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Lark Benobi's Reviews > Agatha of Little Neon
Agatha of Little Neon
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I just finished reading Agatha of Little Neon and I feel, I don't know, maybe the word is: "raptured." Which is different from feeling merely "enraptured," I don't even care what this story is about--although I loved the story--because what has left me feeling weepy and loose-jointed and maybe even a little in love with Claire Luchette is the prose. The words. The way the sentences leap and curve and sometimes stop still and hang there, suspended--until the next breath comes. The language stupefied me. I kept thinking: How can words on their own be so delightful? How can words keep silently making these lovely little starbursts come inside my mind, almost entirely independent of their meaning? How can a whole book of sentences just keep on, and keep on, each next-sentence so unexpected? So here is what I'm trying to say: If you're a prose person, then you may feel the same way. It's not elaborate prose. It's more like the most lovely handmade thing you ever came across in an antique shop, that handcrafted thing you've been looking for all your life and didn't know it. There it is in front of you. I can't be trusted about this novel any longer is what I'm trying to say. Because this novel has enchanted me.
I'm so happy to see a rave review for Agatha of Little Neon in the Sunday NY Times Book Review section today (Sept 12 2021)~here is a link.
I'm so happy to see a rave review for Agatha of Little Neon in the Sunday NY Times Book Review section today (Sept 12 2021)~here is a link.
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Reading Progress
July 27, 2021
–
Started Reading
July 27, 2021
– Shelved
July 27, 2021
– Shelved as:
to-read
July 28, 2021
– Shelved as:
2021
July 28, 2021
– Shelved as:
a-new-way-of-reading
July 28, 2021
– Shelved as:
fsg
July 28, 2021
– Shelved as:
exuberant-books
July 28, 2021
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-29 of 29 (29 new)
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Claire
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Jul 28, 2021 07:45AM
!!!!!! Omg. Thank you so much.
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Thank you, Claire! What a wonder this book is. The writing is so far beyond "charming" and "tender" and whatever other weakling adjectives those tin-eared anonymous trade reviewers came up with to say about it recently, btw. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.
Gorgeous review, Claire O.!! You make it sound so lovely that I've put it on my Kobo wishlist and will definitely be buying it! I love every single review you write. Your own words are as beautiful to me as those you admire in others.🙏
Ordering it from the library!
Lisa, Jodi, I hope you love it as much as I did. The language was such a pleasure to me.
Thanks for the recommendation. It sounds like just my kind of book. The words, yes, it's all about the words and the way they're strung together.
Yasss! So excited I have this from NG !
Jaidee, I hope you love it! The rapt attention to the language is what sold me! 💫💫💫
What a beautiful, enchanting review you've written. I can't wait to read it. Thank you.
Carol wrote: "What a beautiful, enchanting review you've written. I can't wait to read it. Thank you."Happy reading, Carol! It really is an enchanting book!
This is such an enticing review, Claire. You've tempted me without even hinting at what the story entails. Adding it to my TBR, thanks! Also, I love that you have a book shelf titled "exuberant reads", I need to check out all the books in there:)
Vishakha wrote: "I love that you have a book shelf titled "exuberant reads", I need to check out all the books in there:)..."Vishakha, it's my shelf for books that lift my spirit, and leave me believing that we human beings are worthy of being loved, while at the same time they never spill over into unearned sentimentality. One of my favorite kinds of book.
I am listening to this now on audio, and while I'm loving the book, I'm having to fight past the narrator, whose voice feels like a robot with a dry monotone. I'm craving just a bit more musicality in the voice, because I am sensing it in the book's voice..
This review beautifully articulates how this novel made me feel.
Nadine wrote: "I am listening to this now on audio, and while I'm loving the book, I'm having to fight past the narrator, whose voice feels like a robot with a dry monotone. I'm craving just a bit more musicality..."Nadine, I felt this musicality so strongly, reading it. A perfect resonance between the voice and the story. I started to re-read the audio version when I found it on Hoopla but it didn't engage me in the same way.
lauren wrote: "This review beautifully articulates how this novel made me feel."Thanks for letting me know, lauren. It was a special read.
I want those feels too. TBR.
lark wrote: "Nadine wrote: "I am listening to this now on audio, and while I'm loving the book, I'm having to fight past the narrator, whose voice feels like a robot with a dry monotone. I'm craving just a bit ..."I'm in the library queue for the ebook - which I'm pleased to say is a pretty long queue - I'm glad this book is generating such interest. For me, a mismatch of book voice and audio voice.
This sounds excellent. I will watch for a UK release.
Ang, I think FSG is distributing the novel in the UK (?) I can never track these things with any confidence, though.
Exactly how I felt! Just a perfect book.
To compare it to the ‘thing you’ve been looking for and didn’t know it’ is the exact feeling I’ve had after reading this. I’m so glad I see your GR feed because you’ve steered me to some beautiful reads.
Judith, thank you so much for letting me know. I try to review a book immediately after reading it and I ended this novel feeling like I'd been reminded why I love to read.
The ending made me so sad. There was foreshadowing about Tim Gary, and about Agatha’s leaving the order, but when her sisters didn’t recognize her(didn’t “see” her … masterful choice of a word!), my heart broke. The last scene was ambiguous— a prayer or despair? I would have liked a bit of hope. We never did learn Agatha’s birth name, did we? Maybe she hardly knew it herself anymore. God, I would like to believe God granted her some grace and peace as she moved into the next chapter of her life. (I’m having a hard time remembering she is fictional!)
MaryJeanne wrote: "God, I would like to believe God granted her some grace and peace as she moved into the next chapter of her life. (I’m having a hard time remembering she is fictional!) ..."Isn't it wonderful when an author gifts us with such a complicated and empathetic character?
Your comment reminds me how fiction reading is a dialog. What we bring to the story makes up at least half of the meaning we take from it. My personal read of the ending was that it's redemptive! She's stepped forward into a new life, where nothing is certain. It's going to be her life from now on, with all of its messy uncertainties.
I was attracted to the book by the description but your review has enthralled me. I am one of those prose people who gets caught up in the words, the phrases, the sentences, and I’m looking forward to reading this. Thanks for your review.
Not gonna lie, this is one of the most beautiful reviews I’ve ever read. I would absolutely weep my eyes out if I was the author getting this review.
Essie, I'm still trying to figure out why I love some books and can barely read others, but it seems to have something to do with the sound of the words, and the rhythm of the sentences, more than it has to do with their actual meanings.
this is sooooooooooooo accurate. i just finished it and i've been so engaged and emotional about it
