being told in very short chapters added to the snappy tone.
ToTwisty, turny, devilish, compulsive and quite unputdownable! This story has it all, and being told in very short chapters added to the snappy tone.
Told in alternating chapters by 'The Wife' and 'The Other Woman' we are swiftly taken into this tumultuous world of adulterous and oh so messy world of Verity and the many many other women she comes into contact with. Just who is this other woman, and as for the lecherous Linden, who led him to the grave?!
"She is desperately in love with Linden but she isn't at all enamoured with their situation."
Verity and her husband are perfect on the outside, successful and wealthy - all those 'important' things. I found the entire premise quite glutinous, both for myself as the reader and these characters who were all self consumed and quite entitled, adding to the voyeuristic feel. This feeling sets it all up skillfully. You feel pulled into the egotistical world. While reading thoughts of Danielle Steel in summertime caused me to reflect that this read had a guilty pleasure feel to it, not being able to wait to next pick it up. It's also a nicely sized book, one of those smaller ones to hold in your hand all nice and comfy.
There are characters aplenty, just as there are red herrings and ideas being thrown at you left right and centre. You will love and hate some characters in equal measure. I highly recommend this one. One word summation? Wicked.
With thanks to Ch'aska and Echo publishing for my review copy.
Sunny Moritz is a gorgeous character. A debut novel, yet the entire experience reflected nothing of greenness. It was sunny (I can't use another word,Sunny Moritz is a gorgeous character. A debut novel, yet the entire experience reflected nothing of greenness. It was sunny (I can't use another word, it really was that type of read) and serious, contemplative and spontaneous, and completely substantial and delightful.
Sunny was beginning to feel bereft in her life, although very smart and altogether capable, she was adrift and slowly waking up to the fact that she had more to offer in life. Being 15 years older than the character, I quite liked her various jobs, I didn't think she was quite unmoored as the blurb may have led us to believe.
She was cool, a beautiful friend and fiercely independent, but I think after one too many hook ups and the realisation that no strings sex was becoming increasingly acceptable in her world, she began to take stock of her world.
Dealing with life events all at once showed her to be a strong woman in the reckoning of her relationship with her parents, the quickening intolerance for her career choices and instinctively knowing she was worth more than her lingerie loving life that she was currently careening through.
This is a beautifully written love story where Sunny learns about loving herself, reconciling her familial relationships and believing and discovering her worth. I loved her to bits - 'Sunny surprise' as she was known to the 'Bee man' Al, the banter between these two knocked my socks off. Their email correspondence while separated by distance, each learning about the other, and the love scenes were erotic, sensuous yet completely pg rated. The description of dance, and being taken to another world while doing so made me feel like I myself could dance (I really can't).
The self discovery in this novel, and the beautiful character building throughout the ensemble, were truly breathtaking. I loved this book, and it will be one of my highlights of the year. I can't wait to see what the author writes next. Also of note, the author wears many hats - she's a doctor, a mother (writing her story with a baby strapped to her chest at times) and a musician. Love it all!...more
Truly an elegy, this is a haunting novel is deeply entrenched in loss and love. Embarking on a road trip, a seemingly happy couple with lots of love lTruly an elegy, this is a haunting novel is deeply entrenched in loss and love. Embarking on a road trip, a seemingly happy couple with lots of love left navigate their way through America’s southwest. The use of our perilous climate and the ruins of which they drive through, the decrepit surrounds eerily reflect the floundering of a relationship and a young man’s mind which is clearly unravelling.
The tone of writing is sparse, but very heavy, the sombre feel eerie and haunting. The slow burn nature allows Eloise the wife to address her love and witness the slow descent into madness of her husband who is grieving the loss of her husband, and the telling of the story is the grief of a wife. This book is bleak and hard, there is no lightness. It is very sad and confronting, so triggers must be applied.
As an Australian Eloise reflects on her Australianness in some scenes, and she refers to her environmental studies of the Colorado River, a further nod to climate change. Louis is heavily drugging and more often closing himself off from his wife, but strangely, Eloise chooses not to address this directly with him.
Told by Eloise after the events, this is affecting and an unusual read. True lit fic fans will love this. I will search for the author’s previous work, this is lyrical and quite profound.
With thanks to the publisher for my physical copy to read and review....more
The hardest reviews are those which are close to my heart. Misfit is one of these. I love to read because I learn, and my curious nature means I inhalThe hardest reviews are those which are close to my heart. Misfit is one of these. I love to read because I learn, and my curious nature means I inhale what I resonate with. If I feel the same, if I see the similarities � not the differences � it’s a great reading experience. Reading is my passion now that I have walked my own sobriety path. I strongly dislike books that include token sobriety stories, the ones written by those who do not have lived experience, who can only assume. They stand out to me like a sore thumb, I cringe, I become noticeably annoyed, and usually out this in my review. In fiction Marian Keyes smashes it. Amanda here does it the nonfiction way.
Such a chatty vibe, I felt like I was sitting sharing coffee (probably lamenting on creating chaos after a few bottles of sav blanc). This memoir shows what it was like before, what is like now and all the mess and drama of the in betweens. Amanda shows how easy it is to flip your emotions in an instant, what it is TRULY like to live with Bipolar disorder, and at times the lengths we will go to ride the wave of insanity. Laying bare her past actions, which I know are COMPLETELY doable. She talks of the big things that others won’t, and the massive impacts.
The conversational tone made it easy to pick up and put down which I love, so in doing this it dumped me right into her frame of mind. Changeable, frenetic, empathetic, scared, scathing and ultimately, a helpful soul. She’s fallible just like I am. Like you are. The format of Samantha and Amanda carrying out their internal monologue shows just how intricate the parting of these two worlds are. The juxtaposition is in constant flow. I loved when she pinpoints the need to help herself before the desire to help other takes over. What I see, and my hope for Amanda is that undoubtedly this book is going to help others.
I'm messy and complicated, kind and funny, quirky, and a bit introverted. I like peace and solitude, but I love time with people I love and trust.
If your drinking is a problem now, whatever you think, there is one solution that works and that is putting the drink down.
Thanks Echo for my review copy and Amanda for, I suppose you could say, being a sobriety sister....more
This was beautiful, magical, fantastical. An impressive retelling which was not only imaginative and creative, but it also rolled along in its own worThis was beautiful, magical, fantastical. An impressive retelling which was not only imaginative and creative, but it also rolled along in its own world of mythical beings and setting, like the tide in which they all dwelled. Saint-Malo, Brittany, pre 1800 became one of the cast itself, breathing light and fire into the narrative. Comparing to a Little Mermaid and Cinderella mix cannot give this justice, as the author concocted a myriad of elements to create a love story like no other. These are not genres I devour, but this story has left me wondering to the extent that surely, I must be missing out, because this was a brilliant craft of fae, wickedness, family drama. Lucinde was striking, though not boastful, empathetic and watchful. Known as Luce, she is wonder and a beauty, no one else will measure up. Her father besotted, her sisters spiteful, wanting what they know Luce is deserving of. To be swept into La Manche - which is the English Channel, I felt I could barely catch my breath before my sea legs (tail?...more
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