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A review by toggle_fow
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 4 by Beth Brower
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
We seem to get on much as we began.
That is to say, Emma continues to face the tragedies and absurdities of her life with joie de vivre, courage, and an undaunted sense of humor. She continues to participate in various wild, increasingly unbelievable shenanigans. She continues to be doted on by a panoply of handsome, interesting men approximately 7 to 15 years older than her.
I have to admit, I am getting a little weary of the shtick. Emma's voice is as fresh and entertaining as always. I could overlook how Emma inevitably became the specialist quirkiest most unique princess of any smart, good-looking older man within approximately 1 day of meeting him when all these relationships remained informal and happenstance. Now that Emma, Hawkes, Islington, and Pierce have formalized their society of kindred spirits, I can't.
To all appearances, this series has as robust a cast of female characters as it does male characters. Agnes, Saffronia March, Mary, Arabella, etc. Surely it passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors?
However, these aforementioned women show up glancingly in Emma's story, and most often for a brief scene where they serve as a helpful plot device. The men are by far the most weighty relationships in Emma's life, and they are there every single entry of every single day. The story labors over their backstories, peeling back the layers with delicate artistry to hint at the unexplored emotional depths within. None of that work goes into the female characters. They are what they are, which is mostly a convenience.
Does Emma EVER go to a social event and not run into one of the men, even when she had no expectation of knowing anyone there? The exceptions to this pattern are: 1) Emma's meeting the banker's wife. This still serves as a plot device and convenience, since the woman becomes Emma's informal patroness, but I really enjoyed this anyway. And 2) Mary's adventure meeting her professor. I liked this a lot as well. I would be excited to see Mary get her own love story.
That is to say, Emma continues to face the tragedies and absurdities of her life with joie de vivre, courage, and an undaunted sense of humor. She continues to participate in various wild, increasingly unbelievable shenanigans. She continues to be doted on by a panoply of handsome, interesting men approximately 7 to 15 years older than her.
I have to admit, I am getting a little weary of the shtick. Emma's voice is as fresh and entertaining as always. I could overlook how Emma inevitably became the specialist quirkiest most unique princess of any smart, good-looking older man within approximately 1 day of meeting him when all these relationships remained informal and happenstance. Now that Emma, Hawkes, Islington, and Pierce have formalized their society of kindred spirits, I can't.
To all appearances, this series has as robust a cast of female characters as it does male characters. Agnes, Saffronia March, Mary, Arabella, etc. Surely it passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors?
However, these aforementioned women show up glancingly in Emma's story, and most often for a brief scene where they serve as a helpful plot device. The men are by far the most weighty relationships in Emma's life, and they are there every single entry of every single day. The story labors over their backstories, peeling back the layers with delicate artistry to hint at the unexplored emotional depths within. None of that work goes into the female characters. They are what they are, which is mostly a convenience.
Does Emma EVER go to a social event and not run into one of the men, even when she had no expectation of knowing anyone there? The exceptions to this pattern are: 1) Emma's meeting the banker's wife. This still serves as a plot device and convenience, since the woman becomes Emma's informal patroness, but I really enjoyed this anyway. And 2) Mary's adventure meeting her professor. I liked this a lot as well. I would be excited to see Mary get her own love story.