The dresses were too vague for me. I didn't feel like she was communicating with me when she wrote things like:
a thin wisp of a gown that would likely be considered scandalous in other company, but this gathering is not easily scandalized. It is more a delicate swathe of red silk held in place by a tightly laced corset than a proper dress.
What does that mean in 1885?
And then, there were bits with technology/mechanics that I really shouldn't be worried about, because, hello...magic masquerading as tricks, but I get weirdly literal about something like these:
a white gown covered in a pattern of unassembled puzzle pieces, falling together into darkness along the hem
The gown [...], one that was [...] deemed inappropriate, the silver fabric catching the light at every touch and curve in such a way that it proved too distracting.
one in ivory satin delicately covered with black velvet fretwork
How does all that work? And what does "bound with ribbons" mean in regards to a dress of that period? I couldn't find a be-ribboned example to work from.
I know, I know. But I just had so many half-complete getups in my head,, when they were so clearly important, that I felt I was missing something.
For some reason, as opposed to giving me space in my brain to have my own version of the outfits, instead I felt like there was canon I wasn't grasping.
Also, an impatient part of my brain had a hard time accepting the central conceit of
real magic that everyone thinks are tricks--
would that work now? Or is that a function of the time period of the book? Because the magic
seemed *so* clearly impossible that I didn't really buy the lack of suspicion.
I hate when blurbs do that
I guess if it's in the blurb it's fair game for even a cursory review, but those all led with that too...I hate when people say "spoilers don't actually affect your enjoyment of the work". YES. THEY DO. THEY JUST DID. I'd rather have not been thinking about that except in the manner that the text revealed it. Just because *you* don't care doesn't change how *I* consume narratives.
I hate when people say "spoilers don't actually affect your enjoyment of the work". YES. THEY DO. THEY JUST DID. I'd rather have not been thinking about that except in the manner that the text revealed it. Just because *you* don't care doesn't change how *I* consume narratives.
If the author does not intend for me to know something,
I don't want to know it.
If the author does not intend for me to know something, I don't want to know it.
You are wrong. I am a stranger on the internet, and I know different, so here's where I spoil Cowboy Bebop for you.
Which is a conversation I watched play out a month or so ago--sure, it's been out since forever, but the spoiler was deliberately reaching for something a decent number of the site's readers might be interested in soon enough, but have managed to stay clean so far, because it just doesn't come up in random discussion much.
But I don't think the two of them
falling in love
is the driving piece of narrative bones. It's important only because the plot deals of how they will resolve and deal with this fact given the constraints of their life that is interesting.
I think the book is actually plotted well and I love the jumbled up timeline. Everyone I have spoken to has said that at some point they have two realizations. The first is that the dates on the chapters matter and the second is
WRT Bailey and his importance
which most everyone doesn't realize until it begins to happen.
To me it was a big deal, because it's what changed
the conflict from "who will win?" to "how will they both avoid losing?"
The first is that the dates on the chapters matter
Oh dear. I'm planning on doing it via audiobook (if the library has it), so I'll have to pay special attention!
I went back and forth from the text to the table of contents on different devices, and went back and made a note at the start of each chapter what had just happened.
I haven't taken notes on a piece of fiction in donkey's years. And I was never that good at it, but the events that were a year apart totally confused me until one of the characters called out it had been a year since the previous chapter's events.
I would either have been much more confused with a audiobook, or maybe I wouldn't pick up enough to work out it was confusing.
Maybe this belongs in another thread, but Moxie (Magda Pecsenye) of Ask Moxie (kid advice) has written a book proposal and is interested in recommendations for an agent or publisher. Her request is here: [link] I went to college with her, so if you're uncomfortable saying something publicly let me know and I can hook you up.
