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A review by corgi66
The Air You Breathe by Frances de Pontes Peebles
calling this a beach read sells it short. the prose is accessible and easy but in a clear and effective way rather than a low-common-denominator or simple way. It takes ideas difficult to convey and does so in a way as good as anyone could. The story is narrated by the MC as a near centenarian so you know what happens but not how, which means it's not about plot twists but about the relationship between the two main characters and their reactions and the MC's interiority. Not waiting on plot twists makes you enjoy the book for what it is rather (friendship, ambition, envy AND jealousy, and everything else it says on the flap) than rushing through for plot.
Does a great job of describing how music affects the characters without purple prose, and words like harmony or rhythm don't even appear until the end. Makes me want to learn more about samba/fado/carmen miranda/brazil. Outside the top two characters, most are stock-type but it doesn't matter because the focus isn't on them, it's on the two leads. First 70 pages are about the slog of a poor childhood but written well enough you can overlook the slog.
Does a great job of describing how music affects the characters without purple prose, and words like harmony or rhythm don't even appear until the end. Makes me want to learn more about samba/fado/carmen miranda/brazil. Outside the top two characters, most are stock-type but it doesn't matter because the focus isn't on them, it's on the two leads. First 70 pages are about the slog of a poor childhood but written well enough you can overlook the slog.