An Exaltation of Larks (Venery)

I am an avid reader and would not consider myself a prude; however I only read about half of it since I found it offensive and in poor taste.

Suanne Laqueur, author of the Fish Tales, has created a devistatingly beautiful world in her latest novel. This book made me laugh, cry, and think, and I hated to leave the characters behind. Thank you, Suanne, for allowing us to live in your world.

Talk about a hidden gem. I ordered this book last year. Why did I wait so long to review it, you ask? I'm basically the moodiest of readers. I am honestly mad at myself for waiting this long.

This book is a work of art. It centers around three people who keep running into each other and living semi-parallel lives. It is NOT a Why Choose, but it questions the importance of love and family and how the two can come about amongst a group of people.

Jav was my favorite character. His story resonated with me because I came into who I was and who I am comfortable with as an adult. Will I sob the whole time I read Trueblood Cay in the near future? Probably, but it will be worth it, I'm sure. Will I also read the remaining books in the Venery series? You betcha (and I'm definitely not going to wait so long to do it). Alex and Val were still great characters, but Trelawney took the cake on the Lark siblings. "Jav. Fetch" made me laugh so hard.

So, definitely go read this book. It is very much an emotional ride but it is relatable. And I promise you, you won't regret it.

I absolutely adore this book. This is the kind of story that sticks with and you're still left thinking about it days later. This author has a way with words, it's some of the most beautiful writing I've ever experienced. You don't even feel like you're reading.

The characters are so fleshed out, you care about every single one of them by the end. And I do mean every single one of them. It's a long book and I wish it was longer. So now I'm going to go binge read Jav's story in book 2.

I had heard bookstagrammers talk about Suanne Laqueur’s books for some time, so I was so thankful that the author was gracious enough to send me the first two books in the Venery series.

First off, look at these beautiful covers!

I have to say that the story was not what I expected. It went beyond my expectations! When you read the synopsis, it appears that the story centers around two historical dates. So I thought this would be more of a historical fiction read. Although historical events, such as the 1973 Chilean coup and America’s 9/11 are part of the narrative, the heart of the story is about young people finding their way through loss and love.

I loved how these characters came together through found family, friendship and lovers. But the author had my heart on edge as relationships teeter and dance with new awakenings and self-discoveries at every turn.

Although this is filled with heartache and loss, it is also sensual, raw, and incredibly moving. The ending is so hopeful that I’m glad I have book two, 𝐀 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 waiting for me.

I love this book! The characters are so vivid, the story so compelling, that it is hard to put down. I am delighted that there are three books in this series. Complex, haunting and beautiful, such a great story!

Unlike Suanne Laqueur, I am not good with words, but I found this book to be fantastic...heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, haunting, beautiful...everything I want in a book! IMHO, it ranks right up there with Hanya Yanagihara's "A Little Life." I can't wait to read the next in the series! All of the fabulous reviews of this book are spot on!

I went on a trip to New Paltz to meet my in laws and inside a small bookstore in town, I found this book. Surprising that a book with birds on the cover got my attention since I dislike them quite a bit. It was the story line connected to Chile what caught my attention. Nevertheless, I never imagined this book would become one of my top books. The story line was amazing and it was the many unexpected turns and connections what kept me intrigued. I did wait two months when it was almost over because I did not want it to end. I finished it today. Suanne Laqueur, wherever you are, 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽.

Good summer read, but not great. I expected there to be more surrounding the 9/11 events in Santiago and New York, but that was a small part of the story. I would say this book is more about exploring sexuality and the importance of family. It just didn’t quite do it for me.

"Second chances are given or made."

4.5 stars
How to describe this book in three letters? - WOW

I guess it was never this hard for me to write a review about a book that pulled so many emotional strings. I really don't have words for this book. Honestly. But I try to explain what this book did to and with me.

"I know you hate the dark. Believe the light is there. Believe it's going to come back on. As long as you believe, I'm not afraid of this."

An Exaltation of Larks is not the type of book I usually picked up lately. And even though it states in the description that it's not Romance but more Literary Fiction/Contemporary, I was curious enough to give it a go. I jumped at the opportunity to join Suanne's ARC team and choose AEOL as my very first book by her. And I guess I hit a jackpot!

The story of AEOL is slow burn, challenging, deep, touching. It took some time until I got used to the writing style (which to me is quite sophisticated and not comparable to anyone else I've read lately), the switch between the characters and within the timeline and that the characters are not described in the first POV. For me it's much easier to slip in the mind of one character if the story is written in first POV, so it was no surprise to me, that I needed some time to get attached to the characters.

"Life has rules."

Everything you read up until about 30% is to get you on to a certain level of information. It's like you see a lot of puzzle pieces in front of you but you can't imagine getting them into a picture. However, after the events of 9/11 everything seems to fall into into its places and you start to see the picture. The clearer you see the picture the more attached you come to the characters. Suddenly it's so easy to feel with and for them. When their hearts break and get ripped apart, you think it's your own one that just shattered into a thousand pieces. When their hearts scream with happiness, it's your heart that's laughing as well.

The connection between the characters is truly bond by the invisible thread. And living through this is a wonderful experience I'd never want to miss, no matter how hard life is. We all know that fate can be as much a b***h as it can be a blessing. Most of the time I kept shaking my head thinking that's not happening. That can't happen. How strong must a person be to survive those low blows of fate. It's amazing to see how all these characters get up again with and through the love and friendship of family and friends. And then I remember the saying "You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have." I guess that's one of my key takeaway from this book.

"Where the lark went, the tiger longed to follow."

The other key takeaways are that second chances are given or made, that life has rules and that what I feel and believe now is all that matters.

AEOL was a tough read for me. Nothing I expected but everything I wanted and didn't know until I read it. It's a book you need to take your time for. It needs time to get into and it needs time to sink. This book gets to you on levels deep down no other book probably will. Thank you Suanne for giving us this intense story!

"What you feel now is all that matters. What you believe and feel right now. Later on, you might feel differently. Later you might be able to explain it better. But it doesn't ever change how you felt at that time..."