Name: The Changeling
Rating: 3.537037037037037 (54 reviews)
ISBN: 9780812995947

Victor D. LaValle

The ... story of one man's ... odyssey through an enchanted world to find his wife, who has disappeared after having seemingly committed an unforgivable act of violence"--

A Novel

The Changeling

Eva Ströberg

The Changeling - Victor Lavalle
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I must admit that I watched the series before the book, and the book is so much better (duh!). Things and events were more distorted in the series even those that actually had very little significant in the book became major things in the series, so if even if you’re hating the series, give the book a chance
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Apollo Kagwa, born from an Uganda mother Lilian Kagwa and an American father Brian West, has been having recurring nightmare since he was young, that his father who had abandoned the family, came to take him in a cloud of smoke. 
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He never thought much about it until he got a child of his own, which he also named Brian, with Emma Valentine, a NY librarian with adventurous soul who travelled alone in Brazil for a year. Brian was born in a NY subway train and they thought they would be a happy little family but things soured from that.
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This book is a mixed of renewed folklores, a story about motherhood and its challenges, and how technology can change your life, even for the worse. It’s an interesting melange of subjects and entertaining read
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#victorlavalle #thechangeling #bookstagram #2023readingchallenge #2023reads #currentlyreading

Ryan Mateyk

i really enjoyed this but found the maaaany tonal shifts a bit whiplashy for the reader (rom-com? murder mystery thriller? conspiracy theory? north brother island weirdness? fairytale?). there was also a lot withheld from the reader and i felt like we weren't getting the full picture but overall, it was a great, fun, often gripping and always unique story.

This has some absolutely excellent ideas; I loved, for example, the fairy tale format, the fabulist elements and the fact that it unpacks the way society views and treats black parents. I liked that, ultimately, Apollo and Emma were loving parents who would go at great lengths for their child. I believe it is truly valuable to show men as involved parents and partners.

However, the book tended to drag a bit at places and go places that were so surprising, they felt ridiculous rather than surreal. There was a certain boomer-opinions-about-technology energy to it that rather detracted from the overall themes of the novel.

This has some absolutely excellent ideas; I loved, for example, the fairy tale format, the fabulist elements and the fact that it unpacks the way society views and treats black parents. I liked that, ultimately, Apollo and Emma were loving parents who would go at great lengths for their child. I believe it is truly valuable to show men as involved parents and partners.

However, the book tended to drag a bit at places and go places that were so surprising, they felt ridiculous rather than surreal. There was a certain boomer-opinions-about-technology energy to it that rather detracted from the overall themes of the novel.

I loved reading Lone Woman which is the author's most recent book, I belive. The Changeling has been on my TBR FOREVER so I was excited to dive in after reading his other book and seeing that they made it into a show with 

LaKeith Stanfield!!! But the book felt too long. I really think the first half of the book about 50% could have been cut out and didn't really add any value. The main character was a bit hard to root for as he was really narcissitic the entire time and didn't really have any character growth. He was SUPER rude to his mother and his partner so much of the time also. Just a lot of what he did and how he acted towards his family and his friends rubbed me the wrong way. 

I also think the way this book was marketed probably wasn't the best. I was  expecting a bit more of fantastical elements and more magical realism but the magic felt flat and we really only get some of it in the last quarter of the book. There were a few things I wanted the author to actually linger on more, (w/o spoilers) like the island! How cool was that! But we are really only in that scene/environment for a couple of chapters. sigh. 

I'm still excited to see the show because again, LAKEITH STANFIELD, and because I want to picture some of the scenes a bit better. 

Gisela Ayala 

I loved reading Lone Woman which is the author's most recent book, I belive. The Changeling has been on my TBR FOREVER so I was excited to dive in after reading his other book and seeing that they made it into a show with LaKeith Stanfield!!! But the book felt too long. I really think the first half of the book about 50% could have been cut out and didn't really add any value. The main character was a bit hard to root for as he was really narcissitic the entire time and didn't really have any character growth. He was SUPER rude to his mother and his partner so much of the time also. Just a lot of what he did and how he acted towards his family and his friends rubbed me the wrong way. 

I also think the way this book was marketed probably wasn't the best. I was  expecting a bit more of fantastical elements and more magical realism but the magic felt flat and we really only get some of it in the last quarter of the book. There were a few things I wanted the author to actually linger on more, (w/o spoilers) like the island! How cool was that! But we are really only in that scene/environment for a couple of chapters. sigh. 

I'm still excited to see the show because again, LAKEITH STANFIELD, and because I want to picture some of the scenes a bit better. 

Melanie Richards

Nadine 

The Changeling by Victor Lavalle - this was one tough read but I’m glad I persevered to the end. A modern day fairytale in the very grim Grimm sense of the word, it examines our obsessive documentation of our own and children’s lives, our childhood memories and more with some interesting gear changes and twists along the way.

Emily C Peterson

Witch

The Changeling wasn't at all what I expected--but that's not a bad thing. The title made me think it'd be more of a horror novel, but it wasn't. That's not to say it wasn't scary at times. Much of it kept me on the edge of my seat. It also tugged at my heartstrings. 
Victor LaValle has created a beautiful and strange modern take on a fairy tale.

The Changeling A Novel

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