A review by elementarymydear
Charming Young Man by Eliot Schrefer
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
What an engrossing read! From the very start I was drawn into the 19th Century Paris salons, where high society and the bohemian art world mingle. We follow a selection of real life figures, including Marcel Proust, with main character Léon Delafosse, a pianist from a poor background.
The characters are larger than life, and they all have their own agendas that they’re pursuing. It was so interesting to see how they all interacted, with so many unexpected twists and turns. By the end I was so angry on behalf of Léon at how he was treated by the other characters! The author did a brilliant job of having that ‘fish out of water’ feeling while Léon was trying to make his way through Parisian society.
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The real strength of this book is how it explores queerness and sexuality in this historical context. There were some incredibly moving and emotional passages, and the Léon’s financial insecurities and uncertainties paralleled the fear of being a queer man in the 19th Century.
One of the hardest parts of writing a book about real people is what to do with the ending. We don’t know how Delafosse’s life went after he left Paris, and while I like the ending Schrefer gave him, it did feel quite sudden. It’s clear from the author’s note that the ending sequence was the inspiration for much of the rest of the book, and I would have liked to just spend a bit more time across the book both setting up the ending, and on the ending itself. That aside though, I really enjoyed this story!
I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.
The characters are larger than life, and they all have their own agendas that they’re pursuing. It was so interesting to see how they all interacted, with so many unexpected twists and turns. By the end I was so angry on behalf of Léon at how he was treated by the other characters! The author did a brilliant job of having that ‘fish out of water’ feeling while Léon was trying to make his way through Parisian society.
📚Blog📖YouTube📖Instagram📚
The real strength of this book is how it explores queerness and sexuality in this historical context. There were some incredibly moving and emotional passages, and the Léon’s financial insecurities and uncertainties paralleled the fear of being a queer man in the 19th Century.
One of the hardest parts of writing a book about real people is what to do with the ending. We don’t know how Delafosse’s life went after he left Paris, and while I like the ending Schrefer gave him, it did feel quite sudden. It’s clear from the author’s note that the ending sequence was the inspiration for much of the rest of the book, and I would have liked to just spend a bit more time across the book both setting up the ending, and on the ending itself. That aside though, I really enjoyed this story!
I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.