Lily Brett’s
fictitious novel Lola Bensky is one
of the most alluring and satisfying books I have read in a long time. From the
very first page, where Lola is interviewing Jimi Hendrix, I was sucked into
Brett’s 1960s world.
Brett draws on her
own experiences working as a rock journalist (in the US and the UK) for the
novel. It follows Lola as she finds herself in fantastic situations including
interviewing the likes of: Mick Jagger, Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, Jim
Morrison, The Mamas and the Papas and Sonny and Cher.
With acquaintances
such as Australian correspondent, Lillian Roxan, Brett takes the reader not
only into an incredible time in music, but also a fascinating time for
journalism.
Brett’s storytelling
has a depth about it that I was not expecting when I first started reading.
Including stories of Lola’s parents as death camp survivors, surviving
Auschwitz. Another concept based on Brett’s own life. The way Brett describes
her fictional parents experiences is both touching and educating, reigniting in
myself as a reader an interest in WWII and a want to further my knowledge on
the subject.
On the topic of Nazi
death camps, Brett’s writing forced me to consider concepts I never had before,
such as the inter-generational effects of the Nazi concentration camps.
Brett’s ideas that
she reflects through Lola are also intriguing. With weight being a significant
theme in the novel I absolutely love Lola’s reference to Twiggy,
“Twiggy was about to
change the shape that women wanted to be – a change that would last decades and
have almost every female in the developed world on a diet.”
Lola Bensky is a raw piece of work that gives so much to its
readers. That I continue discuss with anyone willing to listen.
Have you read the book? What did you think?
What are you reading at the moment?
Rachel
xx
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