Reviews

Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures by Emma Straub

rachelh_101's review against another edition

3.0

I believe that my mistake was picking this up shortly after I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and believing that it would continue the old Hollywood glamour but instead Straub falls flat in delivering a memorable performance. It had no clear voice or purpose as the narrator does not really know what her purpose beginning, middle or end.

I do not mean to say that it is terrible but it was just forgettable.

tcarg's review against another edition

5.0

That was swell. Exactly the vintage springtime read I was looking for. Love you forever Emma Straub. (I even bought the book from you at BAM)

snootycrumb's review against another edition

3.0

I picked this up a few years ago because I liked the cover design and it sounded interesting. I started reading it because I wanted something quick and easy to read, and I found it to be perfectly enjoyable and what i was looking for in that moment. I liked it. It was a nice read about Hollywood's golden age and its aftermath, but i don't see myself reading it again and I probably won't remember it a year from now.

badly_behaved_books's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad tense 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

3.5

offbalance80's review against another edition

3.0

Full stop, Emma Straub is one of my favorite novelists. If you've not read the Vacationers, then make a point of it. One of my usual habits when I stumble on an author I like is to try and get my hands on all of their books, just to give myself the pleasure of the words of someone who knows how to use them. Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures was Straub's first novel. It had the same gift of settling you into a place and a scene that felt so very much three-dimensional that you could taste the cherries of Door County, Wisconsin and the champagne in Hollywood. I only wish her main character was as three-dimensional. It's possible that Laura being a supporting player in her own life was a larger point that the author was trying to make, but after experiencing so many more fully realized characters of Straub's creation, it was a little disappointing. The book also felt more like a bunch of vignettes strung together than a coherent narrative, but again, I know for a fact that this is something Straub solves in her later books. It was a fun experience to visit the beginning, though I would hardly call it a must-read.

katherineknitsandreads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

klaraperko's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

3.75

aoifes_bookshelf's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

3.5

owil107's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Antisemitism and Drug abuse

cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition

4.0

Recommended by staffer Andrea. Read her review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/501148430

Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Slaura+lamont%27s+life+in+pictures+Straub__Orightresult__U1?lang=eng&suite=pearl