Author: Leslye Walton
Length: 320 pages
Age Group: Young Adult
Published: 2014
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender is the debut novel by author Leslye Walton, and it is full of great storytelling. Different things you will find in this book are history, love, fantasy, and supernatural elements. All of these being things I love.
The book tells the story of Ava Lavender, a girl born with wings, and her family. While growing up, she was secluded from the world in her family's house because her mother wanted to keep her safe. However, she eventually starts sneaking out at night with her only friend and gets a taste of the real world.
The book takes place in different time periods of the twentieth century so you witness important events from each generation of the Lavender family's lives. You first learn about her grandmother Emelienne, her mother Viviane, and then the most important one, Ava's story. That is something I enjoyed about the book: Just because her name is in the title, it isn't just Ava's story. Not only do you get to see what her family went through, but you also get to know the town full of colorful characters with their own stories.
The book gets its title from the tragic love stories that you read throughout the book, but although the book is filled with some tragedy, it is also full of hope. Not just hope in love, but also hope in life.
Favorite Quotes:
"Love can make us such fools."
"She is the glorious reincarnation of every woman ever loved. It was her face that launched the Trojan War, her untimely demise that inspired the building of India's Taj Mahal. She is every angel in Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel."
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