Reviews

The Lightness by Emily Temple

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suhanamahabal's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

lexmcgnns's review against another edition

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5.0

I loved this. It has everything I enjoy and I cannot recommend it enough.

Rtc

ave_reviews's review against another edition

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3.0

"Death was for goldfish and grandmothers, disappearance was for fathers and fortunes. Girls like us would only go on forever."

In search of her runaway father, narrator Olivia finds herself enrolled in the "Buddhist Boot Camp for Bad Girls," a summer program at the Levitation Center (the last place her father was seen). She falls in with some of the camp's most mysterious and beautiful participants, and soon realizes they will go to extreme lengths in their quest to learn how to levitate.

The premise of this book was made for me - teen girls up to no good, with a touch of magical realism - but I have to say I was a bit disappointed. It definitely had echoes of "The Secret History," but with less dynamic characters. I couldn't fully understand the point of Janet and Laurel, and neither of their histories were fleshed out enough for me to appreciate them as standalone characters.

That being said, Emily Temple's writing is gorgeous, and I truly loved the narration style, interspersed with folktales and myths from a variety of Eastern religions and traditions. I think there were a lot of potentially moving plot-lines and moments that were hinted at, but I wish she had given them more attention.

I'm giving it 3 stars for the story, but 5 for the prose - I am looking forward to reading whatever comes next from this author.

vdokk1's review

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

cait_henry56's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book is like the feminine Fight Club, which I mean as both a compliment and an insult. It reminds me of a line from Lucy Corin that paraphrased claimed that men explode outward to kill others while women explode inward, killing themselves. The book is full of angst, transporting the reader back to being 15 and hating everything about yourself and the world around you. This was so close to a five star read for me, but the book meandered for too long between time jumps and slathering page after page with vague foreshadowing. It also doesn't have much warmth or hearth, but them again, what tale of feminine rage does?

Content Warnings

below_average_baker's review against another edition

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slow-paced

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

3.5

Content Warnings

alisarae's review against another edition

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5.0

dobbyhasnomaster's review against another edition

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3.0

The beginning and middle of the story were quite boring, but then the end really picked up the pace and saved the book for me. The writing style is interesting, sometimes beautiful (the short paragraphs) and sometimes annoying (the overuse of “etc.” to explain things). I liked learning about buddhism.

kennedyfio_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

I feel like this accomplished the feelings that "Dogs of Summer" and "Brutes" were supposed to give. It felt "cult-like", while focusing on those slightly-too-close relationships young teens have with each other. Clear and fast-paced, this is worth the read.

"The Lightness" follows Olivia over eight-weeks at a Buddhist summer camp for "troubled" girls, and the deep, interconnected relationships she forms with Serena, Laurel, and Janet - relationships that are those type of friendships you can only make at summer camp. For those who know, you know.

Layered with Olivia's personal experiences with her parents and Buddhism, this novel explores the girls' formative summer while they attempt to achieve a form of enlightenment. You do not need to know anything about Buddhism to read this book!

It is truly an exploration of girlhood, and those complicated relationships teen girls form with each other that change their lives forever.

Read it in one day, I highly recommend.

sorapandora's review against another edition

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DNF @ page 50.

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