Reviews

The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel

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readwithdyl's review against another edition

4.0

It was super interesting to read this after reading Mandel’s more recent novels. You can see her slowly dipping her feet in, starting to experiment with the meshing of past, present and future timelines that has now become her signature style. This was a pretty compelling read and the characters were well-formed. I think her gorgeous writing style has developed significantly since this book, but it was cool to read one of her earlier works.

annabrogan's review

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mysterious fast-paced

4.0

fromsarahsbooknook's review against another edition

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4.0

THE LOLA QUARTET is an entertaining slow-burn mystery surrounding a group of old high school friends. The way Emily St. John Mandel creates an atmosphere and a mood in this book was

katekate_reads_'s review against another edition

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DNF 134p

jbmorgan86's review against another edition

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3.0

I’m making my way through Emily St. John Mandel’s short bibliography. I started with The Glass Hotel. It got rave reviews, but I wasn’t particularly moved by it. I then read the post-apocalyptic/pandemic novel Station Eleven and loved it. I followed that with her newest novel(la?) Sea of Tranquility. I think it may have been my favorite one yet.

While at the beach, I read through The Lola Quartet. This book was written in Mandel’s career and it shows. There are glimmers of the greatness of the later books here, but she was still developing as an author.

The plot: Theres a jazz quartet at a magnet school in Florida. The girlfriend of one of the band members, Anna, disappears under mysterious circumstances. Rumors swirl that she was pregnant and fled to her aunt in Georgia. Her boyfriend, Gavin, is heartbroken but goes on with his life in college in New York.

Now, a decade later, Gavin’s life is in a downward spiral. By coincidence he sees a photograph of child that looks like it could be his child. This sends him on a mission to find Anna and her baby. However, a drug dealer whom Anna has stolen from is also searching for her. There are several plot twists and reveals. Great characters.

dcumberland's review against another edition

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4.0

Though this work feels less nuanced than some of her later works, The Lola Quartet was a fun ride! A puzzle through and through, this work showcases Mandel’s talent for nonlinear storytelling. Mandel knows just what to reveal at the exact moment that it will pack the best punch. Not a game changing book, but a fun ride nonetheless.