"Nearly every guy I’ve dated believed they should already be famous, believed that greatness was their destiny and they were already behind schedule. Now I understand it’s how boys are raised to think, how they are lured into adulthood. I’ve met ambitious women, driven women, but no woman has ever told me that greatness was her destiny."

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. It reminded me of Anne Tyler and Tessa Hadley. The plot seems simple, but I think it successfully achieves something that is actually quite hard: showing a slice of a very particular life, the day-to-day of it.

The blurb of the book both intrigued and alarmed me: a young woman who wants to become a writer. It feels significant that this is the author’s fifth novel - I don’t think this is the kind of plot a debut writer would be good at.

The main character is thirty-one-year-old Casey, who is working as a waitress. She used to be a golf prodigy but isn’t anymore (at one point, she jokes about the song “Casey Jones,” about the baseball player who struck out when it mattered most). She gets involved in a love triangle with a famous writer and a deadbeat eccentric (who I wasn’t really into, but whatever). She has health problems. And she is severely in debt from her creative writing graduate degree.

The novel’s attitude towards money (namely, the severe lack of it) and her day-to-day work at the restaurant was something I really appreciated. I really love depictions of ‘everyday,’ routine life. Overall, there are several narrative trajectories in the book. One is her romantic life, which takes a while to get going. Another is her grief for her dead mother. And the third is her ambition, her drive to be a writer.

As expected, I liked the ‘writing’ narrative trajectory the most. It’s captured well - the drafting, the fear - despite my early reservations that I would find them annoying. But it’s all there, with both affection and bitchiness: the culitsh weekly writing workshops where everyone feels anxious about being the ‘best’, attending readings for hardback books you can’t afford, the dread of wasting your life, the way some so-called friends don’t really want you to be successful. I REALLY liked the scene with the writing retreat staff, who don’t let her reschedule her stay at the fancy-schmancy East Coast barn, even though her mother’s just died. Fuck those people, man!

Casey’s focus on writing - her stubbornness, her kernel of ambition, her love of literature (especially the character of Quentin Compson, and Thomas Bernhard) - are very well captured. It’s hard not to find her sympathetic - someone who just plain loves books, and literature. I also really enjoyed her friendship with Muriel, her supportive and kind friend. Thank GOD for a non-toxic female friendship depicted in fiction! The book is also often genuinely funny in a Lorrie Moore-quip way (again, something that I think is VERY hard to achieve).

My main critique of the book is that the ending was way too happy. But hey, what can you do? I felt happy for the character despite my icy cold heart - she deserved it. Ultimately, book is mature and sophisticated and really quite impressive. The way it takes a young woman seriously - her goals and her life - is sadly not something I've seen enough. Overall, I would recommend this if you’re looking for a feel-good read, or if you're interested in reading a 'portrait of the artists as a young woman.'

Thanks to Picador/Pan Macmillan for the ARC via NetGalley.

This book was ok. I really wanted it to be better but, it simply failed to grab my interest. It's certainly a slow burn and written with a real craft that I hoped would build to something spectacular.

I found the style to be too slow and really expected the pace to quicken, once I got more into the book. Sadly, it didn't happen, in my view

I hadn't read Lily King before but, I'd heard good and positive things. I am, therefore, not put off and will seek out her other books but, this one was not for me.

This story is set in 1997 and follows 31 year old Casey Peabody, a waitress and a former child golf prodigy who wants nothing more than to be writer. She rents a tiny room where she spends her time writing her debut novel. Casey is still grieving her mother’s sudden death and feels like everyone around her is moving on with their lives while she still craves the creative life.

As she goes about her daily life she meets two completely different types of men who she is attracted to, Oscar and Silas. Oscar is an established writer in his forties with two young boys who wants to be with Casey all the time. Silas is around the same age as Casey and wants to become a writer too but they seem to have an on and off kind of relationship throughout the book. You start to wonder who it is that she really likes or not.

Also with all of this happening in her life, she has health problems she has to contend with, a lot of student debt and people at her job that are making life difficult. How will she cope?

This book was definitely a slow burner for me. There were parts I felt my concentration fading and I had to keep rereading the same paragraph over and over again. Then there were parts of the book as it progressed I really engaged with and it stole my attention.

I do want to make clear that this is a very raw read. Some of the topics that come up were very emotional and Lily King captures Casey’s emotions brilliantly. I also really liked how the story was all about Casey’s passion to be a writer and how her friends were so supportive of her. She was also a great, likeable character. The scenes of her with Oscar’s children really made my heart melt. They were so beautifully written and it felt so real.

I can see how a lot of people in their late twenties to early/mid thirties would relate to this book. It is that age where some people are at a bit of a crossroads in their life or feel like everyone around them seems to be getting married and having kids while they feel like they are just plodding along. This story also reminded me so much of Sally Rooney’s style of writing so if you are a fan of hers this will definitely be your cup of tea.

However, I just felt a bit deflated at the end and I still have such mixed feelings about it. I think part of my problem with it is when I think back, not a lot really happened! But it was a great emotional journey for Casey which the author definitely managed to succeed in showing the reader. It is also one of those books that has had quite a bit of hype around it so maybe I was just expecting a lot more from it.

Thank you to the publisher Pan Macmillan and also to Netgalley for sending me a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Casey Peabody, wrecked by her mother's sudden death and a doomed love affair, arrives in Massachusetts in the summer of 1997 with nothing to her name except a lot of baggage and a novel she has been working on for years. She's determined not to give up on her creative dream, unlike the creative people she used to be friends with who have moved on to stable jobs and stable lives.

I found this to be a very unevenly written book. There were flashes of brilliance, some excellent prose, but also a lot of excruciatingly boring passages. I found myself incredibly annoyed with most of the characters at times. But this book captures that feeling of being in your late twenties or early thirties and seeing all your peers move past you while you're still struggling to figure out what you want to do with your life. That feeling of still not managing to be a functional adult even though everyone else makes it look so easy, so clearly it's you who is the problem. I've never encountered a novel that captured those feelings so well.

This is a very compelling book with a very well-executed storyline, and characters. I really rooted for them and loved reading about them.
It's a bit slow, that's the only flaw. Other than that, I loved King's writing.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

The reviews for this book have been gushing and I wondered whether I should believe the hype - but it really is that good. I got lost in it and read it in three great big gulps. What a writer!

This is a contemporary novel set in the Boston/Cambridge area of Massachusetts in 1997.
We are in the head of protagonist Casey Peabody, who at the beginning of the book, is an aspiring writer, reeling from the emotions of a recent love affair and grappling with the grief of her mother suddenly passing away.
The novel is about so many different aspects of Casey’s life and emotions, but ultimately it is a snapshot of this moment in her existence and we are taken along for the ride.

When we first meet Casey she is talking about her mother’s sudden and unexpected passing while on a trip in Chile. This event brings up a cocktail of emotions within Casey, where she is replaying the last moments she had with her mother, and thinking back to her childhood and the relationship they had together. Her death brings back the feelings of abandonment that Casey felt many years ago.

Casey is also coming off the back of a rollercoaster love affair with someone she met at a writing camp, and we see her trying to get over this while beginning to form relationships with other men. There are two love interests in the novel. However, King does such an effortless job of making this not your typical love triangle, but instead making the character dynamics seem realistic and creating situations that are relatable and normal to result in Casey having power and independence in her decision making and owning her feelings. These two men represent different things that Casey needs and wants in her life and through getting to know them she is getting to understand herself and explore her own desires.

This is a book set in the book world about writing, which is a trope that can be done very badly. In this case, Lily King does it beautifully. She talks about books and words and writing in such a passionate and engaging way, through Casey, that I was hanging on her every word. Casey is writing a novel and has been for the last six years. We get scenes where she is talking about reading and writing, which is done in a way that celebrates the act and demonstrates that not everyone will get the same thing out of a piece of writing and that is ok.

In amongst all of this is the discussion of Casey’s mental health. Throughout the novel Casey describes her feelings and her reactions in a way that doesn’t romanticise or draw attention to them, but it becomes clear that she suffers from anxiety. Casey finds ways to cope with this herself as well as with her group of supportive, emotionally intelligent and inspiring friends.

Lastly, I just loved Lily King’s ability to write a scene. Every location in the book and every interaction felt so visceral and cinematic and played out like a movie in my mind. We were following Casey’s journey here but I felt like each one of the characters could have had a novel of their own.

There is so many more elements to this book and so much more I loved. I already want to re-read this and I know I will get even more out of it on a second read. This has become a new favourite

Writers and Lovers feels very real. It’s a deep, thoughtful book with a flawed and fully realised protagonist. Having said that, Writers and Lovers is slow. In places it comes off as rather mundane, but that’s also what makes it real. With Writers and Lovers, King isn’t trying to depict life through any rose-tinted glasses, she’s simply observing how it is and showing that to us. Whether that makes a book good, or a trifle boring, it depends on reader’s taste. Personally, I was completely torn. It’s perfect for readers who like character-driven novels that are slow, but thoughtful and deep, but for me it fell somewhere in the middle.

My favourite aspect of this story, wasn’t the storyline, it is the writing. Lily King’s description of the main character, Casey, was beautiful. From describing her anxiety in a way that made it feel very real, to her excitement before her dates, to her determination of continuing to write the book she’s dedicated 6 years of her life to - the reader can feel it all. This is a story about someone who feels they’re life is not ‘enough’ as it doesn’t conform to the social norms we’re presented with. This is a very real issue in our instant/social media-filled culture, where we feel we need to keep up with others. Whether you’re older than you wanted to be when you have a child, you’re in a job working hard to achieve a goal that seems to be taking ages, to being single when you’re ‘meant’ to be in a relationship - your life is valid, your dreams are valid...keep going

Unfortunately I couldn’t read this book! I assume (due to a couple of other reviews I’ve seen) that it was formatting issues because the text just didn’t make sense. It was so choppy and disjointed, it gave me a headache trying to figure out what was going on just on the first 2 pages. I’m disappointed because I was looking forward to it but it can’t be helped I suppose.

Like some other readers I was unable to read past page 2 of this book as it made no sense whatsoever due to formatting issues.

I tried on both the Kindle App on my ipad and also on my Kindle device and the issue was the same.

There's nowhere to attach a link but here's a bit of an extract:

He's
still leaning against his car and turning only his
head in my
direction, as if he likes his pose too much to undo it.
1
1
lily king
the long quilted seat and the tall bar in back I lean
against
'It's all right.' The bees in my chest stir. A few creep
while coasting. I didn't have one as a kid, but my
best friend
down the inside of my arm. One conversation can
destroy my did and we used to swap bikes for days at
time. These BU
whole morning.

This story caught me by surprise but I loved it. Casey is a very relatable character. She's grieving the loss of her mother whilst trying to pay her rent, write a novel and decide between two guys who are both hot and cold. There are lots of lovely scenes in this novel that were brought to life so well, I could picture them on a silver screen. This is one of those books that you can dip in and out of but also devour in one sitting.

Even though I'm young, I feel like I'm getting old really fast. Set in the city I visited so often, I really took a shine to this book and its main character. Casey was tough but soft, sharp though grieving, really likable.

Honestly I think this is my new favourite book of all time. I'm a sucker for books where I can relate to the protagonist and Casey is basically me (except I'm not a good writer!).

Casey is 31, newly single, mourning her mother and just generally stuck in a rut. She's desperate to finish her first novel but in the meantime is working as a waitress in a restaurant and living in a tiny, mouldy room next to a garage. We follow her as she copes with career stresses, health issues and a difficult relationship with her father and his new partner. The writing was exquisite and I couldn't put this book down. It's just what I needed during these difficult times. I'm off to collect Lily King's back catalogue!

I loved Writers & Lovers. I don't usually go for character-driven stories, but it was impossible not to fall in love with (and relate to) Casey, the thirty-one-year-old writer who refuses to give up on her dream while waiting tables in Harvard Square.⁠
⁠
There could've been no better time in my life to read this book - even though Casey is a few years older than me, I could see a lot of myself in her as she struggled to make ends meet and build a life for herself as a creative. The heartbreak after failure and rejection, the determination to keep pushing through, the loneliness that comes with feeling lost and wondering if what we're doing is worth it - all of this was present and beautifully written in Writers & Lovers.⁠ The author also explores themes like grief and complicated romantic/family relationships, both very much present in Casey's life.⁠
⁠
By the end, I knew Casey so well I couldn't help but cheer when she succeeded, and be sad when things went wrong. I think there were a few loose ends that could've been tied at some point, but overall, it was a lovely read.⁠

I must admit that I found this story a bit of a struggle. Maybe it's just not the right time for me to read it in a world that seems uncertain and worrying every day as my own post-student life looks increasingly bleak. I must point out though that I am not someone who only reads upbeat books and I loved Elizabeth Strout, one of the reasons I wanted to read this, as apparently comparisons have been made between the two, but this just left me cold.
Anyway whatever the reason, I found this story of Casey, a 31 year old struggling writer, who is sinking below her student debts and grieving the loss of her mother rather a tough read. I also felt that some of Casey's references to Barthes, Proust and European literary classics to be a little hard to swallow.
Sorry but just not for me.

This story follows an aspiring writer Casey who is 31 and has just recently lost her mother. Casey is not where she feels she should be in life and the story follows her on her journey in trying to find success in her work, relationships and friendships.

I found the story to be a little slow paced to start of with but did find the main character to be relatable in her feelings about where she was at in life and also her feelings of grief. I really loved her relationship with John and Jasper, this was a lovely dynamic.

Overall I’d give the book a 3.5/5.

I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A great piece of character building but lacked in pace and plot.

I think due to current events I really need a book to grab my attention and unfortunately, I didn't find that with Writers & Lovers. I struggled through the first half and the second half was much better. Although I did enjoy it in the end, for me right now it just wasn't the right story.

I think the themes the book dealt with grief, money and perseverance could have resulted in quite a gloomy read however I did find this to be upbeat with a glimmer of hope in the tone.

I'd certainly look for more from Lily King in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I normally avoid books about writers like the plague but the description of this one captured my interest! I was not disappointed. I loved the realism and charm of this novel about a woman struggling to write, navigate her love life, come to terms with the loss of her mother and make her student loan repayments in the 90s. More in video: http://www.betterthandreams.com/2020/05/march-2020-book-reviews/

Why have I not come across the writer, Lily King, before? I wouldn’t have come across her now had it not been for Susan‘s recommendation of her latest book, Writers & Lovers, and her comment that Elizabeth Strout had said it was “Gorgeous”. I trust Susan’s judgement anyway, but when you couple that with Elizabeth Strout’s recommendation any writer has to be worth taking a risk on and believe me, Writers & Lovers truly is gorgeous.

Casey Peabody is, as she tells a gathering of students at the very end of the novel, thirty-one years old and seventy-three thousand dollars in debt. Since college she has moved eleven times, had seventeen jobs and several relationships that didn’t work out. She’s been estranged from her father since twelfth grade, and earlier in the year her mother died. Her only sibling, Caleb, is three thousand miles away.  When we first meet her she is living in Boston and working shifts in a local restaurant in a vain attempt to make ends meet.  Home is what is described as a ‘potting shed’ attached to property owned by Adam, a friend of her brother. Adam, however, is no friend of hers. Actually, I’m surprised he’s a friend of anybody. Two pages in and I’m making a note to myself to the effect of ‘why hasn’t somebody biffed him one?’ The only thing that has been a constant in Casey’s life over the past six years has been the novel that she is writing. This isn’t something that has just come out of the blue, that seventy-three thousand dollar debt has been amassed while she was at college on what we in the UK would call creative writing programmes. While fellow students have fallen by the wayside, abandoned their writing and taken up other jobs, Casey has persisted.

Is Adam impressed?

Is he hell.

‘How many pages you got now?’

‘Couple of hundred maybe’...

‘You know’, he says, pushing himself off his car, waiting for my full attention. ‘I just find it extraordinary that you think you have something to say’.
Maybe ‘biffing’ is too good for him. I’m thinking perhaps extermination?

Actually, the key phrase in that passage is waiting for my full attention because Casey frequently finds herself being belittled or ignored by men who have been brought up to think that the world owes them recognition and should dance to their tune. One of the reasons she is estranged from her father is because he has tried to dictate her career, pushing her to develop her talent as a golfer and scorning her ambitions to write. The only time we meet him is when he and his second wife turn up at the restaurant, Iris, where Casey works, in order to get her to turn over a ring of her mothers, the sole possession she has to remember her by. Then there is Oscar Kolton, a widowed writer with whom Casey enters into a relationship. When she accompanies him to a book reading he cannot cope with the fact that a female author has been accommodated in a larger venue.

‘I am forty-seven years old. I was supposed to be reading in auditoriums by now...I know I have a better book inside me. I have something big inside me. I just. Ever since. Fuck’. It almost seems like he’s going to punch the bricks of the gift shop beside us. Instead he lays his palms on the wall and lets out some jagged breaths.

Nearly every guy I dated believed they should already be famous, believed that greatness was their destiny and they were already behind schedule. An early moment of intimacy often involved a confession of this sort: a childhood vision, teacher’s prophecy, a genius IQ. At first, with my boyfriend in college, I believed it too. Later, I thought I was just choosing delusional men. Now I understand it’s how boys are raised to think, how they are lured into adulthood. I’ve met ambitious women, driven women, but no woman has ever told me that greatness was her destiny.
But whatever you’ve been brought up to think, writing a novel is not something that just drops into your lap because it is your destiny, because it is something you want, something that you deserve; it is hard work. For Casey, it has been six years hard work, but it has been six years in which the act of writing has been that which is constant and steady in her life. It has been my home, the place I could always retreat to...the place where I am most myself. Casey, unlike those students with whom she studied, has stuck to what she truly wants to do. However difficult it’s been, she has remained authentic to who she wants to be regardless of what it has cost her and it is precisely that feeling of authenticity which resounds throughout the novel.  I don’t know to what extent Writers & Lovers is autobiographical, but the ‘Writers’ element of the book feels like a lived experience.

However, the book is not just about being a writer but also about being part of a relationship, and relationships have to be worked at as well. You can’t, like Oscar, just take the other person’s acquiescence for granted because they fit well into your life, or drop out for a couple of weeks, as Silas does, without telling them, because you’re having a bad time. Being in a relationship means accepting that the other person has needs and wants as well as you and respecting that; it certainly doesn’t mean being used as a one night stand. When Casey‘s brother, Caleb, visits and, having slept with Adam, realises that the encounter meant so much more to him than to his so-called friend, Casey consoles him by saying, he’s never going to allow himself the option of you or any other guy. He’s not that brave. And that is exactly what it takes to be in a relationship, to commit to it and work at it on a long-term basis, it takes bravery. This is something Adam will never understand, just as he fails to understand the commitment and sacrifice that writing her novel has meant for Casey. (Do you get the feeling I’m not impressed by Adam?)

It took me a little time to get into Writers & Lovers and that is something that I should remember as a reader; that the act of reading is one of forming a relationship with the writer to bring the actuality of the narrative to life and therefore it should be given the same sort of commitment on my part as the writer gave to it during the actual composition. Once you do give this novel that sort of commitment, it will repay you a hundredfold.

With thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the review copy.