I just finished this book and wished I could read more.
It was one of those books where I would tell myself I was only going to read one chapter and then 4 chapters later I would look up.

In general I fiction books that are both beautifully written (where it feels a poet is writing a long form novel) and super engaging. I don't to be bored and I don't to be talked down to. This book checked all my boxes.

It is a gorgeous tribute to poetry, to young adulthood, to idealism and sinking into reality, to the Bay Area, and so much more. I love that there is romance but it's not the center of the book. I love the portrayals of complex intergenerational relationships, of startup culture, and of how the Bay Area has changed.

There is just so much in this book that I imagine many people will relate to.2 s Andrew Gordon-Kirsch2

Just finished an advanced copy. Love so much about it, including depictions of east bay haunts, gorgeous imagery, and both subtle and direct nods to the author’s life. Do yourself a solid: get this book. 1 Evelyn377 16

What is a place you love? I am fascinated with the state of California, both its colorful history and chaotic present, so when I was gifted a copy by @booksparks of Noa Silver’s upcoming novel I was elated. Synopsis in comments.

As someone who first visited the state with the rose colored glasses of all that I had read about its glory days, seeing the sometimes darker version of what it has become sometimes left me saddened. I could relate to Elena’s reactions. What really interested me about this novel was Elena’s personal coming of age story and how it would intersect and overlap with that of her mother’s. The complicated family dynamic made for an interesting and complex read. And while this book examines much of California’s troubled recent history it is also a love letter to the Bay area with beautiful imagery of it’s unique attributes

Silver is a beautiful writer with each line meticulously crafted. She has the precision of a poet. There were numerous times I would just sit and reread a particularly beautiful passage. A wonderfully well done coming of age story with an emphasis on place and family. Sara1,387 84

You know, at first I thought I was reading a real memoir. The author's voice was clearly coming through loudly here. This is a coming-of-age story in which a daughter is overly impacted by her own mother's coming of age. The stages of life that the daughter goes through are filled with apt cliche's of just what life is for a privileged but daring young woman. Silver writes descriptions quite well and this makes it so easy to draw a picture in your mind as you read. Do we the characters are not? In the end it is a slice-of-life story of one young woman. I was hoping the time frame would extend into the pandemic to see how she handled that new challenge, but sadly the book ended before we got there. It's an interesting read and the writing is exquisite in many sections of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I will be curious to see what else the author writes. Susan Ballard1,819 74

As I dove into this book, I was drawn in by its effortless prose, which immediately engaged me in the story. It’s a unique blend of a love letter to California and a young woman’s quest for meaning and self-discovery.

It walks through hot topics such as abortion, the Occupy and #metoo movements, politics, and even the wildfires burning.

I loved all the literature references and appreciated that the main character, Elena, respected her grandfather, a Jewish Holocaust survivor who became a teacher. Elena also becomes a teacher but is unfulfilled with it and joins an education technology start-up company.

There is romance intertwined within the plot, but I didn’t feel it was the focal point. Elena's struggle to find her place and her determination to stand up for what she believes in an ever-changing political and societal climate is the heart of this story.


Autor del comentario:
=================================