Lucy Ives

Troy Loudermilk is a huckster, but not really with any real end game. He pressures his friend Harry to come to a seminar school with him so Harry can write the poetry that Loudermilk passes off as his own. While at the school, Loudermilk entertains a bevvy of beautiful women, charms everyone with “his” poetry, and lives his best life. Harry, however, is miserable, socially awkward, and increasingly disgusted by is frenemy.

The cast of characters that fill out this novel are charmingly cliched. There is the alcoholic, sad teacher whose more successful and beautiful wife he is in the shadow of. Their precocious daughter is a true “artist” who spies on the goings-on of the school and probably knows more than anyone else. There is the student who knows something is not right about Loudermilk, and who is determined to figure it out and expose him. There is the creative fiction writer who can no longer write and is hoping that something at the seminar will kick-start her writing.

This was a very enjoyable read. I loved the author’s writing style and expression. It is full of satire and pokes fun at campus life, writing culture, and even itself.… (altro)

ADVANCE GALLEY REVIEWS from Penguins First to Read
by Sandra Brower, Lincoln
Rated 3.5
This book took until page 80 for me to straighten out in my brain the writing style of Ms. Ives. Finally, I realized that I found the book oddly delightful in ways. Maybe, because as a fellow deep thinker, all over the place, go into my brain and see things happening in story form, like Stella's view of her own maddening stagnation when it came to one of her relationships (I mean, she uses a Star Wars reference for Pete's sake!!)

I just got the formation of her thoughts. Ms. Ives creates an impossible view of the inner workings of an inner NYC museum, that none of us might ever get a glimpse of seeing.

I did find it a little bit forced at the end. Through 304 pages of story it's only until towards the end we get even a hint of a resolution coming to the mysteryof Elysia.

I am a notetaker when it comes to reading as I review these books. There are a ton of art references in this book. If only for the fun of exploring a museum might you read Impossible Views of the World. If for pure reading, it might just be too Impossible to finish. Boy, did a re-learn a lot about Limner art! If nothing else.
Sorry, I gives this book a 2.5 rating.… (altro)

Stella, a mid-level employee at a New York City art museum, has hit some turbulence in her personal life. When her coworker dies, it sparks a wonderfully distracting scavenger hunt to figure out the origin of a secret map.

I enjoyed Lucy Ives' prose, and the mystery reminds me of The Crying of Lot 49 in its twists. Ultimately, I was left wanting more. Was Paul's death all that it seemed? How does WANSEE, the Nestle-like corporation funding the museum, fit into the story? Perhaps I wanted for things to be tied together neatly at the end, and I'm feeling sore that this is not to be. I will be thinking about it long after slipping it back into the returns box at the library.… (altro)

Stella Krakus is having a rough week and is in the midst of an existential crisis (personal & professional). Her soon to be ex-husband, Whit, is being difficult, she's also at a confusing crossroads with her occasional hook up and colleague Fred. Her mother is adding to the pile by simply being herself and then there's the small matter of Paul, a colleague who was as much a work friend as Stella has, that's gone missing though no one at CeMArt seems much to care or at least, tepidly worry. There's also a foreboding looming encroachment of the corporatization & conglomeratization of the museum by WANSEE.

It is this mystery of what's happened to Paul (and then what he'd been doing before his end) that most pulled me through this story. I loved following Stella's trail of research (obscure books are connected to an obscure map and that map figures into a larger situation at the museum that has roots a good bit in the past and more obscure works). Add to that Stella's very clear voice, wry wit in the telling and tangential observations, I quite enjoyed this story. I found many passages that were highlight worthy and am a little sorry that I can't quote them here but it's worth mentioning just the same. The author definitely has a talent for lyrical prose and I appreciated that. The only thing I didn't find terribly compelling was Fred and I never quite understood Stella's fascination or attraction unless it was that he was purposely unattainable & emotionally unavailable to her, but it was good to see her get past him. I very much liked that without knowing it, Stella needed the journey of tracing Paul's trail to work out her own stuff and by the end she's in a better place than she began. Well done.

This read like a love letter to archivists and curators everywhere (cartographers, microcalligraphers, logophiles and those who love puzzles and puns, this is for you too). If that happens to be your thing (it's my thing) then go forth and enjoy. Also, I'd recommend this to literary fiction fans that also enjoy a bit of mystery.

I received a review copy of this book in exchange for my views. Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley.… (altro)