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wallflowerperks's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
x is the final boss of manic pixie dream girls (derogatory.) this book was An Experience (affectionate.) have truly never read anything like it, an extremely impressive feat of a novel.
scmiller's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Trafficking, Mental illness, Self harm, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Rape, Alcohol, Homophobia, Violence, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, and War
meganjaco's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
ettuollie's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
emmasreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bookwormjimmy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
After the death of X, her wife, CM, embarks on a journey to write the definitive biography of her life. After all, she was quite reclusive even though she was a famous artist and controversial figure in history. And she kept a lot of secrets that even CM was unaware of. At least, until she started unraveling the truth. Told in an alternate history United States where the south isolated itself for some 30 years in a fascist government that had only recently opened up to the rest of the United States, there's lots to unpack here.
I really enjoyed this book because of the layers of depth that Lacey builds upon in the construction of the book. Even though it's about our main character, X, and her exploits in life, it's really about illuminating the changes in cultural dynamics of the United States after a certain pivotal moment in history right after WWII. Some real life historical figures show up in the history, but their narrative is entirely different. It's clear that Lacey has a well-built understanding of this history of the US, and uncovers it for us through the guise of X's biography. Thus, you get two stories intricately woven together into one.
I was a big fan of World War Z, which had a similar structure in that I was reading excerpts from interviews and newspaper articles to learn about the history of the Zombie War. This takes what I loved about that book and offers an actual main character to follow, but is pretty much built on the same premise. If you like one book, you'll probably like the other. Also, if you're a fan of the TV show Fringe, this would also be a great read. Definitely recommend this one!
I really enjoyed this book because of the layers of depth that Lacey builds upon in the construction of the book. Even though it's about our main character, X, and her exploits in life, it's really about illuminating the changes in cultural dynamics of the United States after a certain pivotal moment in history right after WWII. Some real life historical figures show up in the history, but their narrative is entirely different. It's clear that Lacey has a well-built understanding of this history of the US, and uncovers it for us through the guise of X's biography. Thus, you get two stories intricately woven together into one.
I was a big fan of World War Z, which had a similar structure in that I was reading excerpts from interviews and newspaper articles to learn about the history of the Zombie War. This takes what I loved about that book and offers an actual main character to follow, but is pretty much built on the same premise. If you like one book, you'll probably like the other. Also, if you're a fan of the TV show Fringe, this would also be a great read. Definitely recommend this one!
leilamaarit's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
the book started off so well , could not put it down for the first hundred pages but when CM starts interview after interview you do kinda lose focus of the plot, but i think it’s redeemed at the end !! could’ve been a bit shorter i feel