Catalina a short novel I LOVED got described as a “sparkling debut” by the NYT. I didn’t really understand what they meant, because the book is wild and wonderfully unhinged but I think I get what they were going for now.
This is so well-written and it makes my English teacher heart full. I keep trying to think of examples of "sparkling prose" beyond the ones you've listed here and all I'm coming up with in contemporary works is well-written romance novels, like those of Annabel Monaghan and Mhairi McFarlane. I'm sure there are plenty of others. I think I'm stuck on sparkling applying to setting and/or overall story. For example, Frankenstein was such a great example of a contrast to the sparkle, but how could anyone ever make that story sparkling? (That would be a fun project for someone. I've worked for years on a YA retelling of Frankenstein, but it decidedly does not sparkle). Another commonly used phrase is to say that a novel is "voice-y." I feel like I know what people mean when they use this, but sometimes it's applied to books that don't feel "voice-y" to me at all. Also, which characters get to be the "voice" of the "voiciness"? Do we only feel like a book is voice-y if it's written in 1st person POV?
Ooh, I love this! So many of these reader/reviewer terms are something I know when I see/read/experience and understand the vibe expressed when I see the terms in a review but I love the idea of teasing them apart for deeper understanding. "Falling flat" is a great one, can't wait to read your thoughts!
Sparkling Prose is kryptonite for me, too, and I have two male authors to add: Anthony Marra and Amor Towles (Rules of Civility especially)
"A firework fills Vincenzo's empty eyes, a molten asterisk in the heavens to which the body on the ground is a footnote." ~Anthony Marra, Mercury Pictures Presents
I think Kevin Kwan’s writing might fit under ‘sparkling prose’ too - witty, silly, and rich in sensory details.
And my personal bookstagram pet peeve is “this book wasn’t for me” - sometimes this can be true and I use it if I recognize a book’s quality even if I can’t personally relate to it. But most of the time, people are just using it to avoid ‘being mean’ and basically avoid sharing specific criticisms. If you hate a book, just say you hate it!
Love this idea for a series!
Catalina a short novel I LOVED got described as a “sparkling debut” by the NYT. I didn’t really understand what they meant, because the book is wild and wonderfully unhinged but I think I get what they were going for now.
Fascinating. I read Catalina and I can see how it fits here, but I don't think I would have used "sparkling" for it myself, prior to this exercise!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJmYOg4tMmm/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
This instagram post from the publisher has the NYT sparkling debut quote.
This is so well-written and it makes my English teacher heart full. I keep trying to think of examples of "sparkling prose" beyond the ones you've listed here and all I'm coming up with in contemporary works is well-written romance novels, like those of Annabel Monaghan and Mhairi McFarlane. I'm sure there are plenty of others. I think I'm stuck on sparkling applying to setting and/or overall story. For example, Frankenstein was such a great example of a contrast to the sparkle, but how could anyone ever make that story sparkling? (That would be a fun project for someone. I've worked for years on a YA retelling of Frankenstein, but it decidedly does not sparkle). Another commonly used phrase is to say that a novel is "voice-y." I feel like I know what people mean when they use this, but sometimes it's applied to books that don't feel "voice-y" to me at all. Also, which characters get to be the "voice" of the "voiciness"? Do we only feel like a book is voice-y if it's written in 1st person POV?
Voice-y is a fun one to think about! Great questions.
Ooh, I love this! So many of these reader/reviewer terms are something I know when I see/read/experience and understand the vibe expressed when I see the terms in a review but I love the idea of teasing them apart for deeper understanding. "Falling flat" is a great one, can't wait to read your thoughts!
Sparkling Prose is kryptonite for me, too, and I have two male authors to add: Anthony Marra and Amor Towles (Rules of Civility especially)
"A firework fills Vincenzo's empty eyes, a molten asterisk in the heavens to which the body on the ground is a footnote." ~Anthony Marra, Mercury Pictures Presents
Those totally fit. Rules of Civility for sure!!
I think Kevin Kwan’s writing might fit under ‘sparkling prose’ too - witty, silly, and rich in sensory details.
And my personal bookstagram pet peeve is “this book wasn’t for me” - sometimes this can be true and I use it if I recognize a book’s quality even if I can’t personally relate to it. But most of the time, people are just using it to avoid ‘being mean’ and basically avoid sharing specific criticisms. If you hate a book, just say you hate it!
Kwan is a great suggestion. I think his books fit with my final point that "Sparkling prose" is also about setting!