A Sky Painted Gold - a gloriously sun-drenched coming-of-age story for fans of THE GREAT GATSBY

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I read Laura Wood's debut YA, A Sky Painted Gold, earlier in 2019 and fell in love with it. It was my perfect idea of a book: historical fiction, with a romance to die for and a female heroine it was impossible not to fall in love with. Laura Wood even started my love for Eva Ibbotson's books and I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, which I'll forever be grateful for. La edición, además, no me puede parecer más bonito y creo que hace que desde el primer momento te metas de lleno en la época, como digo, su mayor punto fuerte. One thing I expected, I also got and loved: beautifully descriptive writing. That is one thing I adore in books and I guess it's one of those things a historical book needs in my opinion? I can't talk about too much more without heading into spoiler territory, but it's a journey that seems perfectly right for Freya and who she is. While rather different from Lou's journey, it felt right for who they both are as people. Iris, like all of Laura Wood's girls, is such a great representation of feminism. She is charming and strong-willed. She embraces loving things that are considered girly, while also not letting her gender dictate what she should be like.

a sky painted gold – Izzy Reads a sky painted gold – Izzy Reads

The romance? Gosh. As I mentioned, this is certainly marketed as guilty pleasure summer reading, but I found the romance far too saccahrine, straying into unnecessary cliche. Bonding experiences include (but are not restricted to) multiple incidents of spilling paint over one another/ falling on top of one another in paint etc. What a hoot! It made my toes curl. Most YA books feature romance in them now and so I often find it difficult to differentiate between them in my mind. A Sky Painted Gold, however, featured so many of my favourite tropes: the lingering hand hold, the “pfft! I don’t really like him!” moments, catching each other’s eyes and looking away. It was truly like watching the best period drama, which always manage to create a swoon-worthy yet sweet atmosphere, and I would like multiple spin-offs and novellas and short stories (or even a full sequel!!) because I can’t bear to let the characters go. It’s also worth nothing that, although not a major plot point, Wood manages to effortlessly incorporate LGBTQ* relationships, which I wish was seen more in historical fiction. It felt very normalised and didn’t go down the “shameful” route, which always makes me happy to see. Es en ese tren donde Freya cruza su camino con Kit, un joven aspirante a dramaturgo que está a punto de embarcarse en un tour con la compañía de teatro en la que trabaja. Una oportunidad se abrirá entonces para Freya y, por supuesto, no va a dejarla escapar...The romance and 30s slang (lots of "oh this is most wonderful!" And "im in an absolute muddle!") were very twee. (The fact that it was set in the 30s also didnt really seem to have any other effect on the story or characters or aesthetic of the book... but maybe it played a bigger role in A Sky Painted Gold)

Under a Dancing Star by Laura Wood | Goodreads Under a Dancing Star by Laura Wood | Goodreads

As elegant and energising as a flute of fine champagne, this enchanting novel sees 17-year-old Cornish farmer’s daughter and aspiring writer Lou embrace the dizzy decadence of 1920’s aristocracy, with life-changing results. After reading Under a Dancing Star, Wood immediately became my go-to comfort reads author, and her most recent novel did not disappoint. Set in 1931, we follow Freya as she runs away from her Cornish home to become an actress, touring the UK with a small theatre company. It’s the perfect, snowy, winter read. Her dialogue is contrived and her frequent outrageous sex references as a means to differentiate her from her peers are quite frankly wince-inducing.La historia no tiene una trama como tal, solo este verano de ensueño que vive Lou y que ella sabe que se acabará en algún punto. Además, se mezcla con sus propios anhelos y sueños, pues no sabe quién quiere ser o qué quiere ser, entonces también hay un poco de autodescubrimiento y de encontrar la fuerza para luchar por lo que quiere. This is it. This is them before Much Ado About Nothing. This is their perfect and wonderful summertime romance experience. A Single Thread of Moonlight” de Laura Wood es una especie de retelling de “La cenicienta” que se acerca lo suficiente al cuento que conocemos como para que sea considerado una versión del mismo y se aleja lo bastante como para que la autora se permita introducir pequeños guiños sobre el hecho de que es un retelling y que le salga bien. Laura Wood’s first young adult book is a three-star read for me. This book is a good summer read, and I encourage you to read it this time of the year. We all know that I love an English setting, so this one did it for me in that regard! I don’t think that I have read a book, other than The Great Gatsby, that is set in the 1920s, I think it is an interesting time period and I don’t know much about what was happening in England at this time. The parties in this book were very atmospheric, I wish that I could witness something so grand!

A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood: 9780593127254

My main complaint about A Sky Painted Gold, is that I felt like nothing really happened until the last three chapters. Yes, the party scenes where fabulous and I do enjoy a good slow burn romance, but I feel like there was no real plot here. I do think Louise was a bit annoying and naïve, but we must remember she is only seventeen and this is her first time getting to see what life is really like outside of her village. Some things about the main character were a bit repetitive, such as Lou constantly worrying about never finding love or comparing herself to Alice. Two plot points I found rather predictable, but they were still entertaining! LW: Yeah although I think it’s really nice how into the clothes everyone gets about it like I think everyone really… it’s such a special period for fashion and everyone really likes it. I love Laura Wood and I love the Cinderella story, so I was incredibly excited for this! I got it for Christmas and enjoyed whizzing through it in those strange hazy days between Christmas and New Year. However, although it was fun enough, I did’t find it nearly as good as Wood’s other YA novels. It was a bit OTT with sensationalism, and neither plot nor, sadly, characters felt very believable or relatable (I know a Cinderella story isn’t striving to be believable, but I struggled to suspend my disbelief). I normally love Wood’s ability to capture coming of age in deftly drawn strokes, and I feel like this story got too wrapped up in trying to be dramatic and thus missed out on the emotional and perceptive depths which usually so elevate Wood’s writing. Also, given how plot-focused this book was, I found the ending rather rushed and not entirely satisfactory.j’ai adoré le développement de certaines personnages ainsi que certaines relations ; alma, nora et kit, argh vous êtes trop pures pour ce monde.

A Single Thread of Moonlight by Laura Wood | Goodreads A Single Thread of Moonlight by Laura Wood | Goodreads

that’s not to say this book wasn’t good! i really liked a lot of things about this book but it definitely didn’t hold a candle to ‘a sky painted gold’ and ‘a snowfall of silver’ and ‘under a dancing star’ which are my favorite books of all times. This book was sort of a Cinderella-inspired book but it fell flat in some areas! Me gustó mucho, es una historia divertida y ligera con toda esa ambientación de los años 20 y lleno de fiestas y glamour que lo vuelve muy disfrutable. I find the cover misleading for some reason. While there is a romance, it doesn't really take front-stage until the very end. As Freya, with all her energy and confidence, stepped onto the stage, my heart was in my mouth. As a reader, I felt as if I knew her, and I understood how important this moment was. I won't spoil the story, but I will say that the outcome is not straightforward, and not what I was expecting. Alongside her experiences in the theatre, we follow Freya's attempts to build relationships and fall in love. Between the possible romance and the dreamed-of stardom, Freya's journey is full of emotional highs and disappointments (although she never lets the disappointments crush her enthusiasm). Todo este secreto de los hermanos la verdad es que siento que quizá se alargó más de la cuenta pues lo mencionaban a cada rato y nunca daban detalles, mi mente se pasó cientos de películas distintas y cuando llegó la verdad no le hizo justicia. Sí, fue importante y todo eso, pero podrían haberlo contado antes y habernos ahorrado este supuesto misterio que acarrearon hasta el final.

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J'ai beaucoup aimé le personnage de Béa qui sait ce qu'elle veut et ne se laisse pas faire. J'ai apprécié suivre son voyage en Italie dans la demeure de son oncle, suivre les rencontres qu'elle va pouvoir y faire. Elle y découvre tout un nouveau monde auprès d'artistes qui vont lui montrer que l'art et la science peuvent cohabiter ensemble et même permettre de découvrir de nouvelles choses.