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rayn0n's review against another edition
4.0
This is a Cat's Eye artistry book. Evocative and oddly cathartic. It feels like new beginnings and hopeless directionlessness at the same time.
theresalori's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
readinggrrl's review against another edition
2.0
Tea is a very strange novel. Broken down in Morning, Afternoon and Evening it tells pieces of the life of Isabel Gold. The beginning of the book deals with her family, her strange, and depressed mother, her born again best friend who calls God on her shoe phone as they re-enact scenes from Get Smart and her realization that she is frightened that her mothers mood will wear off on her if she touches her. The middle of the book deals with Isabel's coming of age, realizing that she is a lesbian and finding her way through life in the 70's and becoming an actress. At the end of the book we find Isabel living in Manhattan struggling in her relationship with a depressed girlfriend who reminds me of her mother when she is in her dark moods.
I guess it would be like glimpsing different aspects of any ones life. Isabel seems extremely ordinary to me. Sure she had a tragic childhood event but the rest of her life seems pretty mundane. When she was 8 she buries notes and things in yards so that in the future people will dig them up and know about the people who lived where she is, sort of like this novel, glimpses of her mundane life thrown together in a book. I thought that the the death of her mother would make more of an impact but it was just a blip on her radar. It doesn't even really seem to come up except at strange moments, like on her birthday when she imagines what her mother would have given her as a gift.
If you like character analysis and not plot driven books than this is one for you. Personally this was not one that will make my list of recommended books.
I guess it would be like glimpsing different aspects of any ones life. Isabel seems extremely ordinary to me. Sure she had a tragic childhood event but the rest of her life seems pretty mundane. When she was 8 she buries notes and things in yards so that in the future people will dig them up and know about the people who lived where she is, sort of like this novel, glimpses of her mundane life thrown together in a book. I thought that the the death of her mother would make more of an impact but it was just a blip on her radar. It doesn't even really seem to come up except at strange moments, like on her birthday when she imagines what her mother would have given her as a gift.
If you like character analysis and not plot driven books than this is one for you. Personally this was not one that will make my list of recommended books.
marshmalohgrrl's review against another edition
2.0
When I started this book, I was deeply reminded of some of the games I used to play with childhood friends, a game played with the son of family friends and games I still wish, in a way, I could play. The book seemed to progress from the mind of the child to the adolescent to the young adult and the language flowed along with it, which was both comforting and unsettling at the same time. There were times I was pulled from the book when the timeline and chronology seemed off (which, with research, in fact, were not) and at times the story seemed centered in modern times instead of the 70s and 80s when the book was set.
All in all I found Isabel to be a rather vapid character with no real direction or aim in her life. Her goals to be an actress seemed superficial at best and a pipeline dream. She was plain and simple and pretty easy to understand and, in the end, sympathetic. How many of us have gone through most of our lives with no ideas, no plans, only a vague idea of what would be nice? I know most of my life was filled that way, flitting around from one thing to another until I finally landed somewhere that seemed right. Is it still? Will it be permanently? Who knows?
In the end, the book left me with a feeling of sadness without closure. It seemed like I picked up on Isabel's sense of wanting and it has carried through with me. It has, however, given me the urge to write my own book with the lines that have been haunting me since I first started reading.
I would definitely recommend the book. It's a quick read and the plot is just enough to keep you following along to the end. The writer does a great job of letting us into Isabel's headspace and the subtle cultural references keep things in perspective.
Also, if anyone reads or has read, I would be interested in discussing the book with you. I still feel, even though I've read it, that I'm missing something important.
All in all I found Isabel to be a rather vapid character with no real direction or aim in her life. Her goals to be an actress seemed superficial at best and a pipeline dream. She was plain and simple and pretty easy to understand and, in the end, sympathetic. How many of us have gone through most of our lives with no ideas, no plans, only a vague idea of what would be nice? I know most of my life was filled that way, flitting around from one thing to another until I finally landed somewhere that seemed right. Is it still? Will it be permanently? Who knows?
In the end, the book left me with a feeling of sadness without closure. It seemed like I picked up on Isabel's sense of wanting and it has carried through with me. It has, however, given me the urge to write my own book with the lines that have been haunting me since I first started reading.
I would definitely recommend the book. It's a quick read and the plot is just enough to keep you following along to the end. The writer does a great job of letting us into Isabel's headspace and the subtle cultural references keep things in perspective.
Also, if anyone reads or has read, I would be interested in discussing the book with you. I still feel, even though I've read it, that I'm missing something important.
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