Thu, October 4, 2012
Crewel by Gennifer Albin Review
Crewel
By Gennifer Albin
Publication date: Oct. 16, 2012
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 368 pages
Source: Publisher
Incapable. Awkward. Artless.
That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.
Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.
Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.
Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.
Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.
— Goodreads.com description
The real standout for me in Crewel was Gennifer Albin’s writing. Her story follows Adelice, a “Spinster” gifted with the ability to control the world around her by weaving time and matter to her will. The elements that create the world around us are beautifully described as a tapestry, vibrant and strong in parts and weak and frayed in others. Albin does a stand-out job here, making Adelice’s loom come to life in our imaginations. It’s just gorgeous.
I also adored the themes of gender equality in Crewel. I mean, the girls are called “Spinsters” and they have to wear extreme cosmetics and take a purity pledge. Hello, double-standards! Feminist Anna loved these elements, and I’d like to see more authors taking these things on.
But, I definitely had problems with the world-building in this book…just a little hard for me to follow along in terms of the geography of Arras, the power structure, etc. Also, I didn’t love the love triangle aspect. Sure, the boys were cute and great, but the choice Adelice would make was clear to me from the get-go, so it dragged.
All in all, this was a well-written read with an intriguing premise. Flawed? Sure, but I’m still very curious to see what happens in book two!
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I read. A lot. Mostly whatever YA novels the library has on hold for me that week. Sometimes grown-up books if my book club makes me.
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Carla said:
gurl this sounds soooooo pretty!! and you know how much of a sucker I am for good writing. i’ve not really been feeling this one tbh. but you definitely made me intrigued to maybe give it a chance. (p.s. have you seen the UK cover? PAHAHAHAHA it’s so bad)
Carla recently posted..Waiting On: Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff
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Anna Reply:
October 4th, 2012 at 7:08 am
I just googled it! EW!
Anna recently posted..Crewel by Gennifer Albin Review
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Posted on: Thu, October 4, 2012
Lori said:
The writing sounds fantastic, but a love triangle?
Aren’t we done with those yet?
Lori recently posted..Review: I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
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Posted on: Thu, October 4, 2012
April Books & Wine said:
How did I not know you were a feminist <333333
Despite the flaws, I am BEYOND pumped to read Crewel. Lovely review <3333
April Books & Wine recently posted..All The Right Stuff Walter Dean Myers Book Review
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Posted on: Thu, October 4, 2012
Candice @ The Grown-Up YA said:
I’ve heard super things about this one; haven’t gotten to read it. Not a fan of the love triangle aspect though. Glad it’s kind of obvious who she’ll pick! Can’t deal with another “who will she end up with?!” situation!
Candice @ The Grown-Up YA recently posted..Retro Reads Thursday: Midnight in the Dollhouse
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Posted on: Thu, October 4, 2012
Jamie said:
Sounds super interesting but I’m a little concerned about the worldbuilding you bring up! Is this a Jamie book or should I pass?
Jamie recently posted..Review Of Over You by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus
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Posted on: Thu, October 4, 2012
Mary @ My Sisters Bookshelf said:
Nice review, Anna. Have you read The Handmaid’s Apprentice? If not, you really should. It sounds like this book, like so many others, owes much to a trajectory of fiction begun by Margaret Atwood!
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Posted on: Thu, October 4, 2012
We Heart YA said:
Oh yay! We’re so glad to hear that this was a good read (and a feminist one to boot!). We’ve been looking forward to it ever since we saw The Real Fauxtographer’s take on it: http://www.therealfauxtographer.com/2012/04/crewel.html
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Posted on: Thu, October 4, 2012
Emmi said:
This actually looks really good, I’m excited!
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Posted on: Thu, October 4, 2012
Bookworm1858 said:
I liked this book a lot too, just trying to visualize everything and especially its themes about gender equality. I was not pleased with the love triangle, not because of the triangle part but because I thought both guys were kind of boring. Hope they get more interesting in the next book!
Bookworm1858 recently posted..Crewel
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Posted on: Thu, October 4, 2012
Lisa @ Read.Breathe.Relax. said:
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed Crewel! It’s been on my TBR since BEA, and I’m excited to finally jump in. Oh, love triangles, though… Another book that you might like (if you haven’t read it) that plays off of beauty themes is Uglies by Scott Westerfield. It was amazing!
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Posted on: Thu, October 4, 2012