Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A brilliant novel, July 9, 2009
Farai Chideya's first foray into fiction has proven to be a success. The novel follows a 30ish African-American punk/rock singer, Sophie Washington, trying to make a "comeback" with her band Sky (also her nickname). Sophie is wrestling with the old demons of Ari her ex-husband/love-of-her-life/creative collaborator/guitarist, the need to be a rock star, self-worth, weight, and the trappings of life and those that exist around us. If you want a better summary of the book read, the "Editorial Review" above.
Let's get any negativity out of the way, and nibble on the good morsels of this novel. Her "voice" has some growth in it as a storyteller, but it does a warmth to it that allows the words to be easily read. There are some jumps in action that feel slightly clunky- they lacked strong transitions from point to point. This is so minor that it does not detract completely from the over arching story. There were some story lines that I felt where whittled down for length and pacing sake, and maybe in earlier drafts had more flesh to them (this is pure speculation). Also, this is not an all-ages book. This is for more mature audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.
To start, each chapter is entitled after a particular song and band. The range of Artist goes from The Smiths to N.E.R.D. to Frank Sinatra to Musafir to Jill Scott and everything in between. Knowing the songs gave some insight into the chapter, which I found to be an interesting motif. Granted, I wasn't familiar with every song, but it did not detract from the storytelling. Also, meticulously intertwined in the prose, where clips from song lyrics. The lyrics did not always hail from the song that the chapter was named for, but provide a fun find when I would recognize a lyric. I read the book a second time to search for these "Easter eggs". Furthermore, Farai created lyrics for "Sky" that provided interesting commentary, and maybe a not so secret desire to be a minstrel. Of all the lyrics written, "Burn" was my favorite, although the tongue and cheek of "Shadow" provide poignant commentary and a giggle from me.
The characters, in this character driven story, are beautifully woven together and developed where a connection to Sophie, and her supporting cast is felt. There are no characters that are cookie-cutter good or bad, but human with the flaws and mistakes that are accompanied with that dubious distinction.
This is a novel, a story, you go from point A and journey with Sky to point B, where there is the beginnings of change. I loved the characters and genuinely did not want to finish the book, thus leaving the character's story in those pages. Farai's prose are precise, without feeling droned or forced. There is life and warmth in her writing. I would recommend this book to most people; however, be warned THERE ARE A LOT OF SEX SCENES. I dare say that I think Farai has a non de plume for her Hustler articles. If you do not like sexy sex scenes, then this tale is to be avoided by you.
In the end, I found this book to be very accessible, and a can't-put-it-down-but-I-have-to-because-of-work-in-the-morning read. I hope Farai Chideya continues to write fiction work, along with her other work because I think she has many more stories swimming in her head.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Take a Cultural Journey with a Master!, October 3, 2009
As I read the multi-talented Farai Chideya's first novel, Kiss the Sky, I found myself smiling each time she unearthed the perfect turn of phrase to reveal the exact texture of a moment in its just-there-it-is reality. For example: "The crowd was London über-multiculti, where everyone was a quarter Jamaican and a quarter Pakistani and a quarter Scottish and a quarter plain Dickensian white." Spot-on: I've been in that club! And, I've been in many of the darker emotional places Chideya so bravely exposes. She has her finger on the pulse beat of the cultural touchstones that surround our lives. As I'm about two decades older than her, my "sound-track" is generally from an earlier vintage. Yet, her writing is so evocative that even when I wasn't familiar with the particular song or performer she was referencing, I still got the full flavor bringing me into that moment. And, because her wide-ranging familiarity with culture is so deep and broad, she even referenced jazz classics that pre-date my youth. Like those songs do for her, they fill me with an immediate understanding about the emotional context of their moment in history. Even for those who may be musically illiterate, her writing might do the same. Just as when I read A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley - I'd never been on a farm in Iowa but I actually could taste and smell the earth - some writers can just bring you to a place you've never been. Let Chideya bring you on a journey whether it's one you're familiar with or not!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1.0 out of 5 stars
Didn't fulfill potential, November 27, 2011
I don't remember where I first heard of Farai Chideya's Kiss the Sky. I do know I had really high hopes for this story, of a woman struggling with herself and her music career. Sophie is the sort of character you initially want to root for: she's divorced from her music partner, but they've found a way to co-exist -- maybe they are even comfortable with their status. She's got a cool job, at least when the book opens, and she's willing to work to regain what she had, musically. It should have worked. Even the fact that Ms. Chideya is a Harvard grad who has a published a number of non-fiction books should have been enough to save this one. I was shocked to see how many sentences started with a verb. Went to the club. Stepped outside for a smoke. (Now, I'm making these sentences up, so don't go looking through the book for them) Yes, okay, maybe some of this is establishing Sophie's voice, but frankly, it was too much. It became annoyingly repetitive, and it got in the way of the story. This wasn't as horrible a thing as I had first feared. Sophie is a mess: she's bulimic, broke, and bull-headed. She's so far in denial about her life that I couldn't spend time with her. I had to put the book down. It's one thing to want to read an autobiography about someone who's a bigger train wreck. We have a reason to want to like them -- we have heard the music they make. There's a connection there. Thus, in fiction, it's imperative for the reader to be able to relate to a character who has large amounts of baggage. We need to like them, care about them, root for them. They need to have some sort of drive, some sort of forward motion -- either about them or their plot. If it's going to be a plot-driven book, the character shouldn't get in the way of that. Sadly, Sophie does. I needed a reason to like Sophie. But I find myself intolerant of women characters, especially, who are broke but continue to spend money as if it's no big deal. And then the sex scene with Leon... really, I had to ask if Sophie had any self-respect whatsoever. If she doesn't respect herself, why should I? Kiss the Sky became a Did Not Finish.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
