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A review by bookmaddie
Isolde by Bryan Karetnyk, Irina Steinberg, Irina Odoevtseva
3.0
At times a little jumbled in its telling, but an interesting and evocative look into a young girl’s life in 1930s Paris, as a Russian exile.
Liza, or as one young man calls her, Isolde, is a mystifying, naïve, lively, and passionate young girl of 14. On a beach vacation with her family, she meets a young British man, Cromwell, and what begins is just barely a love affair, and mostly a jumble of feelings felt and left behind by two young teenagers trying to figure out how to live in the world.
Liza knows how she should act as a girl, but desires to be more. To be a young woman, an adult, who can occupy space, show desire and love, and be worthy of knowledge and respect. As the book goes on, and we follow an at-times wandering plot, made slightly more confusing by the telling, where setting and time period can jump rather quickly and without much notice. Odoevtseva's writing style is simple—she writes what Liza feels, and plops us in the center of her mind, which flits from topic to topic. I've not read any other Russian literature from the period, so I don't know if this is a common characteristic. Regardless, while Odoevtseva's writing could have created a better sense of place (for my tastes) she is expert at characterizing Liza, our heroine, and helping us understand the psyche of a young girl, left to her own devices.
While Liza masquerades as an adult, it is clear to see that she is still in the midst of growing up, no matter how mature she might think she is. As she witnesses this absurd turn of events, we witness her own attempt at growing up and inhabiting the adult world. And in the end, we see her almost settle into her youth, almost coming to an understanding of where she is in life, and embracing her situation.
This is a very interesting read, in part for the very bizarre plot twist, which you kind of see coming, but in the best way possible, where you don't want to believe it's true until it's over. Also to see a glimpse into what life was like for some of the Russian exiles after the Revolution, and to relive the flimsy and flitting aspects of girlhood in both the simple and the extravagant. While this novel wasn't my favorite, I still value the time I spent with it, and if you're at all curious, I'd give it a try!
Liza, or as one young man calls her, Isolde, is a mystifying, naïve, lively, and passionate young girl of 14. On a beach vacation with her family, she meets a young British man, Cromwell, and what begins is just barely a love affair, and mostly a jumble of feelings felt and left behind by two young teenagers trying to figure out how to live in the world.
Liza knows how she should act as a girl, but desires to be more. To be a young woman, an adult, who can occupy space, show desire and love, and be worthy of knowledge and respect. As the book goes on, and we follow an at-times wandering plot, made slightly more confusing by the telling, where setting and time period can jump rather quickly and without much notice. Odoevtseva's writing style is simple—she writes what Liza feels, and plops us in the center of her mind, which flits from topic to topic. I've not read any other Russian literature from the period, so I don't know if this is a common characteristic. Regardless, while Odoevtseva's writing could have created a better sense of place (for my tastes) she is expert at characterizing Liza, our heroine, and helping us understand the psyche of a young girl, left to her own devices.
While Liza masquerades as an adult, it is clear to see that she is still in the midst of growing up, no matter how mature she might think she is. As she witnesses this absurd turn of events, we witness her own attempt at growing up and inhabiting the adult world. And in the end, we see her almost settle into her youth, almost coming to an understanding of where she is in life, and embracing her situation.
This is a very interesting read, in part for the very bizarre plot twist, which you kind of see coming, but in the best way possible, where you don't want to believe it's true until it's over. Also to see a glimpse into what life was like for some of the Russian exiles after the Revolution, and to relive the flimsy and flitting aspects of girlhood in both the simple and the extravagant. While this novel wasn't my favorite, I still value the time I spent with it, and if you're at all curious, I'd give it a try!