Scan barcode
leontyna's review against another edition
reflective
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? No
4.0
I think I won't remember anything about this book in a few weeks but it was a great reading experience. It's very well written and despite talking about hard topics like pandemic, internment camps or dementia has a very fleeting, summery feel to it. I really enjoyed how some tidbits of information reappeared in various parts of the novel, playing a different part.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Death and War
withlivjones's review against another edition
challenging
lighthearted
reflective
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? No
3.75
A very nice conclusion to the series. I liked how there were callbacks to the previous books, either through characters or through motifs and themes. It did tend to drag occasionally but there are some really lovely moments throughout, and a definite throwback to the politics and culture of 2020.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Xenophobia, Dementia, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
kglas's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I just finished reading the whole seasonal quartet, and here is my experience with some recommendations.
1) It's definitely best to read the seasonal quartet in the order yhe books were published: autumn - winter - spring - summer. Even though there are new characters at the heart of each novel, it is such a delight to re-encounter some loveable ones in more than one of them. Especially, half of the fun of reading Summer at the end is recognising the characters and stories from previous seasons.
2) I read Autumn twice. I finished it and realized that for understanding more deeply I needed to read it again , and that was fully worth it.
3) I regularly checked out the references to artists and other writers, looking at their work online. That made the reading experience more complete and made me get to know about some exciting works of art I'd had no idea about before I read these books.
To sum up, I adore Ali Smith's masterful writing style, her wordplay, the topics she picks up (female art, migration, the Brexit, climate change, COVID 19, activism, ...) and the loving, caring characters she has created.
A must-read for anyone who loves good and sometimes complex novels.
1) It's definitely best to read the seasonal quartet in the order yhe books were published: autumn - winter - spring - summer. Even though there are new characters at the heart of each novel, it is such a delight to re-encounter some loveable ones in more than one of them. Especially, half of the fun of reading Summer at the end is recognising the characters and stories from previous seasons.
2) I read Autumn twice. I finished it and realized that for understanding more deeply I needed to read it again , and that was fully worth it.
3) I regularly checked out the references to artists and other writers, looking at their work online. That made the reading experience more complete and made me get to know about some exciting works of art I'd had no idea about before I read these books.
To sum up, I adore Ali Smith's masterful writing style, her wordplay, the topics she picks up (female art, migration, the Brexit, climate change, COVID 19, activism, ...) and the loving, caring characters she has created.
A must-read for anyone who loves good and sometimes complex novels.
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
katewhite77's review
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
<strong>A meditation on the summer and how the past should inform the present.</strong>
So that we might then inform the future. However we don't seem to be learning from the past so we can't expect the future to take us seriously either.
The above makes this novel sound really dreary but nothing could be further from the the truth, which make the messages it's trying convey all the more powerful.
The words fair dance off the page because of the way Smith plays with time, language, and points of view.
This is a book I plan to listen to again as I think I will get out of it after hearing it but I am glad to have read it first.
So that we might then inform the future. However we don't seem to be learning from the past so we can't expect the future to take us seriously either.
The above makes this novel sound really dreary but nothing could be further from the the truth, which make the messages it's trying convey all the more powerful.
The words fair dance off the page because of the way Smith plays with time, language, and points of view.
This is a book I plan to listen to again as I think I will get out of it after hearing it but I am glad to have read it first.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and War
More...