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Description
Invented LivesCondition: BRAND NEW ISBN: 9781925713589 Format: Trade paperback (UK) Year: 2019 Publisher: Scribe Publications Pages: 336 Description: It is the mid 1980s. In Australia, stay at home wives jostle with want it all feminists, while AIDS threatens the sexual freedom of everyone. On the other side of the world, the Soviet bloc is in turmoil. Mikhail Gorbachev has been in power for a year when twenty four year old book illustrator Galina Kogan leaves
Condition: BRAND NEWISBN: 9781925713589
Format: Trade paperback (UK)
Year: 2019
Publisher: Scribe Publications
Pages: 336
Description:
It is the mid-1980s. In Australia, stay-at-home wives jostle with want-it-all feminists, while AIDS threatens the sexual freedom of everyone. On the other side of the world, the Soviet bloc is in turmoil.
Mikhail Gorbachev has been in power for a year when twenty-four-year-old book illustrator Galina Kogan leaves Leningrad - forbidden ever to return. As a Jew, she's inherited several generations worth of Russia's chronic anti-Semitism. As a Soviet citizen, she is unprepared for Australia and its easy-going ways.
Once settled in Melbourne, Galina is befriended by Sylvie and Leonard Morrow, and their adult son, Andrew. The Morrow marriage of thirty years balances on secrets. Leonard is a man with conflicted desires and passions, while Sylvie chafes against the confines of domestic life. Their son, Andrew, a successful mosaicist, is a deeply shy man. He is content with his life and work - until he finds himself increasingly drawn to Galina.
While Galina grapples with the tumultuous demands that come with being an immigrant in Australia, her presence disrupts the lives of each of the Morrows. No one is left unchanged.
Invented Lives tells a story of exile- exile from country, exile at home, and exile from one's true self.
It is also a story about love.
'Goldsmith is a masterful storyteller who explores the complex themes of identity and love in her latest novel. Invented Lives deserves a wide audience.'
-Mark Rubbo, Readings Booksellers
'It is a fabulous book ... It lives on ...What I really loved was the changing seasons of all the characters, their inner beings,
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4.8 ★★★★★
Based on 17 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Awesome!
Format: Hardcover
This was an awesome book with a focus on friendship and family which isn't seen often enough in YA. If you liked Who's That Girl, you'll love this music infused book. I have a full review for this book posted on my blog: Reading, Writing, And Me.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2018
★★★★★ 3
She starts the book off fairly amusing and relateable with an excellent depiction of anxiety and paranoia
Format: Paperback
This was actually a 3.5 star read for me, but the more I pondered it over the two-day span between finishing it and reviewing it, I realized it wasn't quite remarkable enough for me to round up.
Here We Are Now tells the story of Taliah, a biracial white/Arabic teen who's never met her father. She's only working on an educated guess that he might be Julian Oliver, rockstar sensationalist, when the man shows up at her door one day to tell her that her assumptions were correct - and he wants to take her to meet his family, including his dying father.
Tal isn't the most enjoyable narrator in the beginning of the story. She starts the book off fairly amusing and relateable with an excellent depiction of anxiety and paranoia, but those feelings quickly morph into a level of snark and distrust that's not pleasant to read through. Despite the fact that Julian's entire existence points blatantly to a million lies Tal's mother has fed her throughout her life, Tal refuses to place any blame on her mother.
The nice thing about Taliah, however, is how much she grows; throughout the story, through a handful of "tough love" scenarios from multiple friends and family members, she learns that life isn't as black and white as she thinks it is. She grows to slowly trust people and open up, and is forced to come to terms with her unhealthy level of possessiveness over her best friend, Harlow.
The most unexpected thing about Here We Are Now was how quickly and how much I fell in love with Tal's father, Julian. From the opening of the story, I honestly expected him to be this flighty, dirtbag sort of stereotypical rockstar who would show up, get her hopes up, and then shatter her dreams a few times before disappearing again at the end of the book. That is totally not Julian at all, though.
From the beginning, he's awkward, uncertain, and a little bit shy about learning he's Taliah's father. I won't spoil the fine details for you, but we learn that Julian hasn't been half bad enough to deserve some of the events of the past, and he's actually a pretty well-meaning guy. His banter with Tal is so enjoyable, and I loved the way the we got to see the past through his memories, but they were written in Lena's (Tal's mother) perspectives.
Harlow is Tal's childhood best friend, who happens to be a lesbian. I loved the idea of Harlow to bits: she's obsessed with baking, she's sassy, she's proud of her sexuality, and she's got a good head on her shoulders. Unfortunately, her actual interactions with Tal and the other characters in the story are cringe-y most of the time, and her "tough love" spiel about not relying on only one person would have been a lot better if it hadn't been laced with her breaking a promise to Tal so she could hang out with her girlfriend.
The romance in this book was one hundred percent the biggest disappointment in the entire story. It felt so incredibly lackluster and out of place that I probably would have rounded up to 4 stars if I could have somehow gone through and edited out the entire existence of this friend-of-the-family character. He's not a bad kid, but it would be so nice to see a YA contemporary every now and then that doesn't end in a couple forming, and this book would have been perfect for that! Totally a missed opportunity.
First of all, I am not Muslim - or religious at all - and I cannot speak for how good this rep was. I do know, however, that Jasmine Warga identifies as a Middle Eastern/American woman, so the POC rep is own-voice and was so enjoyable to read. Tal's mother's perspectives frequently reflect on her Muslim beliefs and family, as well as how incredibly homesick she is for Jordan. She frets constantly that she is letting her parents down if she doesn't make a name for herself in the States, and there is even a solid bit of conversation about hijab-wearing and eating habits!
Of course, there is also the lesbian rep that I mentioned in Harlow's case, which I found really enjoyable. Harlow is out and proud and has no questions about her sexuality. There are no tropes, or painful moments we commonly see through queer characters in YA contemporary titles.
All in all, Here We Are Now was a fun read, but nothing spectacular. Had it not been for the romantic aspect, I would have given this 4 stars, but it was such a downer that I couldn't justify rounding up the rating. If you're looking for a fun YA contemporary story about family, with some nice diverse representation thrown in, or if you're already a Jasmine Warga fan, I'd recommend picking it up.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2017
★★★★★ 4
A very witty and heartwarming story for everyone...
Format: Hardcover
Wow, Pamplemousse! I think this book found me at the right time in my life. Here We Are Now is short and expands over a few days, but I also enjoyed that flashbacks of the main character’s parents falling in and out love is littered throughout the pages. I really connected with the main character Taliah, who is definitely a hard shell to crack. But I loved that although she is sarcastic, smart, and funny, she also holds a tight rope around her emotions. She is cautious with letting people in, but I liked that her journey to meet her father and his family for the very first time, opens up her world to new challenges and emotional breakthroughs.
I don’t want to give too much away in regards to the plot, because it is very straight forward and well-focused on Taliah, a teenager, meeting her father, a well-known rock star, for the very first time. And throughout the pages, Taliah pushes herself to open up to her dad, discover unknown information about her mom, and meet her long lost family. And importantly she matures and discovers things about herself.
Here We Are Now is very straight-forward and focuses a lot on modern day scenarios, such as familial conflicts, diversity, biracial relationships, and tough love. I found myself laughing a lot during this book, because these characters are so witty and heartwarming. But there are also some parts that are heartbreaking, and these moments are so raw and gritty and realistic. In the end, I liked that the conclusion of this book leaves the characters wide open for new possibilities and room to grow, instead of a simple “happily ever after” ending.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2018
★★★★★ 5
Highly recommended
Format: Hardcover
Fun to read. Love Jasmine.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2017
★★★★★ 5
Nostalgic and Authentic
Format: Hardcover
As an adult reader, I don't read a ton of YA these days, but I love picking up one now and then that speaks to me the way so many of my favorite books did when I was of a certain wide-eyed age. This one rang true -- in the character searching for who she really is as she comes into her own, overcoming relatable anxieties and changing for the better along the way. Would gladly gift a copy to the young readers in my life -- particularly those who love music.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2018
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