Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - Rosewater

Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

Rosewater by Liv Little

10 reviews

dynamicdevon's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I liked a lot of this book. The dry, steam of consciousness style was compelling. Recognized myself in the white folks who just don't get it. This is why it's important for (white folks especially) to read diversely. I enjoyed the supporting characters, Nan and Maggie; the queer elders I wish we all had.

My biggest issue was Elsie's complete and total lack of any ability to communicate whatsoever. When the plot would come to a raging halt if everyone just sat down and had a good DTR (define the relationship), the rest of the book loses verve. I get that it's young people and all, but even after her friend tells her to be honest, it goes nowhere. That being said, it is a pretty accurate depiction of young queer love where the people involved have no idea what they're doing.

Also, where did the poetry go? I feel like the second half would have been stronger if the poems had kept appearing.

While it seems a lot of people didn't like the ending, I thought it fit with the book. There's a lot of tough shit going on in life and ending the book while that tough shit is going on seemed apropos to me.

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sophie42's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I picked up Rosewater following its longlisting for the Polari First Book Prize, which is part of both the #atasteofprizereading and #LiteraryFifteen2024 reading challenges. It is the story of Elsie, a 28 year old, Black gay woman trying to build a life for herself in London. She's a poet who makes ends sort of meet by working in a bar. The novel opens with bailiffs knocking on her door with an order to evict her due to unpaid rent, an issue she knew about but ignored. Her love life is messy and complicated, and when gentrification forces the closure of the bar she works at, Elsie struggles to find another job. In other words, this book has got "messy milennial" written all over it. I often struggled with Elsie's decision-making and sometimes wondered how and why her friends put up with her. Yet something kept me listening, possibly the narrator whose voice I found pleasantly soothing. Whatever it was, I'm glad I stuck with this book because - eventually - all the different aspects of Elsie's life started to come together. And when unexpected tragedy struck late in the novel it helped clarify for her what and who she wanted. It also brought out the best in her and helped me see what her friends saw in her. What was intitally a frustrating book ended up morphing into a satisfying story. I especially enjoyed Elsie's poetry, penned by Kai-Isiah Jamal, and had my heart warmed when she achieved some success for that. Making a living via creative and artistic endeavours can be tough, so it was nice to see someone, even a fictional character, have a win.

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messymimms's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Backstage at a performance, Elsie describes herself as “numb, nervous, brilliantly alive” - and I think that’s the perfect way to describe this book.

Liv Little has been able to craft an incredibly genuine and compelling story, with characters you’ll be all too familiar with if you’re a queer living in London. Indeed, this book is properly atmospheric - not as in foggy or ethereal, but in that it creates such a clear mood, vibe, space, context.

The novel is peppered with references - from the coil to Corinne Bailey Rae, Peckham Rye and Rubicon Mango. These all contribute to it feeling really real. In many ways, everything feels quite mundane. Messy and dramatic in a twenty-something, not-figured-it-out way, but mundane.

When the drama hit, I almost wanted it more pared back - more slice of life-like, but that’s just because this novel does that really well. It’s at its most beautiful when Elsie is channeling Little’s poetry and describing all of the little big details which dog and uplift her life.

As a narrator, she’s quietly reflective, but likes to conjure up vivid images and dispense the occasional tidbit of wisdom. The poetry included in the book, written by Kai-Isaiah Jamal, is beautiful and fits in effortlessly. But the bigger feat, for me, is that even without those poems - Elsie is written like a poet.

This shines through when Elsie appraises art and music, and bodies. These descriptions hit so well, and you can tell how fascinated she is by lyricism, words, desire.

Oh, and Juliet of course.

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melodyseestrees's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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ejessicac's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I love Maggie

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nerdysread's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Not a bad book tbh but its pacing was off sometimes, like some
Parts were unnecessary. One last thing, the MC was 😬 most of the time. Like go get therapy girl

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kneebees's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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taleofabibliophile's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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shector1's review against another edition

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hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I received this book as an arc from Netgalley.

This book follows Elsie being evicted from her apartment. She moves in with her best friend and the book continues from there. This book is a clear example of finding love where it has always been. It explores family and the relationships Elise has. Also, Elsie deals with self-sabotage and how it can develop within herself. This book shows how life can be messy and how people constantly adapt to their circumstances. It was just interesting to see where this book would go. I think I would check out the audiobook because there are Elsie's poems and I want to hear how they would be performed. I really appreciated the Guyanese dialect and the descriptions of food were just amazing. I feel like my review does not fully capture my feelings about the book but I would recommend this to a specific group of people.

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