2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
Jill Elizabeth has read 1 book toward her goal of 285 books.
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2023 Reading Challenge

2023 Reading Challenge
Jill Elizabeth has read 5 books toward her goal of 265 books.
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Book Review: Scarlet in Blue by Jennifer Murphy

This was a really excellent story that drew me in with its compelling characters, who were able to hold my attention despite an unfortunate slow-down in the middle that felt a little unnecessarily labored. (And how absolutely evocative and intriguing is that cover? I was immediately drawn to it – and rest assured, it delivers every bit of the surprising exuberance that the cover suggests.)

Scarlet and Blue are brilliantly developed and leap off the page. I found the multiple perspectives (in addition to the mother-daughter duo who are the primary storytellers, there is a psychoanalyst and Blue-in-future) to mostly work quite well. There was a section in the middle where Scarlet and Blue layered chapter after chapter with a level of daily-life detail that slowed things considerably and drew me out of the overall pace of the book, but they remained fascinating enough that I just worked my way through – and I’m so glad I did, because the ending was really well executed with several twists and turns I did not see coming. Even when I figured out where at least some of the story’s secrets were going, it did nothing at all to detract from my overall enjoyment.

This is a painful tale of the devastation that is wrought by abuse and its aftermath, and there were sections that were very difficut to read. My heart bled for both Blue and Scarlet, and watching them struggle to care for each other in their own ways, with their own secrets and motivations, made for an emotional read.

Murphy managed the ups and downs beautifully and I will definitely be on the lookout for more from here in the future. She has a deft hand with language and managed to convey the fragility and strength that underpin both women in a way that resonated strongly. It’s a really wonderful story and I enjoyed the ride immensely!

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