librar_bee's reviews
669 reviews

5 stars. Laing is skilled at drawing new ideas and conclusions through the synthesis of historical figures and their experiences. Furthermore, they give a forecast of what is to come, and the potential for the human spirit.

In Everybody, the philosopher Wilhelm Reich, his life, and his ideas, serve as the main thread of the book. Pulling in figures from 1930s Berlin to the 1960s Civil Rights movement, Laing explores the concepts of freedom and individuality, and the body that contains the spirit. With digressions into modern struggles for the freedom of bodily autonomy, in queerness, reproductive health, and in asylum-seeking, Laing's musings and philosophical insights are equal parts accessible and inspiring.

3 stars. Oh dear. I so often wish that romance novels have higher stakes, and this one delivered. A blend of lit-fic and romance, Emezi's foray into romance is admirable. With their trademark gift for narrating, the story itself is brilliantly paced and the tension is palpable. However...

While I appreciated the complexity of the premise itself - a woman, Feyi, is five years into grieving the unexpected loss of her husband, Jonah, when she encounters love in an equally unexpected way - I found the execution lacking. We are consistently reminded of how beautiful Feyi is, how talented, although she felt incredibly shallow. We barely engage with her as an artist or a human outside of her trauma, which happens to be the main bond between her and her love interest.

Without spoiling much, the novel addresses complex issues: how to navigate love after loss, the extent to which families sacrifice for one another. I found the last fourth of the book to be lacking in genuine thought or character development. The vehicle through which the MCs felt vindicated in their actions was a cop-out. I didn't genuinely feel as though I wanted the characters, with their lack of self-awareness, to succeed in their romance.

The phrase of being "alive" is used quite liberally throughout the book. Though Emezi seeks to embody the value of living life to its fullest while we have it, I found the constant repetition droning and almost an excuse for the behavior of the characters at times.

5 stars. Elkin's insights into the idea of the monstrous and the body in feminist art bring together a plethora of women artists across centuries and artistic styles. In her profiles and descriptions of artists and their work, she draws incredible connections between both shared and conflicting principles among women artists, and how they were expressed.

I deeply appreciated Elkin's observance of the shortcomings of the movements as well as their successes. In describing the artworks themselves, her words were accessible and quite vivid, and I felt as though this book would be engaging for folks with lesser prior knowledge of feminist art, too.

king of intrusive thoughts Frank O'Hara