From the Bookshelf of 2015 Reading Challenge [Closed]…

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

Leslye Walton

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. Week 9: Female Author

* Week 9: Introduction
By Jessica · 11 posts · 207 views

last updated Mar 02, 2015 12:01AM

* Week 9: Progress Post
By Zaz , Mood Minion · 22 posts · 94 views

last updated Oct 27, 2015 04:32AM

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What Members Thought

Jan 10, 2015 Catherine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015-reading-chalenge

I'd like to start this review by thanking Regan from PeruseProject who recommended this book in her best 14 books of 2014 video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcLiY... because had it not been for seeing this video I would never have purchased it which would have been a travesty.

This book is as mesmerizing and heratbreaking lyrical tale that discusses the the light and dark sides of love and desure. It written from a trans generational point of view starting with Ava's Grandmother, mother and Av ...more

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Oct 21, 2015 Michelle rated it liked it

This was definitely a case of it's not you, it's me. Truth be told, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows is a beautiful, complex, layered story that I regrettably had a difficult time connecting with. Consequently, it took me eight months to finish reading this.

Really, though, you cannot blame the book. I had every reason to love it. It's exquisitely written in the most lyrical way. It's haunting, somber, and at times savagely dark. It's imaginative and aureate. Reading The Strange and Beautiful S This was definitely a case of it's not you, it's me. Truth be told, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows is a beautiful, complex, layered story that I regrettably had a difficult time connecting with. Consequently, it took me eight months to finish reading this.

Really, though, you cannot blame the book. I had every reason to love it. It's exquisitely written in the most lyrical way. It's haunting, somber, and at times savagely dark. It's imaginative and aureate. Reading The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows is like reading a very long love letter between long separated lovers. It leaves you with an almost palpable sense of longing. It is, as the title suggests, a very strange, beautiful, and sorrowful book. And despite the fact that we didn't get on as well as I'd have hoped, I can still appreciate what an absolutely stunning debut this is. I'd like to think that if I had been in the kind of mood to appreciate this, I would have gobbled it up.

What you get with The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender (in addition to an extremely long and lovely title to accompany that gorgeous cover) is a multi-generational family saga about the Roux family. They're an unlucky in love (all kinds of love) family. Although there are some male characters, the book really focuses on the perils that can come from being a woman and the isolation that comes with being different. Our title character, Ava, who narrates the entire story while managing to not physically show up in it until half way through experiences this in a most devastating way. Born with wings she spends most of her life sequestered at her family's home curious about the world around her. As she becomes bolder, venturing out into the world, she finds herself the object of obsession when an unstable and pious man becomes convinced she is an angel and that he must possess her.

My biggest issue with this book is that it is essentially three stories rolled into one. We first read Emilienne's story (Ava's grandmother) which eventually leads to Viviane's story (Ava's mother) and finally to Ava's herself. Ava's story is beautiful, heartbreaking, and intense. To get to it, though, you have to wade through the first half of the book with Emilienne and Viviane. Even though the writing is lovely, I found getting to Ava's story to be very frustrating and laborious. For starters, Emilienne's story didn't interest me much and while I found Vivane's tale to be more enticing, she wasn't a character I ever grew to be very fond of. On the other hand, because each woman deals with her own sorrows, there is a lot to explore here thematically. As the years pass and each of these women experiences different heartaches, we're introduced to an assortment of supporting characters. Some of these characters are very well-crafted and unique. Others, meh, they don't add much to the story and get to be kind of a distraction. That was my other major peeve with the book.

All in all though, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender brings something special to the table that, in the right reader's hands, will undoubtedly be a treasured read. I'm sorry I wasn't that reader this time but I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for what comes next for author Leslye Walton. ...more

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Jun 10, 2016 Veena rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: love-story, fantasy, young-adult

It has been a long time since I read 'Midnight's Children' by Salman Rushdie. I was awestruck by the semi-real-semi-magical world he had created. The overlapping of characters with great depth and them being just 'them' just blew me away. Since then I have been looking for a book with similar layering and mystical story. 'The strange and beautiful sorrows of Ava lavender' finally completed my search. This book, classified as 'magical realism' is a great book for someone who likes the story bette ...more

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