Review by Lak22010+ -- Looking Glass Friends by E L Neve

[Lak22010+]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Looking Glass Friends" by E L Neve.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Looking Glass Friends by E.L. Neve is a tale of the make or break of relationships and the ins and outs of a marriage. It is based on a series of letters between friends that find a deeper connection with each other and the demise of the world around them.

The story starts following the lives to two couples, one set falling apart and the other still seeming in blissful happiness. The main characters meet in a bakery where the male lead works. They have a brief conversation that leads to the main female character buying him a copy of her favorite novel, leaving a note with her email address in it. They start a pen-pal friendship based on their love of knowledge and inspirational poems. They escalate to phone calls late at night and begin a complicated friendship. The story follows along with their friendship and the affects that it has on their relationships and family lives surrounding them.

E.L. Neve is great at capturing the elements of relationships and deep, complex feelings of love and hate. The book flows nicely at the beginning and end, but does slow down some in between. The reader continues turning the pages out of a sense of suspense, waiting to see what is in store for all of the characters, not just the main two. There are new surprises every chapter that are surprising and sometimes unexpected.

The use of poetry throughout the novel engages the audience as well. The author uses beautiful works to help put character thoughts and feelings into words when the characters otherwise don’t have the words to describe what exactly they are thinking. It not only flows nicely with the writing, but also introduces readers to other works of art while reading this one.

I give Looking Glass Friends 4 out of 4 stars. Even with the slowness in the middle, the book is beautifully written with exceptional editing throughout. The reader forms strong connections with all of the characters in different forms, and you end up rooting for certain people while starting to dislike others once secrets come to the surface. It also makes one realize how fragile life and relationships can be, as well as families. It explores the importance of physical aspects, as well as mentally stimulating aspects that are both needed to create a long-lasting relationship. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good romantic story that explores all of these aspects of love. It is more likely to be enjoyed by readers that have had experience in relationships and deep connections with friends, so it is not a good young-adult audience read.

******
Looking Glass Friends
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Erin Painter Baker]

This sounds like an interesting book. And I do love it when a fiction author makes good use of poetry. I'll have to consider reading this.