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The Work
Lally has invested everything into her gallery in Manhattan and the sacrifices are finally paying off. Pat is a scholarship boy desperate to establish himself in Sydney's antiquities scene. When they meet at New York's Armory Show their chemistry is instant - fighting about art and politics is just foreplay. With an ocean between them they try to get back to work, but they're each struggling to balance money and ambition with the love of art that first drew them to their strange industry. Lally is a kingmaker, bringing exciting new talent to the world, so what's the problem if it's also making her rich? Pat can barely pay his rent and he isn't sure if he's taking advantage of his clients or if they are taking advantage of him, and which would be worse? Their international affair ebbs and flows like the market, while their aspirations and insecurities are driving them both towards career-ending mistakes. If love costs and art takes, what price do we pay for wanting it all? The Work is about the biggest intersections of of art and commerce, of intimacy and distance, of talent and entitlement, and of labour and privilege. Dazzling, funny and unforgettable, it is an epic and forensic exploration of modern love and passion, politics and power. The Work announces a brilliant new voice in Australian fiction.
A stunning debut novel about art, power, love and money from the acclaimed and bestselling author of Eggshell Skull.'This novel isn't just good; it's superb. Assured, and powerful, and intelligent, and very, VERY hard to put down. I consumed it in a passion.' – Annabel Crabb'Smart, witty and super steamy, The Work oozes intelligence and pulses with energy. I devoured it!' – Emily Maguire'A completely exhilarating, powerful, mesmerising novel, filled with ALL my favourite sex, art and New York City.' – Jessie Tu'A glamorous and dirty capitalist fever dream … complex, opulent and horny.' – Ella Baxter'Caoilinn Hughes' The Orchid and the Wasp meets Andrew Lipstein's Last Resort. A smart, sexy page-turner.' – Madeleine Gray'Work, power, passion, intimacy and vulnerabilities collide, and best of all, SMUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' – Flex Mami'A brilliant meditation on the gap between the person we wish to be and who we actually are. I was completely gripped.' – Bridie Jabour'An ambitious and meticulously modern fable about art, sex, money, power and the perils of self-curation.' – Gina Rushton'Pacy, racy and high-octane, The Work delves into the volatile world of contemporary art, forcefully exposing it as a bedfellow to the world of high finance.' – Caoilinn Hughes
A stunning debut novel about art, power, love and money from the acclaimed and bestselling author of Eggshell Skull.'This novel isn't just good; it's superb. Assured, and powerful, and intelligent, and very, VERY hard to put down. I consumed it in a passion.' – Annabel Crabb'Smart, witty and super steamy, The Work oozes intelligence and pulses with energy. I devoured it!' – Emily Maguire'A completely exhilarating, powerful, mesmerising novel, filled with ALL my favourite sex, art and New York City.' – Jessie Tu'A glamorous and dirty capitalist fever dream … complex, opulent and horny.' – Ella Baxter'Caoilinn Hughes' The Orchid and the Wasp meets Andrew Lipstein's Last Resort. A smart, sexy page-turner.' – Madeleine Gray'Work, power, passion, intimacy and vulnerabilities collide, and best of all, SMUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' – Flex Mami'A brilliant meditation on the gap between the person we wish to be and who we actually are. I was completely gripped.' – Bridie Jabour'An ambitious and meticulously modern fable about art, sex, money, power and the perils of self-curation.' – Gina Rushton'Pacy, racy and high-octane, The Work delves into the volatile world of contemporary art, forcefully exposing it as a bedfellow to the world of high finance.' – Caoilinn Hughes
386 pages, Paperback
First published April 3, 2024
275 people are currently reading
6104 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 516 reviews
April 27, 2024
This book is a total triumph of marketing and hype over substance.
April 20, 2024
I’m genuinely confused what the intent of this book was. It seemed to buy into the “your life isn’t complete without a partner” rhetoric and beyond that I couldn’t find a clear positive message the author was trying to push. Both of the main characters are just straight up unlikeable. Not complex or real or undergoing an engaging character arc, just consistently unlikeable the entire time. I feel like the discussion about violation and sexual assault raised decent arguments but by using the main characters misunderstanding of them as the main discussion point, it just came across as dismissive of the issues at all. Im so confused and I can’t wait to rant about this at book club.
May 7, 2024
I was very curious as to how the author would traverse from her serious nonfiction work to this her debut novel. She nailed it. I entered the art world which I know nothing about, this story showed a glimpse into the art world of Sydney and New York.
I loved her characters, their insecurities, and the complex relationships. Particularly Lally, who on paper has it all, owning her gallery in Manhattan and paying off an apartment made possible through an inheritance, which she runs with a steely determination. Suffering from debilitating migraines (heartbreaking as told with such detail), she is highly skilled and works extremely hard in maintaining a business with integrity, while trying to allow artists to hold on to artistic freedom in a world that seems to be falling apart at the seams.
The rigid power play between men and women, and the politics in business are thrown around. Thoroughly committed to her work, we see Lally careen between being ok with this and working with an intense goal, to wanting more in her personal life with Pat, another young and upcoming guy in the industry. I loved being witness to the author’s obvious art knowledge, interspersing this with the knowledge of art history via Pat.
Pat, a scholarship boy, runs into Lally in the course of work, he too has a passion for art and finds himself in his own personal power struggle with an older female client, and the expectations of his female boss. Bri Lee will always work her writing around these themes, I believe. She writes it well and is unafraid to use these as the basis of her work.
I also appreciated the glimpse at a young couple traversing a relationship on the cusp, assisted by technology as they set up their relationship between Sydney and New York, I found this natural and real. The audio was great – Bri Lee seems to be a gun at everything; her law degree, her art knowledge, her firm grasp of the reality of the precariousness of the man and woman divides, and now an audiobook narrator (with an American accent!). She was very good.
This book has a lot of spice, the sex scenes were raunchy, not at all over done. I sensed all scenes coming to life. I was there in the New York apartment, the areas of Sydney I never go to and in Lally’s Manhattan gallery.
TW - explicit drug use and sex scenes. Bri Lee is a remarkably bright young woman, never destined to write small. A gifted and vibrant writer.
I listened to this audiobook via the Libby app and my local library. A most high recommendation, though not at a light read.
4.5⭐
I loved her characters, their insecurities, and the complex relationships. Particularly Lally, who on paper has it all, owning her gallery in Manhattan and paying off an apartment made possible through an inheritance, which she runs with a steely determination. Suffering from debilitating migraines (heartbreaking as told with such detail), she is highly skilled and works extremely hard in maintaining a business with integrity, while trying to allow artists to hold on to artistic freedom in a world that seems to be falling apart at the seams.
The rigid power play between men and women, and the politics in business are thrown around. Thoroughly committed to her work, we see Lally careen between being ok with this and working with an intense goal, to wanting more in her personal life with Pat, another young and upcoming guy in the industry. I loved being witness to the author’s obvious art knowledge, interspersing this with the knowledge of art history via Pat.
Pat, a scholarship boy, runs into Lally in the course of work, he too has a passion for art and finds himself in his own personal power struggle with an older female client, and the expectations of his female boss. Bri Lee will always work her writing around these themes, I believe. She writes it well and is unafraid to use these as the basis of her work.
I also appreciated the glimpse at a young couple traversing a relationship on the cusp, assisted by technology as they set up their relationship between Sydney and New York, I found this natural and real. The audio was great – Bri Lee seems to be a gun at everything; her law degree, her art knowledge, her firm grasp of the reality of the precariousness of the man and woman divides, and now an audiobook narrator (with an American accent!). She was very good.
This book has a lot of spice, the sex scenes were raunchy, not at all over done. I sensed all scenes coming to life. I was there in the New York apartment, the areas of Sydney I never go to and in Lally’s Manhattan gallery.
TW - explicit drug use and sex scenes. Bri Lee is a remarkably bright young woman, never destined to write small. A gifted and vibrant writer.
I listened to this audiobook via the Libby app and my local library. A most high recommendation, though not at a light read.
4.5⭐
April 5, 2024
I’m a millennial and still didn’t like it
August 4, 2024
dnf at 50%. oh, the marketing really worked its magic with this novel.
if there’s one thing i can praise here, it’s bri lee’s examining what it means to live in a patriarchal society as a woman, viewed through lally’s point of view, as she ponders her relationship with pat:
except for these small, thought-provoking moments, i found the work to be a chore to read: unnecessarily verbose and overwritten to the point that my mind kept wandering and i had to reread paragraphs at some points, and so sparsely worded at others that i couldn’t believe for the life of me that one single person could have penned it. the writing was very clunky throughout, the dialogue felt stilted, the characters lacked dimension, and if there was an actual point to the novel, it very masterfully evaded me.
lastly, i’m not sure if it was intentional, but i’m so glad not to ever have to spend another second with a male main character this obnoxious and insufferable ever again. (pat’s thoughts, after asking out a woman he’s attracted to, only to find out that she has no romantic/sexual interest in the male gender, and ending up striking up a casual acquaintanceship with her… and realising it’s not too bad of a situation to end up in after all:)
if there’s one thing i can praise here, it’s bri lee’s examining what it means to live in a patriarchal society as a woman, viewed through lally’s point of view, as she ponders her relationship with pat:
“How could he not realise what he could take from her? That she would lose legitimacy and appeal once coupled? That he could only benefit from having a wife whereas she could only suffer from having a husband? That (…) anything more (…) would inevitably cost her?”
except for these small, thought-provoking moments, i found the work to be a chore to read: unnecessarily verbose and overwritten to the point that my mind kept wandering and i had to reread paragraphs at some points, and so sparsely worded at others that i couldn’t believe for the life of me that one single person could have penned it. the writing was very clunky throughout, the dialogue felt stilted, the characters lacked dimension, and if there was an actual point to the novel, it very masterfully evaded me.
lastly, i’m not sure if it was intentional, but i’m so glad not to ever have to spend another second with a male main character this obnoxious and insufferable ever again. (pat’s thoughts, after asking out a woman he’s attracted to, only to find out that she has no romantic/sexual interest in the male gender, and ending up striking up a casual acquaintanceship with her… and realising it’s not too bad of a situation to end up in after all:)
“He got all the benefits of speaking to a woman—the emotional insights, the lack of certain types of judgement—but with none of the trickiness or tension that seemed to be there with straight chicks.”
April 18, 2024
I enjoyed this book in some moments but others left me VERY confused. I understand that not every question needs to be answered for a novel to be a good read. But without answers, issues (like the below) felt unintentionally unfinished.
1) Why did Pat make a split decision to move to NYC immediately after major family drama? I’ve considered:
(a) did he feel like he had nothing to stay in Aus for? Even if it was born out of heightened emotion stemming from the family drama, it wasn’t clear what his emotions were.
(b) random, spontaneous, fly by the seat of your pants moment?
(c) did he feel like his tenuous (at best) long distance relationship with Lally was going swell? If so, Patrick and I are sensing VERY different relationship vibes here. Their relationship mainly consists of being fed up with each others world perspective and not communicating effectively. Which leaves you to wonder how much they actually like each other or whether they just like the idea of each other.
2) What did Lally learn, or not learn,from the Farr ordeal!? For something to go so terribly wrong (despite glaring warning signs) and to severely impact the lives of the women involved, Lally didn’t seem to have the level of introspection I was hoping for. Did Lally feel terrible mainly because her career was damaged rather than the impact the exhibition had on others? Did she see where she went wrong? Did she make her mind up about how she felt towards the women? Whatever the point was supposed to be, it didn’t register for me.
1) Why did Pat make a split decision to move to NYC immediately after major family drama? I’ve considered:
(a) did he feel like he had nothing to stay in Aus for? Even if it was born out of heightened emotion stemming from the family drama, it wasn’t clear what his emotions were.
(b) random, spontaneous, fly by the seat of your pants moment?
(c) did he feel like his tenuous (at best) long distance relationship with Lally was going swell? If so, Patrick and I are sensing VERY different relationship vibes here. Their relationship mainly consists of being fed up with each others world perspective and not communicating effectively. Which leaves you to wonder how much they actually like each other or whether they just like the idea of each other.
2) What did Lally learn, or not learn,from the Farr ordeal!? For something to go so terribly wrong (despite glaring warning signs) and to severely impact the lives of the women involved, Lally didn’t seem to have the level of introspection I was hoping for. Did Lally feel terrible mainly because her career was damaged rather than the impact the exhibition had on others? Did she see where she went wrong? Did she make her mind up about how she felt towards the women? Whatever the point was supposed to be, it didn’t register for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2024
I really wanted to like this. I wanted to like this so badly that I read it twice to make sure I wasn’t being too harsh or missing anything. I wasn’t. Bri Lee is one of my favourite non-fiction writers but unfortunately this one felt very surface-level and reductive. I can't imagine the two leads having a conversation outside of what's written - they don't have discernible personalities or voices. The intimacy really only begins in the final chapters; before that, it's sexy, sure, but in service of what point? I saw Bri speak at one of the launch events and she mentioned that this book ended up being cut to 100k words from its initial 180-200k. Sadly, I can tell. It’s clear that Bri cut a lot out of substance and not a lot of sex out this work before it was whittled down to its final product. The premise was so enticing (art, sex, power dynamics in age-gap relationships) but the exploration wasn't there for me. Reading this at the same time as a Caroline O’Donoghue made it abundantly clear what good fiction actually feels like.
May 13, 2024
As someone who works in the arts I was very impressed with Lee’s arts knowledge and the accurate representation of the industry incident towards the second half of this book. Leah’s reaction to the controversy was totally spot on as was Lally’s ignorance and the ‘work’ was completely terrifying.
This book reads like a treatment for a TV show- a series of descriptive/somewhat dramatic and cinematic scenes one after the other and explores little of the character’s internal lives. Each character was familiar to me as a 31 year old woman living in Sydney and working in the arts but I didn’t learn anything more about humanity from either of them. If you love ‘plot’ in novels, this book is for you however the plot is a little predictable and convenient at times. There are several major plot points in the book that could have been fleshed out and ruminated on in more detail however much of the book was made up of beige sex scenes and the characters achieving minor tasks- taking cabs, getting coffee, talking to their vanilla friends. A witty, satirical sitcom coming to our screens soon I am sure.
On class: it is one thing to write about people who have inherited large sums of money or attended ritzy boarding schools, it is quite another to make a refreshing, intelligent statement on class. Putting these characters in your book and giving them upbringings where their families had less money does not tell us anything about class. It was almost sad when it was explained to the reader that Patrick’s family wasn’t always poor. They had a big farm and nice house once. Now his sister is single and living in a regional town with two small children. It sounded like Beck had a lot to say about class. I’d have liked to hear more from her
This book reads like a treatment for a TV show- a series of descriptive/somewhat dramatic and cinematic scenes one after the other and explores little of the character’s internal lives. Each character was familiar to me as a 31 year old woman living in Sydney and working in the arts but I didn’t learn anything more about humanity from either of them. If you love ‘plot’ in novels, this book is for you however the plot is a little predictable and convenient at times. There are several major plot points in the book that could have been fleshed out and ruminated on in more detail however much of the book was made up of beige sex scenes and the characters achieving minor tasks- taking cabs, getting coffee, talking to their vanilla friends. A witty, satirical sitcom coming to our screens soon I am sure.
On class: it is one thing to write about people who have inherited large sums of money or attended ritzy boarding schools, it is quite another to make a refreshing, intelligent statement on class. Putting these characters in your book and giving them upbringings where their families had less money does not tell us anything about class. It was almost sad when it was explained to the reader that Patrick’s family wasn’t always poor. They had a big farm and nice house once. Now his sister is single and living in a regional town with two small children. It sounded like Beck had a lot to say about class. I’d have liked to hear more from her
May 5, 2024
No joy was sparked reading this, the dialogue was so unrealistic it was uncomfortable
Read
July 11, 2024reading about the main couple in this book was like when you have to go to brunch with that couple who should have broken up ages ago because they clearly hate eachother but for some reason they refuse to and then after you have had to listen to the argue for an hour through brunch they start talking about how they might get married soon and you want to put your and their heads through a wall
(I will come back to review this properly later)
(I will come back to review this properly later)
May 1, 2024
I feel like this book was trying to say so much it ended up not saying anything at all? I didn’t really like nor care about what happened to Pat or Lally, waited until 75%of the way through for something to kick off only to turn the final page and realise yep, that’s all there is to this story. A let down unfortunately!
April 29, 2024
I really wanted to like this book. I love Bri Lee’s non fiction. However, I didn’t enjoy this book much at all. I felt that the second half was rushed and unfinished.
What were the consequences of Lally’s poor judgement around showing Farr’s work? She never seemed very remorseful or empathetic toward the models/ victims? What impact did this actually have?
Why did Pat leave Australia? Why was there no exploration of reasons to stay or leave? Getting a dog seems like a simplistic incentive/ enticement for overcoming the money/ age/ career security disparity between Pat and Lally.
Pat’s family seemed like a giant Australian cliche. The emotionally stunted father and the intergenerational lack of choices for women. The private versus public education. The country town with drug addicts. I think there could have been a lot of interesting nuance explored here that was glossed over for the sake of… being quintessentially ironically .. predictably … cliche? Almost like the crocodile Dundee of country Queensland? I know Bri discusses these topics in a fascinatingly academic ways in other mediums so I am sad this was without any nuance here.
What were the consequences of Lally’s poor judgement around showing Farr’s work? She never seemed very remorseful or empathetic toward the models/ victims? What impact did this actually have?
Why did Pat leave Australia? Why was there no exploration of reasons to stay or leave? Getting a dog seems like a simplistic incentive/ enticement for overcoming the money/ age/ career security disparity between Pat and Lally.
Pat’s family seemed like a giant Australian cliche. The emotionally stunted father and the intergenerational lack of choices for women. The private versus public education. The country town with drug addicts. I think there could have been a lot of interesting nuance explored here that was glossed over for the sake of… being quintessentially ironically .. predictably … cliche? Almost like the crocodile Dundee of country Queensland? I know Bri discusses these topics in a fascinatingly academic ways in other mediums so I am sad this was without any nuance here.
May 4, 2024
So I'm a millennial, and I really disliked this book. I'm probably also the lone feminist millennial that finds Bri Lee a bit pretentious...
...so reading about some pretentious art snobs probably led to a bit of hate speed reading. Don't come at me. I recognise I might have missed something; but I am left reeling about the lack of depth, lack of character development, and lack of bloody consequences. Was the point of this story really that you can be a bit of pretentious shitty person and poor feminist but hey, if you end up coupled with a dog you're doing alright 👌 ???
...so reading about some pretentious art snobs probably led to a bit of hate speed reading. Don't come at me. I recognise I might have missed something; but I am left reeling about the lack of depth, lack of character development, and lack of bloody consequences. Was the point of this story really that you can be a bit of pretentious shitty person and poor feminist but hey, if you end up coupled with a dog you're doing alright 👌 ???
March 16, 2025
terrible in innumerable ways. poor handling of serious issues. two deeply unlikeable characters. illogical
romantic pacing. borderline disgusting sex scenes. grating narrative voices. tryhard ending. will not stand the test of time
romantic pacing. borderline disgusting sex scenes. grating narrative voices. tryhard ending. will not stand the test of time
May 2, 2024
enjoyed, but still extremely confused about the importance of the blueberries.
June 12, 2024
5 stars for the idea.
1.5 stars for the executing.
I loved the questions around exploitation, class, power and money. I hate that the exploration of those themes was surface level only, that there were plot lines not resolved, the unbelievable fight Patrick has with his family, Patrick's character was not even required at all, the sex scenes lacked vulnerability and we're just pervy, the big giant bow the plot places on this novel is horrid and the characters had too much privilege and money to make the themes work. This is a mess and I can only assume that everybody involved in publishing this novel has seen the big name, thought Bri Lee will sell, ignored that it was a debut novel and that she might need some criticism to fix things and published the first draft instead of working on a novel. This is so rough, could and should have been so much better.
1.5 stars for the executing.
I loved the questions around exploitation, class, power and money. I hate that the exploration of those themes was surface level only, that there were plot lines not resolved, the unbelievable fight Patrick has with his family, Patrick's character was not even required at all, the sex scenes lacked vulnerability and we're just pervy, the big giant bow the plot places on this novel is horrid and the characters had too much privilege and money to make the themes work. This is a mess and I can only assume that everybody involved in publishing this novel has seen the big name, thought Bri Lee will sell, ignored that it was a debut novel and that she might need some criticism to fix things and published the first draft instead of working on a novel. This is so rough, could and should have been so much better.
April 27, 2024
1.5 ⭐️ had to really push myself to finish this and couldn’t care less about the characters
July 1, 2024
3.5. I couldn’t put this down. I loved the themes but they were incompletely explored and I kept waiting for some character development…
May 9, 2024
A good 3.5 stars for me. I was invested (at times riveted) but this book made me feel nothing and felt too slick for its own good - so much so that it slipped through my fingers.
Long distance relationships freak me out and so much of this is a cautionary tale to never enter one. It is why I will never date anyone South of the Yarra.
I love Bri Lee and was intrigued by this book. Overall, enjoyed it (didn't love it) but will absolutely adore talking about it with various hot shot girlfriends over a chilled red.
Long distance relationships freak me out and so much of this is a cautionary tale to never enter one. It is why I will never date anyone South of the Yarra.
I love Bri Lee and was intrigued by this book. Overall, enjoyed it (didn't love it) but will absolutely adore talking about it with various hot shot girlfriends over a chilled red.
May 23, 2024
I didn’t feel that the main characters even liked each other, let alone love each other
Also too many plot lines left unresolved or underdeveloped, no real character shifts & an ending that didn’t feel believable
Also too many plot lines left unresolved or underdeveloped, no real character shifts & an ending that didn’t feel believable
April 12, 2024
thank god not another sad girl book
October 21, 2024
DNF’d sorry - life’s too short
July 21, 2024
No doubt Bri Lee is multi talented and after reading her non fiction I was keen to get started on her debut fiction novel The Work, not surprisingly I was turning pages quickly and was invested in the storyline, the two main protagonists Lally and Patrick are flawed and mostly unlikeable but make for compelling characters and their differences make for some interesting conversations about art, it was a little more raunchy than I was expecting but that aside I loved the insight into the art world. This was frothy good fun reading!
August 7, 2025
What to make of The Work?
First, caveats. I read this book in extremely ideal conditions. I also consider Bri Lee’s non-fiction writing to be compelling and, in the case of Eggshell Skull, galvanising.
This book is racy and pacy. Parts of it are absolutely delicious. There are smart aspects to the characterisation which make most of the players feel lived in and side characters more than mere mouthpieces. There are plenty of thought-provoking, juicy themes to consider, and their interrogation was intelligent and honest.
Perhaps this is where it also falters for me. There are many plates on sticks in this book. Some are adroitly spun. Some are not.
The worst casualty is Lally. She is a hashtag girlboss. She accumulates capital, which is treated as empowering because this is the epoch in which we now live. Soon, Lally is girlbossing too close to the sun. Lee seems well aware that Lally is, actually, quite gross: she is contemptuous, elitist, she abhors those she decrees has no taste, her left-leaning ways are often gestural (see her diversity hires, for example). I’ll be curious to know when people ping her as going too far (or Farr, geddit?) because in my view, she goes pretty far in the first scene.
But it is difficult to reconcile this skewering when aspects of Lally are presented as aspirational and ultimately, she gets what she wants. The conclusion to her and Pat’s globetrotting, romantic journey feels mostly earned. Yet Lally’s reckoning (and Pat’s, too) is short-lived, the consequences not pushed far enough. And so, when I finished the book, when I was left looking at a few broken plates, I felt a bit disappointed about those which been allowed to fall.
Perhaps, though, this is a failure on my part, one of expectation. Considering that one of the questions of this book is how those with the currency of power and “good taste” determine what other people buy, maybe I need to reflect more on precisely what it was I thought I was buying.
First, caveats. I read this book in extremely ideal conditions. I also consider Bri Lee’s non-fiction writing to be compelling and, in the case of Eggshell Skull, galvanising.
This book is racy and pacy. Parts of it are absolutely delicious. There are smart aspects to the characterisation which make most of the players feel lived in and side characters more than mere mouthpieces. There are plenty of thought-provoking, juicy themes to consider, and their interrogation was intelligent and honest.
Perhaps this is where it also falters for me. There are many plates on sticks in this book. Some are adroitly spun. Some are not.
The worst casualty is Lally. She is a hashtag girlboss. She accumulates capital, which is treated as empowering because this is the epoch in which we now live. Soon, Lally is girlbossing too close to the sun. Lee seems well aware that Lally is, actually, quite gross: she is contemptuous, elitist, she abhors those she decrees has no taste, her left-leaning ways are often gestural (see her diversity hires, for example). I’ll be curious to know when people ping her as going too far (or Farr, geddit?) because in my view, she goes pretty far in the first scene.
But it is difficult to reconcile this skewering when aspects of Lally are presented as aspirational and ultimately, she gets what she wants. The conclusion to her and Pat’s globetrotting, romantic journey feels mostly earned. Yet Lally’s reckoning (and Pat’s, too) is short-lived, the consequences not pushed far enough. And so, when I finished the book, when I was left looking at a few broken plates, I felt a bit disappointed about those which been allowed to fall.
Perhaps, though, this is a failure on my part, one of expectation. Considering that one of the questions of this book is how those with the currency of power and “good taste” determine what other people buy, maybe I need to reflect more on precisely what it was I thought I was buying.
April 27, 2024
Parts are brilliantly done, loved Lally and Patrick. Loved seeing New York and Sydney through such art loving characters. The Work covers a lot of really thought provoking, really important themes like you would expect from Bri Lee; art, class, the patriarchy…It’s really really really brilliant, and I know I’m not a millennial but gosh was so much fucking necessary?
May 13, 2024
The coarse prose feels performative. The superficiality of characters and dialogue often-times borders on caricature that inhibits real development with lame, unearned attempts in the final chapters to give both the story and its characters any real depth. As a fan of the author's non-fiction, this was a big disappointment.
June 3, 2024
This book is trying way too hard
April 3, 2024
I love Lee's non-fiction writing, Eggshell Skull was an epic read, so I squealed when an early copy arrived. Lee is a super interesting modern creative who I have been following for ages. She has a really fresh intellectual take on current events but especially focused in the artistic and creative world.
This interest and background becomes immediately evident in the setting and the characters. Lally is a thirty-something gallery owner in New York who is seeing some serious success. Pat is in his late twenties, trying to make it in the antiques world in Sydney but barely able to pay his rent. When they meet in New York at an art show their chemistry is immediate. What follows is a relationship that slowly develops and is beset by distance, the gulf between their current financial circumstances and even their differing opinions on what makes great art.
The Work is a smart and engaging literary romance but that statement doesn't really encapsulate what this book covers. It's smarter than your usual romance but smuttier than your usual literary fiction. Oh yes readers there is smut!
There is a multitude of themes at play here - class and wealth, art and who gets to engage with and comment on it, the hustle of modern life, morally grey characters who may or may not get what they deserve. Ooft it was a lot! But I think this is what is going to appeal to so many people and going to really get the conversations going.
I enjoyed the art scene setting and seeing both New York and Sydney in action. The dialogue between Lally and Pat was heavily intellectual and I occasionally felt like I was missing the point in the arguments around art and politics. Their banter could verge on irritating but I think that was Lee trying to show how both were struggling to learn how to be in a relationship. I also thought the ending was a little too neatly tied together but overall I enjoyed it. It was a very addictive page turner!
Thank you to @allenandunwin for my #gifted copy.
This interest and background becomes immediately evident in the setting and the characters. Lally is a thirty-something gallery owner in New York who is seeing some serious success. Pat is in his late twenties, trying to make it in the antiques world in Sydney but barely able to pay his rent. When they meet in New York at an art show their chemistry is immediate. What follows is a relationship that slowly develops and is beset by distance, the gulf between their current financial circumstances and even their differing opinions on what makes great art.
The Work is a smart and engaging literary romance but that statement doesn't really encapsulate what this book covers. It's smarter than your usual romance but smuttier than your usual literary fiction. Oh yes readers there is smut!
There is a multitude of themes at play here - class and wealth, art and who gets to engage with and comment on it, the hustle of modern life, morally grey characters who may or may not get what they deserve. Ooft it was a lot! But I think this is what is going to appeal to so many people and going to really get the conversations going.
I enjoyed the art scene setting and seeing both New York and Sydney in action. The dialogue between Lally and Pat was heavily intellectual and I occasionally felt like I was missing the point in the arguments around art and politics. Their banter could verge on irritating but I think that was Lee trying to show how both were struggling to learn how to be in a relationship. I also thought the ending was a little too neatly tied together but overall I enjoyed it. It was a very addictive page turner!
Thank you to @allenandunwin for my #gifted copy.
May 23, 2024
It left my head as soon as I finished reading. Liked it as a light poolside read although I don't think that's what the author had in mind and maybe that says it all?
June 4, 2024
*sigh*
Unfortunately this is another example of a debut novel by a non-fiction writer that didn’t do much for me. I have, however, learned to ignore Annabel Crabb’s recommendations from now on.
What on earth was the point of this book? I couldn’t tell you. Lally is a gallery owner in NYC. Pat is an art dealer in Sydney. They meet, they fall in love, they end up happily ever after. But… so what? Both characters are arseholes essentially, and what seemed to try and be a feminist message was diminished by what actually happened in the book… Yes, Bri Lee can write good sentences but the lack of plot, lack of characters with depth, and random little insertions of things that led nowhere did this novel no favours.
The first few pages of the book contained a darn sexy scene and there’s a lot of sex in this novel which was quite titillating (I really wanted to use that word hahah) but nothing else of note really.
1.5 stars for me.
Unfortunately this is another example of a debut novel by a non-fiction writer that didn’t do much for me. I have, however, learned to ignore Annabel Crabb’s recommendations from now on.
What on earth was the point of this book? I couldn’t tell you. Lally is a gallery owner in NYC. Pat is an art dealer in Sydney. They meet, they fall in love, they end up happily ever after. But… so what? Both characters are arseholes essentially, and what seemed to try and be a feminist message was diminished by what actually happened in the book… Yes, Bri Lee can write good sentences but the lack of plot, lack of characters with depth, and random little insertions of things that led nowhere did this novel no favours.
The first few pages of the book contained a darn sexy scene and there’s a lot of sex in this novel which was quite titillating (I really wanted to use that word hahah) but nothing else of note really.
1.5 stars for me.
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