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A review by tristatereader
Charming Young Man by Eliot Schrefer
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I was lucky enough to score this ARC of Charming Young Man from Epic Reads (thank you so much!) and have spent days trying to formulate coherent thoughts regarding all the reasons that I loved this book.
So first and foremost, the book is based on real people. Léon Delafosse, Marcel Proust, John Singer Sargent, Robert de Montesquiou… all real. Which left this history lover absolutely giddy. Have I dived head first into Wikipediaing these people? You betcha. And the Author’s Note at the end of the book also provides some detail about their real lives, but definitely read it after you finish the book.
Honestly if you take anything away from my review, I hope it’s that the author did an outstanding job researching the people in this book and creatively weaving together the most incredible, fictional story.
The year is 1890 and Léon Delafosse is a 16-year-old French piano prodigy attending the Paris Conservatory. He comes from a life of poverty and has to secure a patron in order to afford his last year of tuition and living expenses. He meets several young men in high society, including the eccentrically wealthy Robert, who agrees to be his patron. Léon knows he has feelings for boys and as his social status climbs, so too do his romantic prospects. But he soon finds himself entangled in a web of deceit stemming from the romantic interests of those he trusted the most.
This book had some romance, but at its core this story is about self-discovery and embracing family (both bio and found). Léon was one of the most pure characters I think I’ve ever read and it broke my heart watching him be burned by those he trusted. His journey was captivating and I was so invested in his success (whatever form that came in). It was one of those books that I genuinely could not figure out what was going to happen next and those are rare finds (and wins) for me. For anyone who’s worried, you know your girl wouldn’t be raving about a book without a HEA and this one was perfect.
Look for Charming Young Man on 10/10/23
So first and foremost, the book is based on real people. Léon Delafosse, Marcel Proust, John Singer Sargent, Robert de Montesquiou… all real. Which left this history lover absolutely giddy. Have I dived head first into Wikipediaing these people? You betcha. And the Author’s Note at the end of the book also provides some detail about their real lives, but definitely read it after you finish the book.
Honestly if you take anything away from my review, I hope it’s that the author did an outstanding job researching the people in this book and creatively weaving together the most incredible, fictional story.
The year is 1890 and Léon Delafosse is a 16-year-old French piano prodigy attending the Paris Conservatory. He comes from a life of poverty and has to secure a patron in order to afford his last year of tuition and living expenses. He meets several young men in high society, including the eccentrically wealthy Robert, who agrees to be his patron. Léon knows he has feelings for boys and as his social status climbs, so too do his romantic prospects. But he soon finds himself entangled in a web of deceit stemming from the romantic interests of those he trusted the most.
This book had some romance, but at its core this story is about self-discovery and embracing family (both bio and found). Léon was one of the most pure characters I think I’ve ever read and it broke my heart watching him be burned by those he trusted. His journey was captivating and I was so invested in his success (whatever form that came in). It was one of those books that I genuinely could not figure out what was going to happen next and those are rare finds (and wins) for me. For anyone who’s worried, you know your girl wouldn’t be raving about a book without a HEA and this one was perfect.
Look for Charming Young Man on 10/10/23