Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Review: Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Pages: 240
Received: Received an ecopy from Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: August 27, 2013
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Goodreads Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Penelope (Pen) has lost everything—her home, her parents, and her ten-year-old brother. Like a female Odysseus in search of home, she navigates a dark world full of strange creatures, gathers companions and loses them, finds love and loses it, and faces her mortal enemy.

In her signature style, Francesca Lia Block has created a world that is beautiful in its destruction and as frightening as it is lovely. At the helm is Pen, a strong heroine who holds hope and love in her hands and refuses to be defeated.

My Review:

Hmm... what to say about this book, the cover really stuck out for me and I was intrigued with the whole female Odysseus idea brought up in the synopsis. Now that I have finished the book I'm still sitting here wondering about what it is exactly that I have just read. In so many ways, this book was beautiful and I loved it, and yet I am confused about the story as well.

I really enjoyed how Francesca Lia Block wrote this story, it was like an evocative adventure and everything is described in such detail that you feel as if you are Penelope. There were so many quotes throughout the book that relate to real life for readers and I wanted to highlight all of them... though one of my favourites was "The true warrior isn't immune to fear. She fights in spite of it." This sums up the main character perfectly!

I love reading a book where the MC is not always strong, and Pen is definitely that type of character. She is someone who continually acknowledges her fear of what is happening and yet fights through it because she is determined to find her family. She is unsure about herself and there are times where she considers just running away to hide.

The only small issue I had was that I felt like I was continually being told and shown any way possible that this is a retelling of The Odyssey. The characters continually reference the book and there are quite a few times where Pen thinks about how this happens in The Odyssey. I just felt like it was a little too much and that I needed to be told this over and over so that I would understand, I was hoping it would be a little more subtle.

This book was very well done, and I really enjoyed the adventures that Pen goes on and the interesting characters we meet along the way. I do wish that there were a few things that were explained a little more that were discussed. But Francesca Lia Block definitely had me engrossed in this tale with her beautiful writing, and I loved being taken into a modern day Odyssey.

1 comment:

  1. There was a sort of lucid dreaming quality to the retelling, I agree. Having the cop of The Odyssey as a guide wasn't something I was expecting. It was a very interesting book and I loved the writing. Great review!

    Kate @ Ex Libris

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