Two recent reads, both books that I had high hopes for, were just not as snazzerific as I’d expected.
Expectation by Anna Hope
Triangles, trios, triangulation… Being at the ‘top’ or being part of the steady base… In terms of relationships, I find trios fascinating, which is why I couldn’t go past Anna Hope’s story about three friends – Hannah, Cate and Lissa.
Hannah and Cate met at high school. Hannah and Lissa met at university. Hannah has something Lissa wants (a husband). Cate has something Hannah wants (a baby). Alliances shift between the three and loyalties are tested – who said that triangles are the ‘most stable’ of shapes?
The story moves between the 1990s when the women are living together in East London, and ten years later when they are struggling with unfulfilled dreams and plans.
There are some terrific scenes when the women are younger – lazy Sundays and killer hangovers in their share house, and impulsive love affairs. Their laissez-faire attitude toward feminism was particularly interesting and very much resonated –
The seminar is called Feminisms. It is not full. There is a general feeling, in the popular culture, that feminism has done its work. It is the era of the Spice Girls. Of the ladette. Lissa, the daughter of a feminist, has taken it for granted that she is a feminist too. A wholly unexamined position.
Hope explores the ‘fumbling of the feminist baton’ through the women’s flailing careers, faltering relationships and attitudes toward motherhood. But while all the ingredients are there, the story falls short. Hope avoids picking apart the uglier emotions – envy, shame, guilt – the stuff that drives friendship stories, and instead, delivers safe plot turns.
The key message is about the importance of old friendships – ‘You must keep hold of your friendships… The women. They’re the only thing that will save you in the end’. Unfortunately, it’s diluted as the story winds to a safe conclusion (although, I was left wondering if there is such a thing as a ‘conclusion’ when a friendship has been badly damaged).
2.5/5 I think I was expecting something more ambitious.
I received my copy of Expectation from the publisher, Random House UK, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
I have very mixed feelings about Elizabeth Gilbert’s work. Loathed Eat Pray Love (and it was a rare did-not-finish for me). Raved about The Signature of All Things. Feel not much at all about her latest, City of Girls. Scratch that, I did feel something when I was reading – bored.
By rights, Gilbert’s romp through the 1940s New York theatre scene should be glorious – the ingredients for glamour and drama are there. But it isn’t. The story is flat, lacks emotional depth and not much happens (apart from tracking the bed-hopping of the main character, Vivian Morris).
The plot is constructed around an incident involving Vivian, where her morals are called into question. The incident grows in importance as the story continues but really, it’s all too flimsy to demonstrate the advertised message of this book – that we should find love and pleasure where we can, and make no apologies for it.
2/5 This book is not badly written, it’s just long and boring.
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The way you analysed these books is just fascinating. It made me want to pick the first one😁 Hope your next read is much more enjoyable.
How disappointing about the Hope! I loved Wake and I just bought The Ballroom at the weekend, so its a shame this was a let-down. Admittedly the plot doesn’t appeal to me as much as her first two.
I have The Ballroom in my TBR stack as well. Apparently this one was a departure from her previous work – so that’s hopeful! Anyway, the writing was fine, it just didn’t quite pack the emotional punch I was looking for.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the Hope. I loved it but I tend to slip my brain in neutral for this kind of book. The Gilbert is sitting on my TBR shelves and will probably stay there for quite some time, I suspect.
I didn’t not enjoy it but equally, I wasn’t busting to read it.
Perhaps you could slip in to neutral for the Gilbert and get something out of it but I really had to push myself to finish. If you haven’t read Signature, start there – it’s far more exciting.
I enjoyed Signature but this one looks nowhere near as interesting. I think maybe the charity shop beckons…
These were both 3.5* books for me: hugely readable and enjoyable at the time, but swiftly forgotten and leaving me wondering did it all matter very much?
I may have been a little tough on Expectation and a little generous toward City of Girls (although I usually reserve 1 star for books that are badly written, and it certainly wasn’t that).
I’m not a fan of Gilbert but thought that this new one sounded at least entertaining. Think I’ll give it a miss.
Right ingredients, wrong result – I think your reading time could be spent on more rewarding stories.
Oh no – City of Girls! I was hoping for The Signature of all Things 2.0. 😔
I had zero interest in Eat Pray Love after reading Alice Steinbach’s Without Reservations – a memoir of the year she spent travelling alone in Europe deliberately in search of new experiences. She was a Pulitzer prize winnner so the writing is far superior to Gilbert. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/524878.Without_Reservations
I am with you on Gilbert. I hated Eat, Pray, Love and thought The Signature of All Things was delightful (though also the tiniest bit bloated). I am going to skip this one, and now feel better about doing so.
What a shame. I love Gilbert’s Big Magic, but have not been tempted by City of Girls. I’m even more not tempted now!
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