V Park

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Thank you to Kate Straker at Atlantic Books and Anne Cater for sending me a proof copy of 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 by Gemma Reeves. I'm so pleased to have been part of the blog tour for this very special book from Allen & Unwin.
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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐧𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐧. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐬𝐚𝐦 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐢𝐫 - 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐩 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬, 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬.
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Victoria Park was a joy to read. My partner commented on how quickly I devoured the book, but it was so engaging I couldn't help it.
Reeves' characters are so ordinary, yet so engaging because they feel real. Not all authors manage this, especially in a novel focussed on such an interwoven community.
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𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫, 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐨, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭.
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I felt a particular attachment to, and empathy for, Wolfie and his love for Mona, but I think each reader will feel a bond with different characters in the book.
Each story is told from a different perspective over the course of a year, with the usual changes and events that a year can bring to a community.
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𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭.
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The depictions of the passage of time and scene setting through the year are often subtle, and so don't detract from the story within the community itself.
Some of these descriptions, however, give a very definitive sense of time and space, and stimulate other senses and memories for the reader.
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𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐠𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞.
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There are some very literary reflections throughout the novel, regarding age, sexuality, gender, loneliness and change.
Victoria Park achieves this in a very modern way for readers.
With honest observations of a lesbian couple trying to conceive, a young boy who likes to express his femininity, and consideration given to genuine female desire, Victoria Park is a real stand out for me.
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𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 ... 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐛 𝐨𝐟 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐚 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐞.
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The community presented by Reeves isn't an idyll, but it is a very honest portrayal. Despite their own individual life experiences, and their own feelings of alienation, the characters are there for one another. They are a community when it matters most.
I personally think the world could stand to foster more communities like the one surrounding Victoria Park.
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𝐖𝐨𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝. 𝐎𝐡. 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝.