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jerseygrrrl's review against another edition
This was a DNF for me. I loved Murray's traditionally structured books, like The King's Gold, but I struggled with the non-traditional format of Art is Everything. I also had trouble connecting with the narrator. If you're a more adventurous reader than I am with a passion for art, this might be a great book for you. Alas, it was not for me.
I'm not providing a rating. Since I didn't finish the book, it doesn't seem fair to taste it.
I'm not providing a rating. Since I didn't finish the book, it doesn't seem fair to taste it.
fiendfull's review against another edition
4.0
Art Is Everything is a novel about art, creativity, relationships, sexual assault, gender, and race, written in an experimental style combining online essays, rants, and reviews along with search history. Amanda Ruiz is a performance artist in L.A. with a successful girlfriend, Xochitl, and plans for residencies and films to further her creative work. However, when Xochitl wants them to have a baby—which isn't compatible with Amanda's artistic plans—and Amanda's father dies, things start to fall apart, and it turns out that doing art and not selling out is much easier when you have people around you.
This is likely to be a divisive novel due to its style, with chapters that are rejected Yelp reviews and Instagram essays and no straightforward part of the narrative to return to between these. Personally, I found the structure worked really well, and there was plenty of the story built into Amanda's various online posts, meaning it felt like a clever way of playing with the amount people share online, even in unusual forums like reviews or things posted online for work. The art and philosophical criticism built in was interesting and gave a further sense of Amanda's mental state, in terms of distraction and looking for comparison with her own life. However, I found the actual story, and the lack of connections to any characters who aren't Amanda, harder to engage with, which was disappointing.
Art Is Everything is witty and imaginative, written in a distinctive way that tracks a breakdown through online posts, building a real portrait of the protagonist, a bisexual Chicana artist. I found my attention waning nearer the end of the book and the way the story is told leaves a lot up in the air (as you only get what Amanda posts online), but it is an enlightening read, even if just for what you learn from Amanda's rants and art reviews.
This is likely to be a divisive novel due to its style, with chapters that are rejected Yelp reviews and Instagram essays and no straightforward part of the narrative to return to between these. Personally, I found the structure worked really well, and there was plenty of the story built into Amanda's various online posts, meaning it felt like a clever way of playing with the amount people share online, even in unusual forums like reviews or things posted online for work. The art and philosophical criticism built in was interesting and gave a further sense of Amanda's mental state, in terms of distraction and looking for comparison with her own life. However, I found the actual story, and the lack of connections to any characters who aren't Amanda, harder to engage with, which was disappointing.
Art Is Everything is witty and imaginative, written in a distinctive way that tracks a breakdown through online posts, building a real portrait of the protagonist, a bisexual Chicana artist. I found my attention waning nearer the end of the book and the way the story is told leaves a lot up in the air (as you only get what Amanda posts online), but it is an enlightening read, even if just for what you learn from Amanda's rants and art reviews.
etakloknok's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
giuulliiaa's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
icequeen13's review against another edition
challenging
informative
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
4.0
I learned about so many new artists and theories from reading this. Thank you.
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