Book review: "Gliff" by Ali Smith

[@lindysmagpiereads]

Ali Smith is one of my all-time favourite authors, so I was pleased to hear you gave Gliff a second chance. I am waiting for a library copy.

[@theonlyrealproperty2567]

Really looking forward to hearing what you think of it!

[@jennyjaybles]

This sounds exactly like a book I will enjoy. I am very fascinated by folktales and fairytales. I am rediscovering some women writers I read when I was young who wrote fantasy books whether they were for YA or for adults who have those same tropes you are talking about except I absolutely love it. I know I loved it when I was a young girl. Currently reading The Changeling Sea by Patricia A. McKillip. I read this when I was about 15 but I am still finding it beautifully written. Protagonist is a young girl whose father recently died and mother is depressed heartbroken absent. Magic ensues. Escapism. Silliness. It's a delight. I find her writing is very poetic. The Phillip Pullman books sounds great too. I am looking to get more books on fairy tales, folklore and mythology. Thank you.

[@theonlyrealproperty2567]

I just looked up The Changeling Sea and it looks like something I would have adored as a girl! I wonder if my childhood classics would hold up to adult reading... might give it a go. Re fairytales, are you aware of Jen Campbell's channel? She is really into that sort of thing and might be a good resource for you (apologies if you already know about her). Thanks so much for commenting :-)

[@jennyjaybles]

@theonlyrealproperty2567 I had not come across Jen Campbell. I have subscribed to her. Also, I recently discovered Robin McKinley. I did not read her when I was young but I wish I had. Most of her books are for teens but she has a fairy tale retelling of Deerskin which is for adults, it's much too brutal for YA but I had never read anything like it before. Makes me interested in analyzing where the lines blur between a teen book and an adult book. Thank you for the booktuber recommendation!

[@thelefthandedreader6632]

I’m ore fascinated about this book now! I’m waiting for it from the library. 😊

[@theonlyrealproperty2567]

I'll be very interested to hear what you think!

[@jameskatie]

i really enjoyed listening to you discuss your initial thoughts on the book, through your reassessment, and the tangents you went on. i love how the thinking and processing of a book is just as important and as enjoyable as reading it!! it was a joy to hear your journey with it. i do really like ali smith and find that her work often leads me on many tangents and discovering lots of references. will hopefully get around to gliff at some point! x

[@theonlyrealproperty2567]

Thanks for taking the time to comment here. This was a book I really wasn't sure about but it certainly got me thinking, and to have this place in which I can share that is so much fun. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of Gliff!

[@bibliosophie]

i really like ali smith, so i’ve definitely been curious about gliff… but i am unfortunately not interested in folktales and fairytales at all. we’ll see what reaction i have to the book if i get to it. i’m not very encouraged by your review, despite your (semi?) reassessment. i did however really enjoy hearing about your grappling with what it is you got from the book. i am always fascinated by the process of reading and thinking about books, and how nonlinear a book’s impact can be. it’s a question i ask myself regularly: did i like this book? or did i like the thoughts that it inspired me to have? does that in turn make it a good book? etc

[@theonlyrealproperty2567]

Indeed! I'm still debating (in my head, silently hehe) whether the thoughts inspired by this book make it a good book. I'm also not 100% sure about my fairy-tale take on the book. It's more dystopian than fairy-tale, maybe. Perhaps I'm reading too much into the text because it's written by Ali Smith? Aaaaaiiii ..... overthinking now.....

[@TiggerTellsTales]

Hmmm this has been a book I’ve been anticipating for when it comes out in the US even though I don’t read fantasy. I was a big equestrian for 2/3’s of my life so maybe that’s the allure. Thanks for your thoughts!

[@theonlyrealproperty2567]

I've had a look at a few other reviews and they are quite different to mine ... I look forward to reading your thoughts too.

[@scallydandlingaboutthebooks]

Separation from parents is central to so many children's books. Great to connect it to Gliff. And one should never underestimate Smith and her ability to write a multilayered book. Unlike you I enjoy her wordplay. I see it as lighthearted and playful. I certainly saw Gliff as something of a fable and in the manner of a folktale some of the characters were without depth. And as you know from my review, I reacted against being told what to think so distinctly. Nevertheless I enjoyed it more than you. I am glad it won you round at least partially.

[@theonlyrealproperty2567]

I so appreciate you popping by my channel and taking the time to comment! The more I think about this book, the more I view it as a YA dystopian novel whose target audience is readers over 50. It's quite odd.

[@marja2909]

I used to like her books a lot, especially "The Accidental". But I grew tired of her weaving (fictionalised) accounts of historical figures into her stories. Does that happen in Gliff? I'm curious how your opinion on Gliff might change after you read the second part of the duology

[@theonlyrealproperty2567]

As far as I can tell there are no historical figures in this novel. The illustration of the young person on the horse did bring to my mind Joan of Arc, but I think that goes with the theme of resistance against power rather than any actual link to historical occurrences / people.