A highly anticipated release for me that I’m so glad to say did not disappoint .
It’s written in Levy’s unique lyrical style prose , in some ways it reads a bit like a dream and the reader is inside our protagonists confused mind . Did I understand what was happening ?? No , not really , but at the same time you’re absorbed in the writing and atmosphere .
I loved the Europe setting , Levy captures the surroundings so well , Athens , Paris, London … it was like being on a surreal sort of road trip . I had no idea that the pandemic would play a part in the story and for me this made the book all the more real , the mask wearing , antigen tests etc, we’ve all been there .

Hot Milk still remains my favourite Levy but for avid fans this will not disappoint . It’s one I already feel I need to re read in order to unpick more of the story . Who is the doppelgänger , is she real ???

This one felt it was straddling fiction and memoir - it had the same informal tone of her memoir trilogy, so I had difficulties separating the narrator from the author. Beautifully written though, as always.

Deborah Levy does it again! After thoroughly enjoying Hot Milk a few years back, I was excited to see what else she could do. Much like Hot Milk, it was the lyrical prose and intriguing characters that piqued my interest rather than plot itself but for a short and quick read, I’m completely okay with that!

Hmm. I really wanted to like this book, and yes there is no denying that it is beautifully written in Levy's unique style. However, it didn't really work for me. Perhaps I simply didn't grasp the nuances between the characters, all of whom I found to be quite annoying.
The plot felt very disjointed. Overall definitely not my favourite book.

Well written but not a style that gels with myself. Definitely a unique style just unfortunately not for me.

I've heard a lot of good things about Levy's works, and knowing that she had been nominated for a Booker Prize a couple of times made me really want to pick up one of her works and see what the fuss was about! I tend to like the works that Hamish Hamilton picks up, like Assembly by Natasha Brown, and this was no exception - I really enjoyed the fragmented nature of Levy's storytelling, and the way that the plot of the mysterious horse-buying woman following her around Europe was interwoven with her identity as a renowned pianist and the tense relationship she has with her teacher. For someone clearly going through a tough time, the way that Elsa connected with her students was really heartwarming and I enjoyed these little interludes between the bigger story being told. The city-hopping through Europe kept the pace nice and quick, and although there wasn't much going on, I kept coming back for more.

I thought I was going to love this and I did. I don't usually like 'opaque' books; I find them frustrating but I didn‘t go into this one trying to analyse it; I just enjoyed the atmosphere and the beautiful prose. However, I feel like re-reading it straight away to unpick it a bit more, and I *never* re-read books.

My thanks to Penguin Group U.K. Hamish Hamilton for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘August Blue’ by Deborah Levy.

The protagonist of Levy’s latest work of literary fiction is Elsa M. Anderson, a former child prodigy, now in her thirties and at the height of her career as a world famous concert pianist. Recently she had dyed her long hair blue. Then a week later while performing Rachmaninov’s Concerto No 2 at a concert in Vienna, she had walked off stage after playing a few minutes of an original piece that she had composed.

Three weeks have passed and Elsa is clearly adrift and no longer certain of who she is. At a flea market in Athens she watches another young woman, a stranger who is almost her double, purchase a pair of mechanical dancing horses. Elsa had wanted the horses for herself and is disappointed that there are no more for sale.

As she makes her way to the ferry port Elsa notices the woman’s distinctive black trilby lying on the pavement. She picks the hat up and decides to keep it: “The horses were hers and not mine. It seemed like a fair exchange.”

Elsa is uncertain of why she left the stage that night and she is clearly on the run from her talent and her history. She travels across Europe, seemingly shadowed by the elusive woman who bought the dancing horses. She is also dealing with the news that her adopted father/mentor is terminally ill and she has unanswered questions about her biological parents. So there’s a lot going on for her that could have contributed to her crisis.

The theme of the doppelgänger, who may or may not be real, runs through the novel. Elsa reflects on her first contact: “My startling thought at that moment was that she and I were the same person. She was me and I was her. Perhaps she was a little more me than I was.”

Another theme is the pandemic and how it has impacted on the lives of citizens in Europe. At one point she feels unwell and immediately wonders if she has ‘it’. I am sure that we’ve all been there.

I have read a number of Deborah Levy’s novels along with her three-part memoir and I am always transfixed by the lyrical beauty of her writing. In the real world people rarely have the kind of enigmatic conversations that Elsa has with various folk as she travels, though it works in the context of literary fiction.

Overall, ‘August Blue’ is a gem of a novel that may elude understanding but I just enjoyed its beautiful language and rich descriptions. Might it be another Booker Prize nomination for Levy?

PR Gifted from Penguin General UK, via Netgalley
Not quite sure what to say about this book. Elsa is a world renowned pianist who is going through various life crisis. She keeps seeing her double in various countries. She was adopted, and wonders about her birth mother. The writing is evocative, and engaging. Mind you, I didn’t really understand what was happening all the time. I did enjoy it.

what a great read, such an interesting story, with great characters and so beautifully, lyrically written. I had no idea how the story would end and not an easy read, I did get a bit confused about the doppelganger. However an excellent literary read.

A beautiful, haunting novel that will stay with me for a long time. Floating between Athens, Paris, London and Sardinia, this is a subtle, evocative and sensual reflection on memory and identity.

This is an intriguing book about a young woman's search for meaning and identity in the wake of an apparent breakdown in her acclaimed career as a pianist. While trying to find a new place in the world, she sees another young woman buying something she feels she must have and this sets up an obsession, possibbly reciprocated. But in a way this becomes a distraction, or perhaps metaphor, from the reckoning of her relationship with her teacher and "father", and the loss of her mother. For all the intrigue though, there seems to be a certain coldness to many of the characters, that the sparseness of the writing conveys, but it left this reader unable to quite warm to them.

Thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for a copy of the book.

ll of Deborah Levy's fictional works have a kind of dreamy unreality and this is no exception. This is a short book but the prose is beautiful in its simplicity and the story both fairly vague and metaphorical. Elsa is a piano virtuoso who was adopted by her teacher at a young age. Now she is in her 30's and having a touch of a psychological crisis. Her teacher is frail and elderly and she is losing the plot, first going off script at a piano recital and then seeing the same woman, a double of herself in cities all over Europe. Is this woman supposed to be a sign of a fractured psyche? Or is is some other metaphor? To be honest it just goes right over my head.

The battles Elsa has with her adopted father's lover where interesting but it all seemed a little insipid and much is left to subtext.

This book left me feeling a little dissatisfied and a little confused, I think I will stick with her non-fiction in future.

Due to be posted on my blog on 11th May 2023

I was sent a copy of August Blue by Deborah Levy to read and review by NetGalley. I love Deborah Levy’s writing. There is never a word out of place or a phrase or sentence too many. I’m pretty sure that her style of writing will not be to everyone’s taste but if you persevere to the end of this novel I’m sure you won’t regret it! There isn’t anything that I really want to say about the story itself – just read and enjoy!

August Blue by Deborah Levy is a true delight, slightly surreal, totally original.

Whilst travelling in Athens, Elsa sees a lady in a market buying two novelty horses for which she develops an intense desire to own. This lady sticks in her mind - she finds herself in conversation with her even though she is not present.

Elsa was a celebrated piano player until recently when she suffered an onstage mental block and was unable to perform the piece by Rachmaninov that she had started playing. Since then she has been teaching on a commission basis in Paris and then Sardinia.

Elsa’s complicated early life story emerges as she meets people both at home in London and on her travels.

Levy’s writing is truly a joy to read; she effortlessly creates interesting characters placing them in unusual situations but only disclosing partial information keeping us on tenterhooks before revealing their backstory little by little.

I would ready Deborah Levy’s shopping list but I really enjoyed and was riveted by this story. A tale of how to create two halves of a self and the ways trauma can impact your life. Phenomenal

My first Deborah Levy read but I will certainly adding her others to my TBR, she is a beautiful writer.
This was one of few books I've read that really delves into Covid and the impact it and the lockdowns had on our lives.
This was a short read and was unusual and almost random at times- I'm still trying to figure out what it was really about, but the writing is suburb and really carried this book.

I have been so resistant to reading books set during covid (or any kind of media reflecting on the pandemic) but the months following lockdown worked as a good background for a story about transitions and periods of uncertainty. It was a short read, and it was definitely more vibes than plot but in the best kind of way. The story was melancholy, slow paced, meditative and reflective, and it subverted expectations, with characters that were complex and yet easy to understand. The blend of unique stories and imagery within very ordinary lives felt special, and I feel as though I haven’t read something quite like it before.

I really enjoyed August Blue. I’m a fan of the author’s fiction and non-fiction and was looking forwarding to reading this latest offering. This is quite a surreal book at times and I found Elsa’s obsession with her strange doppelganger fascinating. It’s never clear if this mystery woman is real or not. At times I wondered if Elsa imagined her which made the book all the more interesting. I really liked Elsa as a character and enjoyed learning about her past. I also liked the fact the stories travels different continents. You could say this is one of those books where nothing much happens but what does happen is engrossing.

This story about Elsa, a famous concert pianist who falters and walks off stage during an important performance is fascinating, written with a beautifully light touch that is deceptive given the sheer range of issues the novel touches.

You follow Elsa as she tries to regain her sense of self-worth that was shattered at the concert and that she crosses Europe alternatively running away from and then trying to face up to the demons that follow her.

You read the novel as if you are in a dream, inside Elsa's confused mind. The writing is so beautiful and scenes stick with you, such as the conversation where Elsa is told that the concert should have gone on with just her music and that the conductor was wrong not her, or the care shown to Elsa by her friend in Paris - little cameos of care that build up to offer the support that Elsa needs.

There is so much to unpack in this book, it touches you as you read it and I've found myself thinking about it a lot since finishing it, enough to revisit it again.