Infamous- A Novel by Lex Croucher
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Web ID: 16836019funny
i read all 300 pages in one sitting, it’s a very easy read, funny, and it has a bit of an unexpected turn
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
It Might Be For You (Many Caveats)
The Great Eddie and Rose’s relationship. Friends to lovers, slowly building. Rose Lee is in love with Edith “Eddie” Miller, obvious to just about everyone except Eddie. That’s something so very sapphic to me, being the last one to know what everyone else has already figured out. They “practice” how to kiss with each other and when Rose is trying to kiss Eddie for real, she thinks it’s just more platonic practicing. Eddie holds fast to a childhood promise that neither of them would marry, and for a long time can’t figure out why it’s so important to her, why she feels she is losing Rose. Eddie’s family. Big and bustling, distinct characters, informal atmosphere. Eddie has four siblings and two parents, who all encourage her education and her writing. Casual diversity. The real world regency era in England would not have been as square and homogenous as most movies make it out to be. There are gay, lesbian, and bi characters here, but of course they are not “out.” There still would have been private pockets of society for the alphabet mafia, especially with the literary or artistic crowd. One set of Rose’s grandparents are from China. We normally don’t see Asian or biracial with one of the races being Asian in historical fiction. But they definitely existed. One character from the literary scene is Black and an abolitionist. Sadly we don’t really see the rest of the crew actively engage in abolition, more of just general, bland encouragement for his writing. Rose Lee. Rose knows exactly who she is and firmly sticks by what she wants out of life. She doesn’t hide her Asian heritage. She picks a marriage to a man that she thinks would give her the best life, under the circumstances. She knows she is only romantically interested in women and has chosen her homosexual soon-to-be husband so that they can make their home a haven to what would be termed today as LGBT+ people. She is far quicker to understand people’s character and predatory notions than Eddie. She lets Eddie know what she thinks of her decisions, she doesn’t tend to let things fester inside. It’s easy for the reader to fall in love with this character. The Questionable Eddie Miller. Most reviewers seem to hate how oblivious Eddie is about Rose, about Nash, about life in general. I think it’s realistic for Eddie to not realize she has feelings for women, Rose in particular. Especially with biphobia and bi-erasure. It took me until about her age to realize that I kept assuming I would have sexual attraction to a guy in real life because I had for fictional men. Yet I assumed I can’t be attracted at all to women because I hadn’t felt real-world attraction like I had felt for fictional women. Had to battle my own bi-erasure. So putting Eddie about 200 years back into regency England, it makes sense why she wouldn’t realize her feelings. Eddie cont’d. I think Eddie not realizing how vile Nash is has more to do with her own ideals rather than examining the reality of the situation. She wants to be acknowledged by a literary idol, be taken into the London literary scene, and be deemed fit to be among them. She wants to be constructively critiqued then published then adored. It’s not uncommon for people to dismiss the idea that someone they deem a hero from an institution they love is capable of villainy, of moral and legal crimes. We see that with football stars, with politicians, with musicians. People do not want to believe that they could be duped or that their institutions need questioning. They sometimes mentally equate accusing a hero of theirs with accusing themselves and cling more as the logic against their devotion piles up. Eddie experiences a small version of that with Nash. At least that’s how I see it. Also Rose literally has a maid named Jemima. My first thought was: how did that make it through? I’ll assume that there isn’t the same connotations in Britain. The Bad The crumbling waterlogged mansion scenes. Looking back, we definitely spend too much time here, making Nash too much the focus of the book. Especially since so many things get unresolved from this portion of the book. Did Nash kill that guy? That didn’t seem like it would be solely from Eddie’s delirious mushroom episode. Did Nash assault that servant; is that guy okay? It was never talked about again. Also I could have used a romantic scene with Rose and Eddie once they had returned to their normal lives or years into the future. It does make sense how the use of documents was employed to show a realistic way their relationship would have gone on. But that’s a really subjective critique. Also I personally would have liked more time with the recourse of the stolen manuscript, with Eddie exhausting her avenues of getting the truth out there before a big internal moment of despair, then getting back up to write another novel. This happens quickly at the end, and it doesn’t seem like she actually tried to get the truth out there. Again, a really subjective critique. Overall I enjoyed reading most of this book, and really enjoyed each of the characters. I think others’ enjoyment of this work will depend upon if they absolutely despise the main character being the last to figure out things or if they can allow some leeway for the main character to make these mistakes. Also depends on if they like the first person POV, romances with a small bit of spice, and historical fiction. I’m giving it a 7/10 mostly worth the read. Recommending for others involved many asterisks. Provided with a NetGalley audiobook for review, not sponsored. A great audiobook narrator really helped this one.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Delightful Regency romp
Eddie is an aspiring writer grappling with change when her longtime best friend, Rose, starts talking about settling down. Why can’t things stay the way they are? Enter Nash, a handsome published poet who offers help with Eddie’s novel, and entry into his debaucherous world. Will Eddie have to choose between her friendship with Rose and her literary aspirations? Lex Croucher’s latest Regency romp is delightfully queer and packed with a lot of heart. It is a refreshing yet grounded reflection of the era. Highly recommend!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A misleading beginning that led to a decent story.
The first half of Infamous follows Eddie as she obsesses over her writing and her idol, Nash, largely in order to help herself get over her best friend's impending marriage. However, the story doesn't really get going until the group ends up on Nash's private island, where the secrets come out and Eddie and Rose finally start to process their feelings. Even then, while the drama and atmosphere are great, the story is a bit slow. Overall, I think the author had a great idea with this book, but needed to condense down to make it hit the way it should have.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Queer Regency Romance
I really don't know what to say to get you to read this book other than Regency era friends-to-lovers women, and one of them is an author. But, if you are still not convinced, I have read quite a few Regency era novels, and this one would probably be considered my favorite. Although there are quite a few anachronisms, they make the book easier to read and do not distract from the setting. Also it is actually funny, which is rarer than one would expect for Regency-era romcoms, which I have read quite a few of
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Heartwarming
Regency romance but make it queer! I loved this book and the slow, unfurling manner in which Edith (aka Eddie) comes to realize she’s in love with her best friend Rose. Like reputation, this novel is full of “bad behavior” by regency standards, and delightful young women who do a lot of growing up and finding themselves through a series of hijinks and absurd situations. I really enjoyed it and was rooting for Eddie and Rose the whole time.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Sapphic, slow-burn, historical romance
Infamous is the story of Eddie and Rose. While Eddie is determined to make her own way in the world without bowing to societal norms, Rose must consider her family in the choices she makes. Best friends from the beginning, Eddie is shocked and hurt when Rose becomes engaged to a man who prides himself on the breeding of rabbits. When an irreverent and charming poet meets her and promises her literary success, Eddie and Rose find themselves forced to decide what is truly most important. I absolutely LOVED Infamous!! It solidified Lex Croucher for me as one of those authors that I will read anything they write- grocery receipts included! Croucher writes incredible historical queer romance. Their writing is witty and joyful, while not ignoring serious social issues of the time. I personally loved the LGBTQ+ and non-binary rep! Lex Croucher writes about queerness, diversity, hilarious shenanigans, and an aching love between two friends who know almost everything about each other. Nash is such a well-written and entertaining character and also I wanted to slip through the pages and push him off a cliff. The supporting cast brings in a beautiful element of queer found family, especially with Valentine and Dayo. I could have read books about their lives as well and hope to see them again! Eddie and Rose have a yearning, slow-burn love story that I could read over and over again. I highly recommend Infamous! This book would be great for readers who love Little Women (Eddie is similar to Jo Marsh). I also think readers who enjoy authors like KJ Charles, Alexis Hall, and Freya Marske would enjoy Infamous.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A queer friends-to-lovers Regency romance!
A queer friends-to-lovers Regency-era romance! This book appealed to me not only for being inclusive, but also for challenging the gender stereotypes, racial disparities, and norms of the time. However, I really struggled with the slow pacing - it made it hard to get and stay invested in the story, even though I genuinely enjoyed the banter and watching the romance unfold. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the story had solely focused on Eddie and Rose and left Nash out of the mix completely. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com