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avagypsy's review against another edition
4.0
beautiful writing, great fleshed out characters & shows the brilliance of storytelling <3
shesagift's review against another edition
5.0
Unconventional narrative structure, but loved the way it was put together. No huge surprises, but a good character story that's good for reading on lazy day.
mikaiten's review against another edition
5.0
Sometimes you read a book that is just so beautiful that it is hard to think of anything else to say. The Life & Death of Sophie Stark is one of those books. When you begin reading it isn’t immediately clear that this is the case, but as characters are revealed and the story unfolds you are drawn into the story and never want it to end.
Synopsis: Told through the recollections of family, friends, and coworkers, The Life & Death of Sophie Stark is about a young film-maker who uses her movies as a way to express her feelings and try to understand the world around her. Odd, occasionally off-putting, flawed Sophie crashes in and out of people’s lives, leaving destruction in her wake, but it feels like a privilege just to have known her for a short time before she disappears again.
About half way through this book I felt like I was part of the story. I felt like I knew Sophie as much as the other characters, and that her inevitable fall was going to scar me just as much as any of them. Every chapter has just enough description in it to make it easy to visualize without bogging things down with too much detail, which made it that much easier to insert myself into the story.
I truly hope that this book never becomes a movie because I think it is so much more effective in print. Even though North has essentially written a documentary, taking the characters off the page would never do this story justice. I don’t know how well the book will do with a mainstream audience, but I know a few people who need to share the Sophie experience with me.
Synopsis: Told through the recollections of family, friends, and coworkers, The Life & Death of Sophie Stark is about a young film-maker who uses her movies as a way to express her feelings and try to understand the world around her. Odd, occasionally off-putting, flawed Sophie crashes in and out of people’s lives, leaving destruction in her wake, but it feels like a privilege just to have known her for a short time before she disappears again.
About half way through this book I felt like I was part of the story. I felt like I knew Sophie as much as the other characters, and that her inevitable fall was going to scar me just as much as any of them. Every chapter has just enough description in it to make it easy to visualize without bogging things down with too much detail, which made it that much easier to insert myself into the story.
I truly hope that this book never becomes a movie because I think it is so much more effective in print. Even though North has essentially written a documentary, taking the characters off the page would never do this story justice. I don’t know how well the book will do with a mainstream audience, but I know a few people who need to share the Sophie experience with me.
brontejane's review against another edition
4.0
I can't decide how I feel about this book. I liked how the main character's story was told from everyone else's viewpoint but her own. But I just never grew to like her.....but maybe you are not supposed to. So I gave it four stars for originality.
machadofam8's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting way of telling the story of Sophie. No one character was particularly likeable, but the whole thing worked.
elisefarmer's review against another edition
2.0
This wasn't good. I can't really fathom why everyone raved about it so much when it came out. All of the characters' narrative styles sounded exactly the same - if you picked a paragraph at random it could feasibly have come from Robbie, Allison or Jacob's point of view - none of their linguistic styles felt distinct from one another, and all of them sounded like a 25 year old Tumblr girl. The ending was underwhelming, the main character entirely unlikeable, and the only clever thing about it was the film reviews interspersed between chapters which all sewed together to become a cohesive arc at the end.
vanessazenz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bianca89279's review against another edition
5.0
Holly Shit! What a novel!
Who’s this author?
WOW!
What a bloody original, simple yet complex novel! It was so unexpectedly good, actually, Great! I’m just blown away by it.
I’ll have to do some digging, because I’m very interested in finding out more about the creative process and inspiration behind “The Life and Death of Sophie Stark”.
I’m even more annoyed than usual with my limited writing skills, but I’ll do my best to articulate what I felt about this novel. It would probably be best if I let it sink in a little longer, but knowing me, if I don’t get on with it, I’ll just forget about it, or post-pone it to eternity.
“When Sophie first saw me, I was onstage”.
Simple introduction. But wait. It’s told in the first person by another character who’s not the presumed central character of the novel. Puzzling… I was instantly intrigued.
As we read on, through Allison Mieskowski we find out about Sophie Stark. The two of them met in a bar, where Allison told a story. That story will be turned into a movie - "Marianne". Allison and Sophie embark on a creative relationship, which quickly turns into a love/sexual relationship.
Sophie is like no one Allison has ever met. Sophie’s mystifying. She’s small, quiet and unassuming. She’s also blunt and dominant.
With each chapter, through different characters’ perspectives, we get to know more and more about Sophie: Robbie is her brother; Jacob is just a guy in a band whose musical video she directed and who’ll become her husband; Daniel is Sophie’s first college crush and the subject of her first movie/documentary; George is a movie producer. As if closing the circle, the story, the novel’s first and last chapters are Allison’s musings.
Anna North is a very skilled writer. With each chapter we discover more about Sophie, but we also learn so much about each narrator. I thought that was exceptionally clever.
So what about Sophie Stark? Who is she?
She’s mysterious. She’s straightforward. She’s unfeeling. She’s shy. She’s direct. She’s a genius. She’s a robot. She’s gay. She’s straight. She’s distant. She’s obsessive. She’s a recluse. She’s manipulative. She’s relaxed. She’s tense. She cares. She doesn’t care. She’s unique. Etc.
Is Sophie a sociopath? Was Sophie on the Autism Spectrum Disorder? Some of her traits, such as her tone of voice, and arguably, her inability to relate, fit the profile. Does it matter?
So many questions… so many things to ponder.
Some of those questions refer to art, artistic expression and even critique.
When asked what it felt like to have people talk about your movies, this is what Sophie replied:
“It’s like having everybody mispronounce your name, every day. And at first you try to correct them, but they keep fucking it up, and then you start to wonder if maybe you’re the one who’s wrong and that really is how to pronounce your name. And after a while you start to wonder if you even have a name. Are you even a person? Do you even exist? Who fucking knows?”
One could psychoanalyse the crap out of this novel. There is so much to take out from it, so much to interpret, which, in my opinion, makes this a brilliant novel.
I’m beyond impressed.
People, pay attention! We may have just read the work of a future Pulitzer, Man Booker Prize winner.
Anna North, I'm looking forward to reading your next novel.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Cover: I love the cover and the font, but I dislike the testimonial.
I've received this novel via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Hachette Australia for the opportunity to read and review this tremendous novel. Merry Christmas!
Who’s this author?
WOW!
What a bloody original, simple yet complex novel! It was so unexpectedly good, actually, Great! I’m just blown away by it.
I’ll have to do some digging, because I’m very interested in finding out more about the creative process and inspiration behind “The Life and Death of Sophie Stark”.
I’m even more annoyed than usual with my limited writing skills, but I’ll do my best to articulate what I felt about this novel. It would probably be best if I let it sink in a little longer, but knowing me, if I don’t get on with it, I’ll just forget about it, or post-pone it to eternity.
“When Sophie first saw me, I was onstage”.
Simple introduction. But wait. It’s told in the first person by another character who’s not the presumed central character of the novel. Puzzling… I was instantly intrigued.
As we read on, through Allison Mieskowski we find out about Sophie Stark. The two of them met in a bar, where Allison told a story. That story will be turned into a movie - "Marianne". Allison and Sophie embark on a creative relationship, which quickly turns into a love/sexual relationship.
Sophie is like no one Allison has ever met. Sophie’s mystifying. She’s small, quiet and unassuming. She’s also blunt and dominant.
With each chapter, through different characters’ perspectives, we get to know more and more about Sophie: Robbie is her brother; Jacob is just a guy in a band whose musical video she directed and who’ll become her husband; Daniel is Sophie’s first college crush and the subject of her first movie/documentary; George is a movie producer. As if closing the circle, the story, the novel’s first and last chapters are Allison’s musings.
Anna North is a very skilled writer. With each chapter we discover more about Sophie, but we also learn so much about each narrator. I thought that was exceptionally clever.
So what about Sophie Stark? Who is she?
She’s mysterious. She’s straightforward. She’s unfeeling. She’s shy. She’s direct. She’s a genius. She’s a robot. She’s gay. She’s straight. She’s distant. She’s obsessive. She’s a recluse. She’s manipulative. She’s relaxed. She’s tense. She cares. She doesn’t care. She’s unique. Etc.
Is Sophie a sociopath? Was Sophie on the Autism Spectrum Disorder? Some of her traits, such as her tone of voice, and arguably, her inability to relate, fit the profile. Does it matter?
So many questions… so many things to ponder.
Some of those questions refer to art, artistic expression and even critique.
When asked what it felt like to have people talk about your movies, this is what Sophie replied:
“It’s like having everybody mispronounce your name, every day. And at first you try to correct them, but they keep fucking it up, and then you start to wonder if maybe you’re the one who’s wrong and that really is how to pronounce your name. And after a while you start to wonder if you even have a name. Are you even a person? Do you even exist? Who fucking knows?”
One could psychoanalyse the crap out of this novel. There is so much to take out from it, so much to interpret, which, in my opinion, makes this a brilliant novel.
I’m beyond impressed.
People, pay attention! We may have just read the work of a future Pulitzer, Man Booker Prize winner.
Anna North, I'm looking forward to reading your next novel.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Cover: I love the cover and the font, but I dislike the testimonial.
I've received this novel via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Hachette Australia for the opportunity to read and review this tremendous novel. Merry Christmas!
thepiqht's review against another edition
4.0
Sophie Stark has changed her name. When she was much younger, she was a strange, constantly bullied kid named Emily Buckley. Now that she's an adult, she's no less strange but she is struggling to come to terms with it. Trying to understand what makes other people tick, and figure out how best to mimic this. How best to fit in.
She never quite succeeds in her endeavor. I'm not going to write too much about the plot, for fear of spoilers, but this book does what I love best in all books – character studies and exploration. The story is told from 4+ perspectives, so the readers are able to get an insight into a manipulative, confused and broken young woman, who doesn't quite understand the world that she lives in.
Anna North gives the readers a paradox in which you might find yourself hating the main character, but at the same time feel as though she deserves to be coddled, petted on the head and told that everything is going to be alright. She's terrible in the way that she handles others, but doesn't seem to realise what she's doing, while she's doing it. Her bemused nature replicates that of a child stuck in an adult body.
The writing was lovely. Really easy to get through, and it keeps you engaged throughout. I'm not sure whether the story was simply short, or if it just felt like that because of how quick paced the writing is. There were nice stylistic things as well, like how at the end of nearly each point of view, a review of Sophie's latest movie was written. By the same man, mind you, but it gives the readers a perspective on how outsiders saw her and the opportunity to compare that to how those who truly knew her, saw her.
I don't quite know what I should rate this. The book wasn't bad, so I'm not going to rate it lower than three stars, I feel as though I should rate it five stars but I don't think that it really had all the big of an impact on me. It was just . . . good. Plain and simple. Good.
She never quite succeeds in her endeavor. I'm not going to write too much about the plot, for fear of spoilers, but this book does what I love best in all books – character studies and exploration. The story is told from 4+ perspectives, so the readers are able to get an insight into a manipulative, confused and broken young woman, who doesn't quite understand the world that she lives in.
Anna North gives the readers a paradox in which you might find yourself hating the main character, but at the same time feel as though she deserves to be coddled, petted on the head and told that everything is going to be alright. She's terrible in the way that she handles others, but doesn't seem to realise what she's doing, while she's doing it. Her bemused nature replicates that of a child stuck in an adult body.
The writing was lovely. Really easy to get through, and it keeps you engaged throughout. I'm not sure whether the story was simply short, or if it just felt like that because of how quick paced the writing is. There were nice stylistic things as well, like how at the end of nearly each point of view, a review of Sophie's latest movie was written. By the same man, mind you, but it gives the readers a perspective on how outsiders saw her and the opportunity to compare that to how those who truly knew her, saw her.
I don't quite know what I should rate this. The book wasn't bad, so I'm not going to rate it lower than three stars, I feel as though I should rate it five stars but I don't think that it really had all the big of an impact on me. It was just . . . good. Plain and simple. Good.
katieparker's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Yes. Can we get more books out there like this? I'm a slow reader, and the fact that I finished it in less than 24 hours is a testament to how riveting it is.
The novel tells the story of Sophie Stark, a young director who leaves an indelible mark on those around her. Told of the perspective of the people she somehow connected to despite her struggles to relate to others, the narrative spans from college, when her brother helped her with her first film, through her rise to notoriety. Each of these sections are captivating, both in subject and writing style, especially the first, which sets the tone well and made it very hard to put down late at night. Parts seem rather stream-of-conscious-like, pulling the reader in through vaguely-related tangents that made me feel more connected to the characters.
Definitely read this if you're at a loss for what to read next, especially if you're looking to explore some of this year's future contenders for various book prizes.
"I thought making movies would make me more like other people," said Sophie. "But sometimes I think it just makes me even more like me."
The novel tells the story of Sophie Stark, a young director who leaves an indelible mark on those around her. Told of the perspective of the people she somehow connected to despite her struggles to relate to others, the narrative spans from college, when her brother helped her with her first film, through her rise to notoriety. Each of these sections are captivating, both in subject and writing style, especially the first, which sets the tone well and made it very hard to put down late at night. Parts seem rather stream-of-conscious-like, pulling the reader in through vaguely-related tangents that made me feel more connected to the characters.
Definitely read this if you're at a loss for what to read next, especially if you're looking to explore some of this year's future contenders for various book prizes.