I gave this book a five star rating in my StoryGraph and will be posting a review on my Instagram this weekend for pre release sharing. I had been wanting to read Crusk for a while now, so when I saw this new release, I thought, no better time than the present.
Stunning writing. Beautiful words to that make the reader stop and think, even if there is no clear answer in her manuscript, or even in life, but you, the reader, are going to be thinking about those words in this book as you read them, later that day when you are driving or in the shower, and next week, haunted by the reality of life, death, and the days in between. I will be going to Crusk’s backlist now and work on being a completist. Thank you for the advanced audio.

I appreciate how smart and well worded this was but I’m not sure I really got what it was trying to do? It’s all about visual art and being an artist, which I don’t always love to read about, so probably a me thing. She has a way of constructing a sentence that knocks me off my feet though, I know I’ll continue reading her for a long time even though this one wasn’t a huge hit for me.

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️ | 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥-𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲, 𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 “𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐭” 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐃𝐍𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝟐𝟓% 𝐢𝐧.

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝑅𝒶𝒸𝒽𝑒𝓁 𝒞𝓊𝓈𝓀, 𝑀𝒶𝒸𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒶𝓃 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

This is my first book by Rachel Cusk, and it was highly anticipated among my friend groups. So, I requested an ARC, and oh boy now I get the hype. It certainly won't be my last Cusk. Her stream of consciousness style feels lucid and disconnected at the same time. The way she loosely entwined all four parts of the book still leaves much for readers' interpretation. Her narrative may feel a little jittery at times since all of the artists in this book are called 'G,' although they lead quite different lives from each other. Their connection/relation to other people and art is a strong connection point in these characters. But I was never bored due to a lack of substance. Some critics have said this is a little pretentious, but I didn't feel that way; I found it to be quite personal and intimate.
Overall, it is quite good. 4.25 stars out of 5.
Audiobook review: Genevieve Gaunt has done a great job !! I love how clearly you can hear the emotional turmoil from her narration.
Thank you very much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC ❤️

Rachel Cusk has a true talent and this book has continued my love for her writing. I expect nothing less than a well written story from Cusk and like always she delivers. Genevieve Gaunt is a great narrator, she's clear with her speaking and conveys the emotions needed in the novel. I liked listening to her voice and think that she was a great choice for this.

I am so thankful to Macmillan Audio, FSG, and Netgalley for the advanced physical, digital, and audio access to this lyrical beauty before it hits shelves on June 18, 2024.

We’re presented the storyline of G an artist whose paintings depict multiple lifelines, seeing no specific gender and catapulting into various phases of life. In one instance G is a man who paints ugly scenarios of his wife, ridiculing her features for the love and hate of art. In another instance, G is a young woman whose suffering the loss of her maternal figure, and then proceeds to redistribute her legacy into the hearts of her children.

Told through a continuous stream of thought and aesthetics, Parade is a parade of emotional stories and themes that leave the reader yearning for more. I especially appreciated being lured into the syrupy melodies of the narrator by listening to this piece on audio.

Thank you Macmillan and NetGalley for an early copy of this novel.

What a brilliant book, I'm pretty astonished. I enjoyed Cusk's previous novel SECOND PLACE but this new one is next level good. It's fragmentary yet very cohesive, throws all novelistic conventions away to make something newer (and dare I say better). The structure here comes together in such a way that its function of presentation blends perfectly with form and content, as if the brush is just as important to art as the painting. It's really quite remarkable and singular what Cusk is able to accomplish here. I hope that this book wins all the awards and recognition that the Outline trilogy has (the three books have sat on my shelf for ages, and I think it's finally time to indulge in them)

A new favorite novel, both of the year and maybe of all time. I am desperate to reread this.

PARADE comes out June 18th, and needless to say, it's essential reading.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an audio ARC of this book!

This was another quintessential Cusk Novel! The book is an exploration of Art, femininity, interpersonal relationships, and so much more! Similar to other Cusk novels, this book explores the relationship between artist and art, and what is the responsibility and motivations behind creation. This primary exploration of the artist allows the reader to consider their own relationship with creation, and encourages the reader to identify their own biases and perspective while creating.

This is not the book to pick up if you are looking for a clear plot to follow. Cusk distorts traditional storytelling modes to deliver a moving portrayal of individuals establishing their own identities in society. This character driven piece left me thinking when I was not listening to it, and I wish I had the physical copy of the book to annotate. I found the narrator to this audiobook was perfect for the story, but this is definitely a book that would benefit from a physical copy as well.