redheadreading's reviews
2070 reviews

Turns out I'm not THAT interested in squash

Stop explaining your poems to me, Dante!!! Did find his elaborate way of hiding that he was in love with Beatrice by pretending to be deeply in love with someone else hysterical - babe, why are you such a mess??

Very atmospheric and I enjoyed puzzling out the mystery (got two bits right!), but it definitely felt a little overlong. It has that thing which isn't entirely the book's fault, but when major plot points are dropped in the blurb and then it takes nearly 400 pages for them to happen it can feel like it drags a smidge! There are lots of different elements rumbling along and I'm not sure it fully came together for me, particularly as the ending felt very abrupt. 

This has a cool structure, taking you through all the steps involved in creating fabric in a way that is super thorough and combines history, science, art, anthropology, modern businesses and more. Lots of quite technical info e.g. how different weaving processes work, the chemical reactions of different dyes, etc - which were interesting but I did sometimes feel a little overwhelmed with the level of detail! 

As other reviewers have pointed out, it's very Eurocentric in its telling - as an example, frequently Europeans are described as utilising scientific technique where non-European cultures use "trial and error" (see Coulbert's experiments with indigo vs Indian dyers) but there are lots of other instances throughout. I also didn't like how we wafted around sustainability and how exploitative current fashion practises are, there are a few half-hearted attempts to engage with sustainability but edges on being dismissive ("you don't get it by thinking like a nature child"). At another point she discusses smart technologies being woven into fabrics that could monitor our vitals and never once takes a moment to look at how dystopian that could end up being... this is less of a cohesive review and more some final thoughts upon immediately finishing!   

Enjoyed the discussions on Fabritius's work and Dutch art, but I wasn't as enthralled with the memoir aspect of the narrative and it got a little repetitive. Of course I understand the love Cumming has for her father, but the anecdotes didn't always seem to relate to the discussions on Dutch art so I felt a little unmoored at times, wondering how we got to these points. I definitely preferred Cumming's The Vanishing Man as it had a clearer structure and drive to it, but I really do admire the way Cumming is able to capture the fascination with and emotion of artworks.

What was the point of thus book

Jemisin always knows how to gut me!! Was concerned at the start with all the new characters and catching back up to speed but I needn't have been. She's a master.