Name: Sonia Grgas's review of The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee
Item: The Queen of the Night
Rating: 2
Author: Sonia Grgas

Alexander Chee

In the Paris of the Second French Empire, what did it take to rise from courtesan to diva? From a ferociously talented writer who is "the fire, in my opinion. And the light" (Junot Diaz) comes a blazing portrait of a woman who creates her own fate.

The Queen of the Night

Thequeen

Sonia Grgas

** spoiler alert **
           I am amazed at all the good reviews. Everything I'd heard about this book sounded appealing but I just could not get into it. Too bad, I so much wanted it to be good.

taryn a.

as a friend said when i linked them the description for this book, “it’s like an AI put it together based on all your interests.” it would’ve been hard for me not to adore my time with the queen of the night purely based on the contents within it — circuses, courtesans, 19th century paris — hence the high rating regardless of my muted feelings towards the actual protagonist, who holds little to no personality and seems to only exist around whatever is needed of her in the plot at that moment. still, this 100% deserves its own netflix mini series, and i’d be the first to binge

Elda Mengisto

"For all the training I had done before this, to sing now meant something different to me. I could no longer believe in secret gods, I could no longer believe in love, I could no longer believe even in finding my heroes again. I could no longer believe in fame--I could barely believe in life. Alone with myself and my talent, I chose it in some way I never had before. I chose myself also" (380)

And so reflects the tale of Lilliet Berne--originally from the midwestern United States born to a Methodist family. She has a beautiful voice, but her strict mother would try to restrain her. And then a fever spreads over and kills her entire family, through which her journey begins.

The writing is really good, first and foremost. It combines with the main story really effectively, especially considering it's an epic of sorts. One example is how Lillet "loved the queen. The lovers were nothing to me. I loved the power she commanded and the terror others felt at her appearance. I, too, wanted to be feared, even just once..." (461) She also mentions how hard it is to play Carmen, until she realized her death in the opera meant freedom. Considering that I myself don't like opera that much, it was cool to see.

There are also a bunch of adventures in it, especially considering the time period it takes in. However, while reading the blurb, I expected it to start from the present. While Lilliet tells the story in reverse, it mostly starts from her roots in America. A bit shallow in terms of plot, but still intriguing.

Verdict: 7/10

From a writer praised by Junot Díaz as 'the fire, in my opinion, and the light', a mesmerizing novel that follows one woman's rise from circus rider to courtesan to world-renowned star Paris, 1882. Lilliet Berne is a sensation, a legendary soprano with every accolade except an original role. When one is finally offered to her, she realizes with alarm that the libretto is based on a hidden piece of her past. Only four could have betrayed her: one is dead, one loves her still, one wants only to own her. And one, she hopes, never thinks of her at all. As Lilliet mines her memories for clues, she recalls her life as an orphan who left the American frontier for Europe and was swept up into the glitzy, gritty world of Second Empire Paris. In order to survive, she transformed herself from circus rider to courtesan, from empress's maid to stage ingénue,all the while weaving a web of passion and intrigue. Will the truth secure Lillet's fate - or destroy her with the secrets it reveals? Fifteen years in the writing, The Queen of the Night is a literary tour de force that is also ferociously readable. A blazing tale of lust, ambition, betrayal and revenge, it will captivate readers right up to its final electrifying denouement. 'Epic, gorgeous, haunting' Hanya Yanagihara, Man Booker shortlisted author of A Little Life 'Astonishing' Karen Russell, New York Times best-selling author of Swamplandia 'Luminous' J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times best-selling author of Maine 'Glittering' Wall Street Journal 'Brilliantly extravagant' Vogue 'Lush and sweeping' Publishers Weekly 'Plotted like a fine embroidery' NPR 'Completely engrossing' Library Journal, STARRED 'Richly researched, ornately plotted' Kirkus, STARRED 'Dramatic, audacious and extravagant' Chicago Review of Books ALEXANDER CHEE won a Whiting Award for his first novel, Edinburgh, and is a recipient of the NEA Fellowship in Fiction and residencies from the MacDowell Colony, Ledig House, and Civitella Ranieri. His writing has appeared in the New York Times Book Review, Tin House, Slate, and NPR, among others, and he is a Contributing Editor at The New Republic. He lives in New York City.

Deborah Meades

*Goodreads giveaway winner book*
Firstly do not , if you are like me and know absolutely nothing about Opera, be put off by the fact this book is about an opera singer. It is an incredibly well written novel. It is difficult to put it in a particular genre, it is a rags to riches tale, it has a mystery element, a love story. It traces the fate of one woman in the 19th century as her destiny takes her from the US to the glittering ballrooms of Europe. I adored some of the characters that become part of her story and the fact it showed the lack of power and agency women had, how easily their lives can become threatened by poverty, shame and disgrace. I would have given this five stars but I just found that I had some difficulty connecting with the main character, and I feel it could have been edited so it was not so long.

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The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee

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