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shlymiller's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Death and Mass/school shootings
cb1984's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.75
Absolutely loved it. And incredibly prescient for a 2019 book to predict pretty accurately what the impact of a pandemic might be on a live music, with a bit of dystopian technology added in to the mix.
The characters are great. The mix of Rosemary's naivety and Luce's cynicism, while both having different types of idealism, worked really well. The difference of having Rosemary written in 3rd person and Luce in first person was interesting. It made it feel like Luce was more sure of herself and Rosemary less so, which worked well initially and felt like it helped with their development too.
The descriptions of what live music feels like were brilliant, especially the descriptions of a person experiencing it for the first time. Really brought back memories of early gigs I went to.
I also really liked the decision to not give any lyrics for the key songs. It probably would have been more straightforward to do that, but it made the messages in the songs more powerful to rely on themes and suggestion, rather than making it explicit.
Overall, it made me extremely glad that we still have live music! Highly recommended.
The characters are great. The mix of Rosemary's naivety and Luce's cynicism, while both having different types of idealism, worked really well. The difference of having Rosemary written in 3rd person and Luce in first person was interesting. It made it feel like Luce was more sure of herself and Rosemary less so, which worked well initially and felt like it helped with their development too.
The descriptions of what live music feels like were brilliant, especially the descriptions of a person experiencing it for the first time. Really brought back memories of early gigs I went to.
I also really liked the decision to not give any lyrics for the key songs. It probably would have been more straightforward to do that, but it made the messages in the songs more powerful to rely on themes and suggestion, rather than making it explicit.
Overall, it made me extremely glad that we still have live music! Highly recommended.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Homophobia
sashahc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Just finished Sarah Pinsker’s cozy dystopian novel “A Song For a New Day.” I love the queer anti-capitalist optimism in her books. I’m amazed I didn’t hear more about this one, given that someone obvs gave her a time machine to 2020. Musicians will especially appreciate this story. Bonus points for Jewish rep. Recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Death and Terminal illness