saguaros's review against another edition
1.0
I didn't even finish it.
While the prose was absolutely beautiful, I couldn't stand the glamorization of, well, everything from drug abuse to eating disorders, to feeling fragile and hopeless.
I didn't like that all the characters felt that their doom and salvation was in finding a boyfriend/girlfriend. That to feel whole and human and yourself you need someone to love you desperately.
I didn't like how being fragile and soft and breakable is made to sound like it's the prettiest state a girl can be in, how desirable and beautiful you are if the weight of the world seems to be about to crush you.
So many people I know love Francesca Lia Block, but for me it's often love or hate. I guess I picked the wrong book this time around.
I'll try another one, and we'll see.
While the prose was absolutely beautiful, I couldn't stand the glamorization of, well, everything from drug abuse to eating disorders, to feeling fragile and hopeless.
I didn't like that all the characters felt that their doom and salvation was in finding a boyfriend/girlfriend. That to feel whole and human and yourself you need someone to love you desperately.
I didn't like how being fragile and soft and breakable is made to sound like it's the prettiest state a girl can be in, how desirable and beautiful you are if the weight of the world seems to be about to crush you.
So many people I know love Francesca Lia Block, but for me it's often love or hate. I guess I picked the wrong book this time around.
I'll try another one, and we'll see.
brim010's review
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
skinnygetout's review against another edition
1.0
Hands down one of the worst books I've read. There is virtually no plot, character development is non existent, and the jumps in point of view are awkward and difficult to follow.
I disliked that their was no dialogue. It was a master class in telling not showing. The characters are flat and unlikable the whole way through. Plus, their names are Thorn, Smoke, Echo, Valentine, etc...It's supposed to be magical realism, but I'm not buying it.
I disliked that their was no dialogue. It was a master class in telling not showing. The characters are flat and unlikable the whole way through. Plus, their names are Thorn, Smoke, Echo, Valentine, etc...It's supposed to be magical realism, but I'm not buying it.
whitegirlwasteland's review against another edition
5.0
I like this book, but there were times when things didn't seem to make sense. It would go from Echo being the narrator, to someone else telling a story about someone else's life. It all ended up falling together, but it just annoyed me how it did that. The story itself was good though, even though it was really about nothing except for her life. There's really no sense of time in the novel. If you like the supernatural, this book is for you. It has a heavy emphasis on art and death. All in all, it's pretty decent.
zelephante's review against another edition
5.0
I first read this book almost ten years ago, and have been re-reading it every year or two since. I love it. Beautifully weaves together the stories of so many colorful and engaging characters to paint a picture of love and lineage. Gorgeous imagery. Almost lyrical to read. So great!
serru's review against another edition
2.0
Block's writing is beautiful as always but I felt like this book was mostly a glitzy surface with not enough actual material underneath. There was a good story here, but rather than giving us that, Block chooses to only show us a few tiny fragments of it which are not substantial enough to carry a full story.
ceciliamagoogle's review against another edition
3.0
artist father dies
perfect mother depressed
can see people's histories when she kisses them
perfect mother depressed
can see people's histories when she kisses them
_oblivia's review against another edition
5.0
echo... invece di una romanzo mi รจ sembrato di leggere una poesia.. sfiancante e delicata.
sulla tavolozza uno schizzo umido e rosso come il sangue, ma stavolta era solo colore. Un diverso sacrificio per un diverso tipo di bellezza