Review: Bohemia

Bohemiaby Veronika Carnaby

Independent

Publishedin 2012

190pages

Fiction

Synopsis:

In her debut novel, VeronikaCarnaby picks up where the Beat Generation left off. Set in 1960, Bohemiachronicles a group of twenty-somethings who defy the “ideals” of a mid-twentiethcentury society to seek creative fulfillment. In the process, they spotlightthe creative path that artists of all mediums tread, all the while depictingthe challenges faced by youth in the decade that changed the world.

I've always been intrigued by the Beat Generation and Veronika Carnaby helped me geta better grasp of it. Bohemia takes you on a journey through the eyes of thefree-spirited Valerie. She wants to find her place in the world but has no ideahow to get there. Starting in England, her travels take her to New York, NewHampshire, Chicago and Boston; and she has a great time everywhere she goes. ThroughValerie’s eyes and ears, you experience great music, art and poetry.

Thereare many different characters in this book. At times, it is difficult to keepeveryone straight. There is a lot of wandering throughout this book and thereare many times I’m as lost as Valerie. But I guess it keeps you on toes becauseyou never know when Valerie and her friends will just get up and go tosomeplace new. At times, I was really frustrated with Valerie and her lack clarity.However, I did appreciate her passion for music. Basically, she and her friendswould party and dance until they passed out. Carnaby’s descriptions of themusic and how it affected Valerie were wonderful.

It seems the relationshipsduring this time period were really flighty. Valerie saw her friends come andgo with not a lot of emotion. I know that she cares for her friends but didn't want to be bothered with deep relationships that could tie her down. She feltthat she had some deep connections with her friends but I found it hard tobelieve.

Overall,I would say that this was a nice read. There were several formatting and editingissues but once you get in the flow of the book, they could be overlooked.

*A copy of this book was provided to me by the author which did not influence my writing this review.*