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bookph1le's review against another edition
2.0
Ugh, this book. I liked Stella, but that was the only thing I liked about the book. Otherwise, I feel distinctly disgruntled about having spent so much time reading it. More complete review to come.
Full review:
When I read the description of this book, I was intrigued. I love good dystopian or apocalyptic fiction, and while I enjoy the more action-packed stuff, I'm always intrigued by books in the genre that take a more character-centered approach. This book was nothing like I expected. Instead, it's what I tend to think of as a textbook MFA-style book: so focused on character that it doesn't notice at all when it's being plodding and creating a laborious read for its audience. Some spoilers to follow.
While I do enjoy literary fiction, I'm starting to notice a commonality among works written by MFA graduates. There's a certain distance and detachment to some literary works that I find very off-putting, if not a smug sense of the book's genius that comes through in the author's tone. I didn't necessarily think that was the case here, but many times I felt like this book was screaming at me, "Behold the exquisite soul-wrenching-ness with which I depict grief! Note how futile the human condition, and how perfectly I have captured it!" It's not that I necessarily think the author was self-satisfied about this book, but more that it felt like something she'd written for her class rather than something she'd written in an attempt to connect her characters with potential readers. Literature like this feels like something I'm supposed to look at and admire, but with which I'm not bound to feel much attachment, nor am I likely to remember it in the future.
Take Dylan, for example. It didn't take long before I couldn't stand dragging myself through his passages. He may be the biggest literary sadsack I've ever read about, and that's saying something, considering that I've read plenty of classic works rife with self-pitying male characters. I get that he's upset that both his mother and his grandmother had died, but sometimes I wanted to give him a good shake and scream, "Pull yourself together, man!" There's a difference between grieving and moping, and I was definitely getting more of a moping vibe from Dylan. I found him so tedious that I couldn't even sympathize with the fact that he had to give up his entire way of life and move to what was essentially a foreign land for him. Intellectually I know this, but from a sympathetic perspective, I really couldn't care less. Dylan was a bore to me, plain and simple.
I also was displeased with the fact that the book's setting, which is given a tremendous amount of space in the description, was pretty much incidental. Oh, sure, it comes up, and the author repeatedly inserts passages in which dire warnings about the worsening weather conditions are inserted. And by inserted, I do mean inserted. Rarely do the characters ever really discuss them in any meaningful way. Instead, the author relies on newscasters to do it, which created further distance for me. I wanted to see the characters struggle with their environment, but there isn't much of this. It's mentioned from time to time, but the book is far more focused on the melodrama, particularly between Dylan, Stella's mother (seriously, she makes so little impression on me that I've already forgotten her name), and Alistair (who sounds like a supreme jerkwad). You know what? I don't care about that melodrama. I came to this novel because I was expecting to read about characters struggling with their changing environment, and instead people click on the TV, watch the weather report, shrug, turn it off, and then go on the internet. It was a little hard for me to feel like their circumstances were all that pressing when I can only recall two moments when their circumstances were obviously pressing. One is at the abysmal ending, and the other happens to Stella but lacks much tension because her mother and Dylan are kind of worked up about it but then end up making out for a while. What?
The only saving grace of this book for me was Stella. I really wish the entire weather subplot and Dylan's point of view had been eliminated. I think the book would have been much better for it. I get that everyday life has to go on even during times of disaster, but the real life problems Stella was facing were infinitely more interesting to me than the flimsy weather issue. Stella was the only character with whom I sympathized, and I found her passages harrowing and compelling. And even though I can't remember her mother's name, I appreciated the relationship between the two and the fact that her mother became something of a tiger when she really needed to go to bat for Stella. I also only liked Dylan when he was being understanding and sympathetic of Stella's situation, even if he used that as a means of asserting his superior manhood against Alistair. Poor Stella. She's the only character with any real life in this book (except for maybe Barnacle, but he's only a minor character whose arc resolution is rather anti-climactic, and felt as if it existed just to shine a bright spotlight on how very horrible the situation was), and it's a shame she has to contend with all the monotonous clutter that exists whenever the book isn't written from her point of view.
The ending was just plain terrible to me, and pretty much a prerequisite for this type of literature, which is rather unrelentingly bleak. Call me naive, but I prefer stories that manage to find some glimmer of hope even in the midst of truly horrible circumstances. Instead, this book seemed determined to beat me over the head with its bleakness. I suppose it succeeded, since it left me numb in the end.
Full review:
When I read the description of this book, I was intrigued. I love good dystopian or apocalyptic fiction, and while I enjoy the more action-packed stuff, I'm always intrigued by books in the genre that take a more character-centered approach. This book was nothing like I expected. Instead, it's what I tend to think of as a textbook MFA-style book: so focused on character that it doesn't notice at all when it's being plodding and creating a laborious read for its audience. Some spoilers to follow.
While I do enjoy literary fiction, I'm starting to notice a commonality among works written by MFA graduates. There's a certain distance and detachment to some literary works that I find very off-putting, if not a smug sense of the book's genius that comes through in the author's tone. I didn't necessarily think that was the case here, but many times I felt like this book was screaming at me, "Behold the exquisite soul-wrenching-ness with which I depict grief! Note how futile the human condition, and how perfectly I have captured it!" It's not that I necessarily think the author was self-satisfied about this book, but more that it felt like something she'd written for her class rather than something she'd written in an attempt to connect her characters with potential readers. Literature like this feels like something I'm supposed to look at and admire, but with which I'm not bound to feel much attachment, nor am I likely to remember it in the future.
Take Dylan, for example. It didn't take long before I couldn't stand dragging myself through his passages. He may be the biggest literary sadsack I've ever read about, and that's saying something, considering that I've read plenty of classic works rife with self-pitying male characters. I get that he's upset that both his mother and his grandmother had died, but sometimes I wanted to give him a good shake and scream, "Pull yourself together, man!" There's a difference between grieving and moping, and I was definitely getting more of a moping vibe from Dylan. I found him so tedious that I couldn't even sympathize with the fact that he had to give up his entire way of life and move to what was essentially a foreign land for him. Intellectually I know this, but from a sympathetic perspective, I really couldn't care less. Dylan was a bore to me, plain and simple.
I also was displeased with the fact that the book's setting, which is given a tremendous amount of space in the description, was pretty much incidental. Oh, sure, it comes up, and the author repeatedly inserts passages in which dire warnings about the worsening weather conditions are inserted. And by inserted, I do mean inserted. Rarely do the characters ever really discuss them in any meaningful way. Instead, the author relies on newscasters to do it, which created further distance for me. I wanted to see the characters struggle with their environment, but there isn't much of this. It's mentioned from time to time, but the book is far more focused on the melodrama, particularly between Dylan, Stella's mother (seriously, she makes so little impression on me that I've already forgotten her name), and Alistair (who sounds like a supreme jerkwad). You know what? I don't care about that melodrama. I came to this novel because I was expecting to read about characters struggling with their changing environment, and instead people click on the TV, watch the weather report, shrug, turn it off, and then go on the internet. It was a little hard for me to feel like their circumstances were all that pressing when I can only recall two moments when their circumstances were obviously pressing. One is at the abysmal ending, and the other happens to Stella but lacks much tension because her mother and Dylan are kind of worked up about it but then end up making out for a while. What?
The only saving grace of this book for me was Stella. I really wish the entire weather subplot and Dylan's point of view had been eliminated. I think the book would have been much better for it. I get that everyday life has to go on even during times of disaster, but the real life problems Stella was facing were infinitely more interesting to me than the flimsy weather issue. Stella was the only character with whom I sympathized, and I found her passages harrowing and compelling. And even though I can't remember her mother's name, I appreciated the relationship between the two and the fact that her mother became something of a tiger when she really needed to go to bat for Stella. I also only liked Dylan when he was being understanding and sympathetic of Stella's situation, even if he used that as a means of asserting his superior manhood against Alistair. Poor Stella. She's the only character with any real life in this book (except for maybe Barnacle, but he's only a minor character whose arc resolution is rather anti-climactic, and felt as if it existed just to shine a bright spotlight on how very horrible the situation was), and it's a shame she has to contend with all the monotonous clutter that exists whenever the book isn't written from her point of view.
The ending was just plain terrible to me, and pretty much a prerequisite for this type of literature, which is rather unrelentingly bleak. Call me naive, but I prefer stories that manage to find some glimmer of hope even in the midst of truly horrible circumstances. Instead, this book seemed determined to beat me over the head with its bleakness. I suppose it succeeded, since it left me numb in the end.
myriadreads's review against another edition
4.0
So well crafted. A brilliant but believable story with deep characters and really poetic prose. It left me hanging, though, and I didn't feel satisfied at the end of the book. I thought, up until the last chapter, that it would be a 5-star rating.
jilly7922's review against another edition
3.0
This book is about three people coming together in a time where the world is freezing over. Dylan who is grieving over the loss of his mother and grandmother goes on a mission to bury them, in their homeland. On his way he ends up in a small caravan town, where he comes across Estella and Constance, a mother and daughter who are prepared to survive during this cold winter. Dylan's presence in their lives will bring on new emotions and change the perspectives of everyone involved in this story.
Overall I rated this book three and a half stars out of five. This book was so beautifully, artistically and creatively written. It had drops of dystopian, apocalyptic descriptions, love, transgender, fantasy and local folklore of which fit in this book perfectly. The characters in this book were strong, especially Estella, who you can't help but fall in love with her by the end. There were times in this book that I felt it was too wordy with description of which made some parts read slower. But it was the beauty of the language of which this story was told, is what I most appreciated. This book is not one that I would normally pick up and read, but I am glad that I expanded my horizons in choosing to read this book.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Jenni Fagan, and Crown Publishing/Hogarth for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Come and read my blog at http://turnthepagereviewsbyjill.blogspot.com/
Overall I rated this book three and a half stars out of five. This book was so beautifully, artistically and creatively written. It had drops of dystopian, apocalyptic descriptions, love, transgender, fantasy and local folklore of which fit in this book perfectly. The characters in this book were strong, especially Estella, who you can't help but fall in love with her by the end. There were times in this book that I felt it was too wordy with description of which made some parts read slower. But it was the beauty of the language of which this story was told, is what I most appreciated. This book is not one that I would normally pick up and read, but I am glad that I expanded my horizons in choosing to read this book.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Jenni Fagan, and Crown Publishing/Hogarth for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Come and read my blog at http://turnthepagereviewsbyjill.blogspot.com/
islandkate's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This book. Somehow it was dark without being heavy. It was bleak without being depressing. Occasionally the prose would get a little purple and the narrative structure confusing, but overall I loved it. The characters were so compelling I didn’t really care that there was no obvious plot. Just a snapshot of complicated relationships as the world goes into a deep freeze. I usually HATE an unclear ending, but I was even ok with this one. Did they die? Did winter ever end? Was Constance holding Alastair’s hand too?! Who knows and honestly, I don’t care. Jenni Fagan is magic and I’ll read anything she writes.
caitgriff's review against another edition
3.0
For such an enticing premise, there was little movement, interpersonal growth, or sense of traditional story-arc to this book.
I felt that each of the two POV characters, Dylan and Stella, were charming and kept me engaged in an otherwise banal telling of an unprecedented environmental collapse. However, the relationship between Dylan and Constance felt like a telling-not-showing sort of relationship, one built on Dylan's distant pining after Constance, and her relaxed acceptance of his affection.
I didn't get much of a sense of resolution from the story at all, and I struggle to even think of a way the narrative could have been resolved, given the way it presented itself. Maybe it was getting somewhere, near the end, but then it just ended. It was fine.
I felt that each of the two POV characters, Dylan and Stella, were charming and kept me engaged in an otherwise banal telling of an unprecedented environmental collapse. However, the relationship between Dylan and Constance felt like a telling-not-showing sort of relationship, one built on Dylan's distant pining after Constance, and her relaxed acceptance of his affection.
I didn't get much of a sense of resolution from the story at all, and I struggle to even think of a way the narrative could have been resolved, given the way it presented itself. Maybe it was getting somewhere, near the end, but then it just ended. It was fine.
hectaizani's review against another edition
3.0
I was very disappointed in the way this book ended. The writing was beautiful and evocative, the characters were flawed and very human, the setting was bleak and then ...
Spoiler
There was no resolution whatsoever, did they live? die? did Spring ever come? did Dylan kill Alastair? make peace with Alastair? did Stella ever complete her transition? I will never know.cosmith2015's review against another edition
This book wasn't for me, but it may be for you.
I gave it about 80 pages. My usual is 100, but when I was reading Dylan's time on the mountain and realized the whole time I was thinking about how I didn't want to be reading this book. I was hoping for a more genre focused novel instead it seemed more literatury. Focused on the characters and their emotions.
I gave it about 80 pages. My usual is 100, but when I was reading Dylan's time on the mountain and realized the whole time I was thinking about how I didn't want to be reading this book. I was hoping for a more genre focused novel instead it seemed more literatury. Focused on the characters and their emotions.
krobart's review against another edition
4.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2022/03/04/review-1812-the-sunlight-pilgrims/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2022/03/04/review-1812-the-sunlight-pilgrims/
erincataldi's review against another edition
5.0
It's 2020 and the world is entering another ice age. In Scotland there is a small caravan park in the mountains preparing itself for the coldest winter anyone has ever seen in their lifetimes. Dylan lost his mother, his grandmother, and the family movie theater in London. The only place he has to go is a small caravan he had no idea even existed, thankfully his mother had the foresight to buy it in cash before her death. Armed only with a suitcase Dylan arrives in the cold, godforsaken, but oddly beautiful park. He is immediately smitten with the young mother next door and her ridiculously cool daughter. Constance and her daughter Stella, are immediately smitten with their new neighbor Dylan, enjoying his tall stature, beard, tattoos, and London stories. They slowly start to invite him into their lives where he discovers that Stella is in the process from transitioning from a boy to a girl and Constance is looked down upon because for years she's always had two lovers. Can this odd trio band together and survive the coming subzero temperatures? Cute, quirky, and honest, this book had me hooked from the beginning. Personally I had a crush on Dylan and would love to have shared his caravan with him. Stella was a breath of fresh air and is wonderfully developed as is her mom who is imperfectly perfect. A fantastic read!
I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in return for my honest, unbiased review.
I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in return for my honest, unbiased review.