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Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Autumn in Books

Jan 10, 2018  
Autumn
Autumn
Ali Smith | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Unusual story yet beautiful prose
Ali Smith has a wonderful way with words, describing a relationship between a young girl and her eccentric older neighbour, which seems to mirror the title of this book. Autumn shows the blossoming and withering of a man, Daniel Gluck, describing his younger years as a respected art critic of sorts, and the beauty he was constantly surrounded by. When he meets the younger Elisabeth Demand, he is already in the process of change, but she continues to help him feel alive, while he has a mentor-like relationship with her.

In between, Smith describes all of the major events plaguing Britain. From protesting the Iraq war, to Brexit doom, the perpetual markers that appear in the background of this constant, unwaning friendship. Can love and art really triumph over war? Smith believes it can.

The main issue with this novel is the fact that it is completely disjointed, and ends on a quite anti-climactic note. Read for the tone and not the story.
  
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Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Just Kids in Books

Aug 17, 2017  
Just Kids
Just Kids
Patti Smith | 2014 | Biography
10
8.3 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Mesmerising memoir of the 1970s art scene
I was worried that this was another overhyped autobiography of another self-congratulating artist. But I was proved totally wrong. Patti Smith is truly unique and interesting, having had a life of hardship living on the streets to living with a partner equally mixed up, to engaging in a world that was the founding of America's modern art scene. More than the meandering, wonderful, dark tales is her liquid prose. She's not only an inspired poet but a fantastic all-round writer. She was known for all of her relationships with famous men, but this is about the one man who mattered the most. Well worth all of the awards.