Reviews and Comments

This reminded me of several other historical fiction books about the music industry, musicians, and bands, particularly Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell and A Visit From the Good Squad by Jennifer Egan. This one is more timely and relevant, though, because it deals with racism, and the timeline comes up to 2016 and the election. The structure is a little complicated but it mostly works once you get used to it. I loved Opal. As an added bonus there's quite a bit of fashion - outfits, costumes, even a fashion show.

I read this a million years ago.

Repetitive writing style made this a slog, despite the undeniably fascinating and historically accurate story of a Maine midwife in the late 1700s. Also, very rapey. It should come with a trigger warning. Just.Too. Much.

Meh

Someone else wrote that her writing is like an art house movie, spare, elegant, elevating the mundane. That is part of the appeal for me. Lilia leaves Eli in Brooklyn just like she always leaves, without notice. She can't stay in one place because she doesn't know how; her childhood was spent endlessly travelling with her fugitive father. You find out why, you meet interesting people, you learn about dead languages and what it's like in Montreal in winter. Now I've read all her books and await the next which I think is due next year.

Someone else wrote that her writing is like an art house movie, spare, elegant, elevating the mundane. That is part of the appeal for me. Lilia leaves Eli in Brooklyn just like she always leaves, without notice. She can't stay in one place because she doesn't know how; her childhood was spent endlessly travelling with her fugitive father. You find out why, you meet interesting people, you learn about dead languages and what it's like in Montreal in winter. Now I've read all her books and await the next which I think is due next year.

This book breaks my rule about not reading books about librarians but it's not my fault. The story is remarkable. The writing is artless. Marie Benedict writes like a lawyer (because she is one). Nevertheless, the true story about Belle da Costa Greene, JP Morgan's personal librarian, is worth reading. The audiobook narration is just OK. Phrasing is odd and the British accents are fumbled.