But as they say, step out of your comfort zone, and that's what I'm doing. Or maybe it's because that as a kid still in college, sometimes I just don't really have the
But books, novels, that I can do. At least, it's better to have something than to just let this space--and my writing skills--rot.
The Strange and Beautiful of Ava Lavender opens with a letter written by a much older Ava Lavender that is dated March 2014. The actual story starts in France of the early 1900s with her grandmother, Emilienne Roux, and her family. Captivated by the opportunities promised by "Manhatine", as well as the stories of its streets that are paved in cobblestones of bronze, the Roux family is uprooted from their small French village and is relocated to Manhattan. When Emilienne's story fades to the side, her daughter Viviene Lavender takes the spotlight, and eventually it's Ava in the centre.
It's not entirely a book about magical things happening, it never really paints that picture; you might think 'whimsical' when you hear the words 'magical' or 'fantasy'. If anything, it's just a world where people turning into birds or growing wings happen, they are reality, no big deal. Ava is still a very human girl who may not live a normal life, per se, but is nonetheless real. This book is about honest issues, real issues that occur in real life, with just a hint of magical element in it. It's a tragedy that starts from love to lost, what happens before and what takes place after. Thus, it is fitting to label is as 'magical realism'.
From the middle, when we leave Viviene's story for Ava's, the book starts to build towards it's climax. Some might think it to be somewhat anticlimactic, given that it was all over in about five pages. While a part of me wants nothing more than to discuss it, yet doing so would result in giving away the biggest spoiler that this books has to offer. But I'll leave with this : it was quick, but it was powerful. I had to set aside the book and let the feelings settle and trust me, I had strong, STRONG feelings when I read it. My chest was aching for Ava.
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender is beautiful; even at the most brutal peak of the story, it still feels like there's a veil of dreamlike silk covering it, large part due to Walton's writing. But if there's one thing that left me unsatisfied, it is that from the beginning I was under the impression that we would find out what was it that gave Ava her wings, why was she born with them? But the answers to these question are left uncovered. I though that by digging through her family history, Ava would discover the reason why she was gifted with wings. Yet what ends up happening is her recounting incidents in that family history that share some similarities with her condition. We don't know if it's causation or just mere correlation.
Nonetheless, it's not that big of an issue, but an afterthought since finishing the book. The question of why or how Ava got her wings isn't that important anymore as you'll find yourself more absorbed and invested in the lives from Emilienne, Viviane and Ava, three women who know what it's like to love and the heartache it entails.
I rate it : 8/10 stars
THE GOOD : Beautiful prose and writing that feels lyrical; even though it's 'magical realism', it's more honest than whimsical.
THE BAD : One more than one occasions, I found myself losing track of the side characters introduced; it drags a littel at times
READ IT IF YOU...
- ...aren't put off by the 'YA novel' tag it holds because trust me, it's a story fit for any age group.
- ...like something magical while still maintaining some sense of reality
- ...are completely head-over-heels with the cover (it's prettier irl)
THE STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL SORROWS OF AVA LAVENDER (2014)
Genre : Fantasy, Magical Realism, Young Adult
Pages : 301 pages
Author : Leslye Walton
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