It Is Wood, It Is Stone by Gabriella Burnham
The eBook copy of It Is Wood, It Is Stone was graciously provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: This was an intriguing read and I read it very quickly. With that being said, I look forward to re-reading the book.
Synopsis: A story of romance, separation, and sexuality, Linda and Dennis move to Brazil so Dennis can complete his year-long professorship. While Dennis is teaching, Linda is finding herself. Linda meets Celia, who ultimately changes her relationship with Dennis.
Burnham gives us a beautifully written set of characters, their dynamics among each other, and the stunning setting of São Paulo, Brazil. First and foremost, I felt like I was there as I read. From her descriptions of the city to the feeling of humidity to the smells, Burnham pained a mesmerizing setting for her readers. I’m a sucker for escapist novels. And we can’t forget the characters. They were well-developed. Linda is a character who we see change dramatically throughout the story, and thanks to Burnham, we are able to sympathize with Linda’s character deeply. However, I would have loved to hear more from the perspective of Marta, Linda and Dennis’ housekeeper. Her perspective on the marriage would’ve been quite interesting and I honestly would’ve read a whole book just from her POV. There were times where we were given the story from Marta’s perspective but I simply wanted more. The end of the novel came a bit to quickly for my liking. I feel like the characters had a BIT more developing to do in the last 20 or so pages.
Overall, I would rate this a “B read” and recommend to those who are looking for relatable characters with quite the twist.
It Is Wood, It Is Stone is set to be published June 30th of 2020 by Random House Publishing Group.
Keep an eye out for this interesting read!