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jaclyncrupi's review against another edition
4.0
I want to talk about a writer’s third or fourth book. We talk so much about debuts and that hard second book and we don’t make a big enough deal about the magic that can happen with a third or fourth book. I really enjoyed Bishop’s early work. She’s a beautiful writer. And with her fourth book she has reached, she has truly stretched, and it’s amazing. The confidence and skill it took to write this book is breathtaking and not something a young person writing their first book could achieve. The book starts with a couple on a cruise seemingly taking a trip to both celebrate and save their marriage. But nothing is what it seems and we follow our protagonist in a dream state fog after her husband plunges to his death. The novel explores what is often for a straight woman some of the most significant relationships of her life; that with her mother, her sister, her husband. Everything is hazy and confused in the wake of the accident until the clear-eyed clarity that comes at the end when we find out what really happened both with regard to the accident and the marriage. The Anniversary contains two writerly tropes I usually dislike: a writer protagonist and an older professor married to a young student. Neither bothered me that much here and I think that’s because they were so much a part of the narrative that it couldn’t have been any other way. This book brought to mind Wolitzer’s The Wife and Groff’s Fate and Furies.
emreadsbooksagain's review against another edition
4.0
Stephanie Bishop's writing has a precision of language which is deep and thoughtful. Her narrator ponders thoughts and ideas as we weave through the plot, so much so that it almost feels philosophical or existential. There's so much in this one: an exploration of marriage, the power differentials between heteronormative couples, especially when the female is much younger, some great depiction of female desire as well, gender roles in creating art and in relationships, the impact of traumatic events as well as the craft of writing and filmmaking, creating fiction, in and of themselves. There's so much to think about and I loved the meditations on the act of writing as a means of processing, understanding, and working through trauma and pain. I also loved the exploration of the lines between what is real and fiction, questions around how real memory is, and what we might hide and conceal and why.
cchanna's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
mia_dalpos's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
this was an awfully slow and boring book. what could’ve been said in 200 pages was painfully dragged out to 450. the main character was boring and dependent on her husband, and honestly next time i’d like the author to reread her work and eliminate all the useless description of details that are completely irrelevant to the already vague storyline. if i were to read this w no context, id think the author was a year 9 student writing their assessment the night before the due date desperately trying to reach the word count in order to get a pass.
i do not recommend this book.
i do not recommend this book.
booksadaisyes's review against another edition
4.0
Lucie, better known as JB Blackwood, the name she writes under, married her much older university lecturer, Patrick, a film director. They are each other's muse, both with successful careers. To celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary and to get away from their demanding careers, they go on a cruise, and that's when life starts to unravel.
Bishop's descriptive writing is engaging from the outset, pulling you right into the story and then it's like you are in a hall of mirrors, as you turn you get another fragment of the story.
A psychological thriller, with complex and not particularly likeable characters. Sometimes it's hard to keep up and there are some aspects of the plot lines that seem a little imperfect. But overall this is a book that was hard to put down.
3.5-4⭐️ Thanks to #netgalley and @groveatlantic for the e-arc in return for an honest review. It will be published in the US on 18 July. It was published by @hachetteaus at the end of March and is available in Australia.
Bishop's descriptive writing is engaging from the outset, pulling you right into the story and then it's like you are in a hall of mirrors, as you turn you get another fragment of the story.
A psychological thriller, with complex and not particularly likeable characters. Sometimes it's hard to keep up and there are some aspects of the plot lines that seem a little imperfect. But overall this is a book that was hard to put down.
3.5-4⭐️ Thanks to #netgalley and @groveatlantic for the e-arc in return for an honest review. It will be published in the US on 18 July. It was published by @hachetteaus at the end of March and is available in Australia.
kristianawithak's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked this, until I didn’t.
The writing is beautiful, and the narrative structure is interesting. But by the end it turned into a novel I didn’t enjoy.
The writing is beautiful, and the narrative structure is interesting. But by the end it turned into a novel I didn’t enjoy.
ceechip's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0