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mjcglz's review against another edition
4.0
coincidentally, i finished Close to the knives by David Wojnarowicz and this book on the same evening. The second to last chapter in close to the knives 'THE SUICIDE OF A GUY WHO ONCE BUILT AN ELABORATE SHRINE OVER A MOUSE HOLE' is an examination of trying to be normal and losing the fight (albeit within a distinct and perhaps more complex time and context - 90s AIDS America).
The point is, 'The Life and Death of Sophie Stark' ended the same way. They both put forth questions: what does it mean to fit in? Into what? who has the energy? who is uncompromising in their own self? What constitutes our self-regard? How are we willing to be seen and how do we see others? In what light?
And when we go, what does it mean when others tell our story?
The point is, 'The Life and Death of Sophie Stark' ended the same way. They both put forth questions: what does it mean to fit in? Into what? who has the energy? who is uncompromising in their own self? What constitutes our self-regard? How are we willing to be seen and how do we see others? In what light?
And when we go, what does it mean when others tell our story?
raven_morgan's review against another edition
5.0
How do we appear through other people's eyes? This is the question that is central to The Life and Death of Sophie Stark, a book which revolves around the titular Sophie Stark - giving us, as the title itself suggests, her life and death - but without ever giving us anything from Sophie's own point of view.
Sophie Stark is a filmmaker. In high school, she followed the boy she was infatuated with, her camera rolling the whole time. From the footage, she made the independent short film, Daniel. Later, she made the movie Marianne, her girlfriend at the time in the title role. Marianne is the film that brought her attention, and eventually resulted in a big budget film, Beatrice.
It all sounds like the simple rise of a filmmaker, until you scratch the surface of the stories people tell about Sophie Stark. Sophie is a woman unable to relate truly to people face-to-face, and prefers to view the world through the medium of film and her camera, always a step away. More, all of her successful films have resulted from a kind of vampirism, all of them based upon - almost stolen from - the lives of the people around her.
We see Sophie only through the eyes of those whose lives intertwine with hers. Daniel, subject of her first film, gives us a perspective of Sophie as she was in school, and later threads are woven into her life by lovers, her brother, and her manager. Each of these people only ever sees a fragment of the real Sophie, and the stories and fragments intertwine until we can almost see the full and real Sophie. It's a very clever literary trick that North pulls off admirably. At times, it feels as though you are almost seeing events from Sophie's point-of-view, and then there is a cut or change of scene, reminding you that you are only ever seeing her through someone else's eyes, reflecting the only way she can see the world herself.
Sophie, at the heart of it, is not a likeable character. She is obsessive and detached, almost sociopathic in the way she feeds upon other people in order to show truth - as she sees it - through the medium of her films. And yet it is impossible to hate her, even as she leaves other people's lives in ruins. She is broken herself, unable to truly relate to others, and it is easy to read her films as a desperate attempt at understanding other people, and understanding herself. And when it is called for, she even feeds off her own life, sparing not even herself in her search for truth.
On the surface, the book sounds complex, but reading it is anything but. The switches between point of view happen fluidly, and through all of it, Sophie Stark shines vividly, just a step away from the reader, always just out of reach.
Highly recommended. North is an exceptionally talented writer and I look forward to reading more of her work.
Sophie Stark is a filmmaker. In high school, she followed the boy she was infatuated with, her camera rolling the whole time. From the footage, she made the independent short film, Daniel. Later, she made the movie Marianne, her girlfriend at the time in the title role. Marianne is the film that brought her attention, and eventually resulted in a big budget film, Beatrice.
It all sounds like the simple rise of a filmmaker, until you scratch the surface of the stories people tell about Sophie Stark. Sophie is a woman unable to relate truly to people face-to-face, and prefers to view the world through the medium of film and her camera, always a step away. More, all of her successful films have resulted from a kind of vampirism, all of them based upon - almost stolen from - the lives of the people around her.
We see Sophie only through the eyes of those whose lives intertwine with hers. Daniel, subject of her first film, gives us a perspective of Sophie as she was in school, and later threads are woven into her life by lovers, her brother, and her manager. Each of these people only ever sees a fragment of the real Sophie, and the stories and fragments intertwine until we can almost see the full and real Sophie. It's a very clever literary trick that North pulls off admirably. At times, it feels as though you are almost seeing events from Sophie's point-of-view, and then there is a cut or change of scene, reminding you that you are only ever seeing her through someone else's eyes, reflecting the only way she can see the world herself.
Sophie, at the heart of it, is not a likeable character. She is obsessive and detached, almost sociopathic in the way she feeds upon other people in order to show truth - as she sees it - through the medium of her films. And yet it is impossible to hate her, even as she leaves other people's lives in ruins. She is broken herself, unable to truly relate to others, and it is easy to read her films as a desperate attempt at understanding other people, and understanding herself. And when it is called for, she even feeds off her own life, sparing not even herself in her search for truth.
On the surface, the book sounds complex, but reading it is anything but. The switches between point of view happen fluidly, and through all of it, Sophie Stark shines vividly, just a step away from the reader, always just out of reach.
Highly recommended. North is an exceptionally talented writer and I look forward to reading more of her work.
vegantrav's review against another edition
5.0
We meet and get to know indie film director Sophie Stark through the people in her life: her lover, her brother, her husband, a college student who serves as the subject of one of her films, a newspaper critic who reviews her movies, and a producer.
The portrait of Sophie is Sophie as seen by those who know her. But the Sophie they show us is an almost autistic Sophie: she has difficulty relating to other people; she does not interact with people in accord with the typical social norms; she is blunt, frank, awkward, and often affectless.
Sophie expresses herself primarily through her art, through her films. But even her films, though highly praised, are somewhat enigmatic--just like she is.
But through the people in her life, we do come to know Sophie. We even come to love Sophie through those who love her--because of their love for her. We become enchanted and entranced by this mysterious young filmmaker.
The Life and Death of Sophie Stark tells us, already in the title, that Sophie dies. So her death is not surprising to us, but it is tragic--not because of some great promise unfulfilled in her cinematic career but because Sophie is a lost soul who never finds herself. She never quite fits in; she's an alien in a strange land; and eventually she decides to depart. It's sad that she could not find a home, could not find peace, could not really be understood or even understand herself. And, of course, it's sad that she is lost to those who love her.
The storytelling in this book is wonderful. The author, Anna North, presents the experiences of a group of average, ordinary people (the people in Sophie's life), and she tell their stories so beautifully that they become fascinating to us, which in turn makes Sophie's life fascinating.
I had no expectations going into this book of how good it might be, and I was surprised at just how good it is. This novel is a nearly perfect exemplification of a character study.
The portrait of Sophie is Sophie as seen by those who know her. But the Sophie they show us is an almost autistic Sophie: she has difficulty relating to other people; she does not interact with people in accord with the typical social norms; she is blunt, frank, awkward, and often affectless.
Sophie expresses herself primarily through her art, through her films. But even her films, though highly praised, are somewhat enigmatic--just like she is.
But through the people in her life, we do come to know Sophie. We even come to love Sophie through those who love her--because of their love for her. We become enchanted and entranced by this mysterious young filmmaker.
The Life and Death of Sophie Stark tells us, already in the title, that Sophie dies. So her death is not surprising to us, but it is tragic--not because of some great promise unfulfilled in her cinematic career but because Sophie is a lost soul who never finds herself. She never quite fits in; she's an alien in a strange land; and eventually she decides to depart. It's sad that she could not find a home, could not find peace, could not really be understood or even understand herself. And, of course, it's sad that she is lost to those who love her.
The storytelling in this book is wonderful. The author, Anna North, presents the experiences of a group of average, ordinary people (the people in Sophie's life), and she tell their stories so beautifully that they become fascinating to us, which in turn makes Sophie's life fascinating.
I had no expectations going into this book of how good it might be, and I was surprised at just how good it is. This novel is a nearly perfect exemplification of a character study.
bethswalden's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lizzietherebel's review against another edition
4.75
Brilliant. I loved Outlawed so much that I’ve been putting off reading North’s other novels for fear of being disappointed but I shouldn’t have worried! She is an incisive and complex writer and has created a masterpiece with The Life and Death of Sophie Stark. I think a lot of writers like the idea of writing a novel made up of varied perspectives that draw a portrait of one character, but it is difficult to execute well. North has done it masterfully, giving each character a unique and necessary voice, and with all of the heart-rending story-telling finesse of Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge. I inhaled this and have no criticisms.
annika_simpich's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sandysmith's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I'm gradually adding books I've read in 2021 to give a true reflection of the books I've read since keeping records. In January 2021, I kick-started my reading journey having put reading on the back burner whilst bringing up the children only reading when on holiday, having previously being an avid reader. Another book I didn't particularly get on with and didn't really like. It is a story of a film director, who I didn't really care about, with 6 characters points of view. Not for me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
ktswings's review against another edition
5.0
Lovely and lonely, a guilty pleasure for all emotional cutters
myriadreads's review against another edition
4.0
My first Anna North, and I will definitely be checking out more of her work. In The Life and Death of Sophie Stark, readers get to know a brilliant and mysterious director, Sophie Stark, through the eyes of the people who knew her and worked with her, and through reviews written about her work during her life. The only time the character speaks for herself is in the text of an interview conversation, and through dialogue reported by those she left behind. The story slowly fills in and takes on dimension as readers learn how Sophie got started in film, what motivated and shaped her personal relationships, and what she wanted from life. Each character who speaks has his or her own compelling story to share, too, because Sophie surrounded herself with people who interested her. This book pulled me in and made me feel like a part of Sophie's story. By the end, I felt like I'd read about someone who really lived, and impacted others in her time here.
For audio fans, this one is about 8 hours, with a fantastic narrator, and it's available on Hoopla with no waiting: https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/11373903
For audio fans, this one is about 8 hours, with a fantastic narrator, and it's available on Hoopla with no waiting: https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/11373903