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A review by amyvl93
This Lovely City by Louise Hare
emotional
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This Lovely City takes place in London in the 1950s, in the years after the Second World War and the arrival of the Windrush. Our protagonists are Lawrie, a young man from Jamaica who is convinced to come to the UK by his late brother's friend, a postman-turned-jazz musician and Evie, the (literal) girl next door, who is mixed race and being raised by her single white mother.
When Lawrie discovers the body of a mixed-race baby apparently drowned on his way home from work, the police and wider community suspicion lands on the growing Black community in South London.
The immediate post-war years don't always get covered in fiction, the bleakness does not lend itself to fiction, and I found that Hare vividly bought to life the sense of just...grey that seemed to haunt the London of this story, especially through Lawrie's eyes. This makes the scenes of snatched joy - warm summer flashbacks, successful jazz concerts - bounce off the page much more.
Hare's focus on the experience of the Windrush arrivals was also interesting, I had next to no awareness of the process they went through on arrival, of having to sleep in shelters and, despite the request for labour, struggle they had finding work due to the blatant racism of war-torn England.
Another strength of Hare's, for the most part, was her portrayal of the 'chosen family' of fellow musicians that Lawrie has within his community - I really liked their interactions and different responses to the increasing police pressure on them and their peers. Similarly, I liked Evie's relationship with her friend Delia.
There were times, however, when it felt like This Lovely City couldn't quite decide what it wanted to be - a historical portrait of the Windrush experience with a side of romance or a crime thriller. I found the latter to be increasingly uninteresting, and the reveal that we get felt a bit unbelievable, even for all that character's flaws. This meant that at times I wasn't compelled to pick it up, just because I wasn't sure what narrative I was really reading.
All in all, this is a good read - it ends neatly and I think shines a light on a generation that did an awful lot for this country with very little thanks.
When Lawrie discovers the body of a mixed-race baby apparently drowned on his way home from work, the police and wider community suspicion lands on the growing Black community in South London.
The immediate post-war years don't always get covered in fiction, the bleakness does not lend itself to fiction, and I found that Hare vividly bought to life the sense of just...grey that seemed to haunt the London of this story, especially through Lawrie's eyes. This makes the scenes of snatched joy - warm summer flashbacks, successful jazz concerts - bounce off the page much more.
Hare's focus on the experience of the Windrush arrivals was also interesting, I had next to no awareness of the process they went through on arrival, of having to sleep in shelters and, despite the request for labour, struggle they had finding work due to the blatant racism of war-torn England.
Another strength of Hare's, for the most part, was her portrayal of the 'chosen family' of fellow musicians that Lawrie has within his community - I really liked their interactions and different responses to the increasing police pressure on them and their peers. Similarly, I liked Evie's relationship with her friend Delia.
There were times, however, when it felt like This Lovely City couldn't quite decide what it wanted to be - a historical portrait of the Windrush experience with a side of romance or a crime thriller. I found the latter to be increasingly uninteresting, and the reveal that we get felt a bit unbelievable, even for all that character's flaws. This meant that at times I wasn't compelled to pick it up, just because I wasn't sure what narrative I was really reading.
All in all, this is a good read - it ends neatly and I think shines a light on a generation that did an awful lot for this country with very little thanks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Police brutality
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Murder