3.5 - This book started off slow for me, picked back up quite a bit in the middle, and then unfortunately ended a bit slow. It took me some time to get used to the lack of quotations for dialogue and while I did really enjoy the narrator and her view on the world and the environmental perspective, it just felt like it was leading up to something that never quite happened. I didn't dislike the book, I thought the writing was really beautiful and I loved the discussion and imagery of nature and the different water systems and how that tied into the plot, I just think more could have happened.

Elegy, Southwest is following a young couple who is taking a trip through the American Southwest, experiencing the breakdown of their relationship in the midst of the turmoil of the man losing his mother and fresh in the middle of grief. It is a book about grief and loss, family, working through relationship issues, and the beauty and power of nature. I was really excited for this book because I thought it would be mostly about nature and geography and incorporating that into a healing journey for this couple through grief. And while it was, the plot just moved along slowly, as slowly as this couple made their way through the Southwest. Eloise is grieving the loss of the environment and the effects of climate change, and Lewis is grieving his mother. The perspective of grief on two different issues was quite interesting!

Overall, a bit slow of a book for me personally, but there were parts I really liked. Thanks Simon Books for the free book!!

Unfortunately this one just wasn't for me. I felt early in that I was forcing myself to continue reading. I wasn't hooked, I just felt obligated.

I'm almost certain this is a "me" thing, though. Geography isn't my jam. And while there's no doubt this is well researched, the way the info was used felt too rigid. I was hoping for less info dump, more...idk, a feel more like random fun facts than textbook (at some points).

But one thing I really really enjoyed was how the dialogue was written!! I'm a no quotation marks girlie anyway, and this was even better.

Since this is more a "me" thing, I don't think it's fair to Madeleine to have my rating count against her. For that reason, I'll only be posting my review here on NG.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC!

I really enjoyed the writing, and a lot of the ideas discussed in the book. Many of Eloise's musings deeply resonated with me due to my own experiences, and I have underlined quite a few passages.

I've also learned a lot about the Colorado River that I was not aware of before, so pretty thankful to the author for that!

Overall impression of the book is that it is bleak and slow. The plot moves at a speed of a two-week road trip, which is perhaps the point. The bleakness inevitably comes from the themes covered, which are broadly noted in the blurb for the novel as well, so those should not be a surprise (on that note, I, for some reason, thought this was a sci-fi novel, so don't do what I did). I also found that while the individual ideas were interesting, the narrative never truly coalesced for me into a coherent piece of writing, instead if felt more vignette-ish (hence, this is a rounded up 4 star read).

There is one pretty upsetting scene which might hit some people more than others, so please check trigger warnings.

Elegy, Southwest has a beautiful cover and the premise sounded interesting, alas I couldn’t get into the story and ended up not finishing it at about 30%.

I had no idea what to expect with this one. I thought the cover was hauntingly beautiful; austere, empty, dry. The book itself was similar, but in a good way. Told without the use of quotation marks, this was essentially a travelogue of a couple's trip throughout the Southwest, following the tributaries of the Colorado River. It took a while to get used to the author's style, but once that clicked in, the novel clicked in as well. The couple's descent into trouble was mirrored by Eloise's study of the history of the Colorado, and husband Louis's issues growing up in the region.

I enjoyed this. On the surface simple and unassuming, but beneath the veneer complex and alive. I would absolutely read more from the author.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

A beautiful book. I loved the past tense throughout it emphasized the sadness on the reminiscing. Also an interesting setting.

4 stars / This review will be posted on BookwormishMe.com & goodreads.com today.


This was an interesting first-person narrative of the events surrounding a trip through the southwest U.S. At times it did drag a bit, and as it was told only from the eyes of one character, I’m not sure we ever fully grasped the second main character, the husband. However, a lot of the writing was so descriptive and lyrical, it felt like I was traveling along with them.

Eloise is our narrator. She is working on her doctorate dissertation which is about the Colorado River and the effects of drought on the Southwest. Her husband, Lewis, has been called to Las Vegas to meet with his boss. This gives them a jumping off point.

While this story focuses on the journey down the Colorado River, it is more about the relationship between Eloise and Lewis. Lewis plays a distant supporting role. All we really know about him is Eloise’s reactions to him. He seems childlike in many ways - filming himself dancing in restaurant bathrooms and wanting to be the center of attention. We are merely an audience on the sidelines.

This novel is unique in many ways. It is also really informative about the region they travel through. There are crises and tragedies, but also sheer joy. It wasn’t the easiest read I had in 2024 but I did enjoy it. Being from the southwest, it reminded me of places I’ve been, but also places I’d love to see.

I didn't love this novel, but it was a good way to end 2024.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book at 33%. I just found it incredibly slow and boring. I couldn't connect with the main character. This might be a better read for those that prefer thought-provoking slower paced novels.

As much as I wanted to persist with this book, I found it utterly boring, and after 35% just couldn't give it any more of my time. The writing is dry and bland, and the narrative drones on endlessly, perhaps in replication of the painfully slow trip this couple are apparently taking. I do hope it finds an appreciative audience, but it's just not a book for me. I will not be sharing this one on social media, as I prefer not to post negative reviews that might discourage a potential reader.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ebook. The novel follows a young couple in 2018 on a road trip through the Southwest. Eloise is fascinated with the Colorado River as it’s part of her forthcoming dissertation. Lewis works for a land art foundation and is going to check in on an ongoing, and massive, outdoor instillation. They seem like a normal couple, but we see that the recent death of his mother has sort of left Lewis lost and increasingly self medicating, while Eloise is at a loss as to how to help him. Such a thoughtful debut novel.

I love Madeleine's writing. This book was beautifully written. You can feel the pain the main character feels throughout this story. This is a great read!

This book isn't for everyone but I personally loved it. I thought the story telling was fascinating. I've never seen second person used successfully but I think Watts did a really great job. You know the book is building to something the whole time but in a much different way than I expected. It was a book where not a whole lot happened, but also everything. It was just people going through grief, love, youth, adventure, and confusion in a very realistic way.

Told from the perspective of his wife, Eloise, Elegy, Southwest is an intriguing and haunting novel about Lewis, Eloise's husband. Lewis is approaching thirty years old and works at a foundation that supports artists. Lewis uses his father's credit card to pay for expenses as Eloise and Lewis travel out west to visit an artist. Lewis is also grieving his mother's cancer diagnosis and death while Eloise thinks she may be pregnant. Readers know from the beginning of the novel that something will happen to Lewis. Author Watts has skillfully constructed a road trip book where readers constantly ask what will happen. The book's ending is ideal for discussion groups.

Uncanny Valley abounds in this twist on the classic Southwestern road trip novel - a 21st-century Kerouac. The problem is that the protagonist lacks the charm of Kerouac's characters and is mostly an unintended caricature of a navel-gazing millennial. I appreciated the view toward ecology and climate change, but overall this one is a pretty easy pass.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC of Madeleine Watts' 'Elegy Southwest.'

This is a well titled novel, truly an elegy for the lost. It's an engrossing tale of loss and grief - both for loved ones of the main characters and for the once mighty Colorado which, we learn, because of human intervention doesn't even make it to the ocean anymore. It's also a travelogue as we're taken all over the South West and the path and former path of the Colorado.

Eloise is the river/water expert and to have the human-impacted history of the Colorado laid out quite so lyrically as we move through the book and landscape is terrifying. What's been done and continues to be done to it is criminal and heartbreaking.

Lewis is an artist fine art expert - pay-rolled by his father long after he's become an adult - and we witness him breaking down under the weight of his mother's death and the discoveries about the decades long and colossal art project he's been tasked with auditing.

For me, Lewis came across as terribly selfish in his grief but I think that's on me and maybe I need to show more compassion but it does feel like Eloise is left too much alone with her grief.

There are so many layers of loss and grief in this novel and I can't go into a lot of them for fear of spoilers but it's very finely wrought and as spare and beautiful as the disappearing and changing landscapes it moves through.

This novel offers an interesting premise with its road trip setting through the American Southwest, highlighting the looming environmental crisis of the Colorado River. The contrast between Eloise’s academic perspective and Lewis’s grief provides some depth to their characters, and the backdrop of wildfires adds a sense of urgency.

However, the execution falls short in several areas. The narrative often feels disjointed, with the emotional tension between the couple underdeveloped. Eloise and Lewis’s literal and metaphorical journey never fully resonates, and the pacing tends to drag at times. While the setting is vividly described, the plot lacks momentum, and the themes of environmental decay and personal loss don’t quite come together compellingly.

Overall, the novel has some poignant moments but struggled to leave a lasting impression with me.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My god was this a beautiful, haunting, eerie book and I love it so much. The way the writing circles from what is going on on the couples journey to memories and remembrances. The vulnerability and fragility of being. The experience and toll of mental health. The many stories and ecological passages. My god- It was beautiful and sad. I read a NetGalley copy and highly suggest reading it.

This was a good read. It happens of loss, and it focused on loss in multiple ways: loss of life, loss of relationship, and loss due to environmental change. This book focused on how people handle grief in different ways, and it was a well written book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

For starters, you can easily see the dedication and amount of research the author did to accurately portray her story! This was beautifully told and while at times heart felt, it was real.

I found this book to be really interesting. Watts writing really captured what the couple was going through as they made their way through their road trip. Both of these characters are grieving, Lewis the loss of his mother, and Eloise the environmental losses due to climate change and human actions. They are both dealing with grief in different ways, and not really discussing it with one another. Eloise is observing and reflecting on her husband's grief throughout the book. I really enjoyed the exploration of the couple's relationship. You can really feel the loneliness and devastation from Watts writing. It was the perfect sad and moving read. It gives the reader something to think about.