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msteasam's review
3.5
I was lucky enough to win an ARC of this book in a Goodreads giveaway, so keep in mind that this review is not of the final publication.
That said, this was a solid, enjoyable read.
This book follows the intertwining stories of two women; Lotte and Eve. It's told from dual POVs, following the characters from the present day into the past. Their unfolding stories really kept me interested; I wanted to know how they came to be at the current points in their lives.
Sometimes the time jumps were a bit confusing; I wasn't sure at what point in time events were taking place, but by the end of the book everything had settled into place in my mind.
The writing had me hooked from the beginning. This book is beautifully written, the writing flows very well and it's extremely readable. At times the descriptions take on a lovely, dreamy quality. The writing itself was the highlight of the book for me.
I'm not sure if this will change in the final copy of this book, but in my ARC none of the dialogue was written in quotation marks and sometimes I was unsure if what I was reading was dialogue, thought or more descriptions. I didn't really see a need for this at all and it was occasionally distracting.
I was however, very happy that the main characters felt like real women. They were flawed, and both had their own distinct strengths and personalities. I would have liked the different POV chapters to each take on a more unique tone, but there was enough there to distinguish them.
I also loved the little astronomy details and metaphors inserted into Lotte's chapters, though I do have an interest in space; I feel like some people might find it distracting.
That said, this was a solid, enjoyable read.
This book follows the intertwining stories of two women; Lotte and Eve. It's told from dual POVs, following the characters from the present day into the past. Their unfolding stories really kept me interested; I wanted to know how they came to be at the current points in their lives.
Sometimes the time jumps were a bit confusing; I wasn't sure at what point in time events were taking place, but by the end of the book everything had settled into place in my mind.
The writing had me hooked from the beginning. This book is beautifully written, the writing flows very well and it's extremely readable. At times the descriptions take on a lovely, dreamy quality. The writing itself was the highlight of the book for me.
I'm not sure if this will change in the final copy of this book, but in my ARC none of the dialogue was written in quotation marks and sometimes I was unsure if what I was reading was dialogue, thought or more descriptions. I didn't really see a need for this at all and it was occasionally distracting.
I was however, very happy that the main characters felt like real women. They were flawed, and both had their own distinct strengths and personalities. I would have liked the different POV chapters to each take on a more unique tone, but there was enough there to distinguish them.
I also loved the little astronomy details and metaphors inserted into Lotte's chapters, though I do have an interest in space; I feel like some people might find it distracting.
scribepub's review
[Joosten’s] characters are faced with all the complexity of the modern world, and sometimes the decisions they make turn out to be wrong. Watching them face the consequences makes for riveting reading … This is the work of an elegant and vital novelist, someone fully engaged and grappling with the multitude of difficulties involved in the way we live now.
Louise Swinn, Sydney Morning Herald
Joosten’s plotting is both wonderfully assured and stunningly unexpected: as details fall into place readers cannot but admire her chutzpah even as they respond to the complex humanity of her intimately realised characters.
Adelaide Advertiser
Masterfully constructed … Though there is loss at the centre of Gravity Well, Joosten knows that the most urgent observations about life come from making sense of the unfathomable. This is a carefully crafted, emotionally cathartic novel. Our journey away from suffering, Joosten suggests, begins with our movement towards each other.
Gretchen Shirm, Weekend Australian
[Gravity Well] is only the second novel by Melanie Joosten, but it achieves a textured and realistic quality that for some writers takes a lifetime.
The Saturday Paper
Melanie Joosten’s devastating second novel reminds us of the risks and redemptive power of human connection. Gravity Well brilliantly conveys the magnitude of love and loss, even as its exquisite planetary imagery reveals how small we truly are.
Emily Bitto, Author of The Strays
Cleverly constructed and beautifully written, Gravity Well is an absorbing, heart-squeezing novel about family, friendship, grief, and forgiveness. Joosten’s empathy shines through, as does her insight into how easy it is to wound the people we love the most. In Eve and Lotte, she has created two very different characters, but both display an all-too-believable mix of selfishness, generosity, fragility, and toughness, and their deep, complicated, vital friendship is gorgeously real.
Emily Maguire, Author of An Isolate Incident
An expert dissection of friendship and relationships in all their beautiful, terrible, constantly surprising glory … Joosten has a gift for tracing the random lines of connection and disconnection that shape human life: the fractures that break us and the stubborn power of love to put us back together again.
Kirsten Tranter, Author of Hold
Exceptionally written … Joosten’s meditations on friendship, ambition and family life are wise and thought-provoking. She has created fully rounded and credibly flawed characters, with an authorial gaze moving seamlessly between the broad and the telescopic.
Annie Condon, Readings
A quiet, intelligent story about loneliness and friendship, about grief tempered by hope. I admired Joosten’s thrilling plot-twist just past the halfway mark, and her beautiful imagery … a pleasure to read.
Naama Grey-Smith, Australian Book Review
Louise Swinn, Sydney Morning Herald
Joosten’s plotting is both wonderfully assured and stunningly unexpected: as details fall into place readers cannot but admire her chutzpah even as they respond to the complex humanity of her intimately realised characters.
Adelaide Advertiser
Masterfully constructed … Though there is loss at the centre of Gravity Well, Joosten knows that the most urgent observations about life come from making sense of the unfathomable. This is a carefully crafted, emotionally cathartic novel. Our journey away from suffering, Joosten suggests, begins with our movement towards each other.
Gretchen Shirm, Weekend Australian
[Gravity Well] is only the second novel by Melanie Joosten, but it achieves a textured and realistic quality that for some writers takes a lifetime.
The Saturday Paper
Melanie Joosten’s devastating second novel reminds us of the risks and redemptive power of human connection. Gravity Well brilliantly conveys the magnitude of love and loss, even as its exquisite planetary imagery reveals how small we truly are.
Emily Bitto, Author of The Strays
Cleverly constructed and beautifully written, Gravity Well is an absorbing, heart-squeezing novel about family, friendship, grief, and forgiveness. Joosten’s empathy shines through, as does her insight into how easy it is to wound the people we love the most. In Eve and Lotte, she has created two very different characters, but both display an all-too-believable mix of selfishness, generosity, fragility, and toughness, and their deep, complicated, vital friendship is gorgeously real.
Emily Maguire, Author of An Isolate Incident
An expert dissection of friendship and relationships in all their beautiful, terrible, constantly surprising glory … Joosten has a gift for tracing the random lines of connection and disconnection that shape human life: the fractures that break us and the stubborn power of love to put us back together again.
Kirsten Tranter, Author of Hold
Exceptionally written … Joosten’s meditations on friendship, ambition and family life are wise and thought-provoking. She has created fully rounded and credibly flawed characters, with an authorial gaze moving seamlessly between the broad and the telescopic.
Annie Condon, Readings
A quiet, intelligent story about loneliness and friendship, about grief tempered by hope. I admired Joosten’s thrilling plot-twist just past the halfway mark, and her beautiful imagery … a pleasure to read.
Naama Grey-Smith, Australian Book Review
kj2355's review against another edition
4.0
This was a random pick from the library shelves and it's a good one. It was a nice surprise when parts of the book were set in my city, Canberra.
Another pretty weird coincidence was the mention of the Sovereign Hill show in Ballarat. My friend had just taken her school camp there and spoke about how excellent the show was and now a few days later its come up in a book!
But really, it's a good book with a lot of sad elements. The characters were well developed and the storyline believable.
Another pretty weird coincidence was the mention of the Sovereign Hill show in Ballarat. My friend had just taken her school camp there and spoke about how excellent the show was and now a few days later its come up in a book!
But really, it's a good book with a lot of sad elements. The characters were well developed and the storyline believable.
wtb_michael's review against another edition
3.0
This is a neatly structured book about two friends whose lives intersect in various sad and complicated ways. This had all the ingredients of something I'd love, but I never quite got wrapped up in it. The characters didn't really connect with me and the plot felt a bit overblown at times. Joosten is a nice writer, but I had much higher hopes for this.
incrediblemelk's review
Contemporary realist fiction rarely grabs me. I skimmed the book to find out the general shape of the story but I didn't read it in detail.
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