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Manmade Constellations
A modern-day love story that explores childhood trauma, the boundaries between idealism and self-righteousness, and the heartaches we must confront in order to chart our courses forward.
Lo Gunderson feels trapped in her small midwestern hometown until she sees an ad for a free car in the local paper. To maintain her staunch anticapitalist values, she refuses to spend money on what she can find for free, so this car is the perfect ticket out of the town. Though it doesn’t cost any money, it still comes with a price. Blanche Peterson is dying and asks for a single favor—that Lo track down her estranged son, whom Blanche hasn’t seen in over a decade.
Before she can decide whether to fulfill Blanche’s dying wish, she needs to get the car started. She’s helped by John Blank, a Southern auto mechanic who moved up north for a fresh start. Despite vastly different backgrounds, they share an electrifying mutual attraction that threatens to upend Lo’s carefully constructed worldview.
Meanwhile, Blanche’s son, Jason, finds himself adrift after an argument with his girlfriend. Memories of his negligent mother and the death of his father resurface for the first time in years as he travels across the country searching for what comes next.
Manmade Constellations is a smart, magnetic, and emotional novel dedicated to the American landscape, exploring how taking to the open road teaches lessons that can’t be learned at home.
Lo Gunderson feels trapped in her small midwestern hometown until she sees an ad for a free car in the local paper. To maintain her staunch anticapitalist values, she refuses to spend money on what she can find for free, so this car is the perfect ticket out of the town. Though it doesn’t cost any money, it still comes with a price. Blanche Peterson is dying and asks for a single favor—that Lo track down her estranged son, whom Blanche hasn’t seen in over a decade.
Before she can decide whether to fulfill Blanche’s dying wish, she needs to get the car started. She’s helped by John Blank, a Southern auto mechanic who moved up north for a fresh start. Despite vastly different backgrounds, they share an electrifying mutual attraction that threatens to upend Lo’s carefully constructed worldview.
Meanwhile, Blanche’s son, Jason, finds himself adrift after an argument with his girlfriend. Memories of his negligent mother and the death of his father resurface for the first time in years as he travels across the country searching for what comes next.
Manmade Constellations is a smart, magnetic, and emotional novel dedicated to the American landscape, exploring how taking to the open road teaches lessons that can’t be learned at home.
334 pages, Hardcover
First published August 9, 2022
30 people are currently reading
2400 people want to read
About the author
Misha Lazzara
3 books28 followersMisha (née Vaagen) Lazzara grew up in rural Minnesota. She received her BA in Literature and Language with a focus in Shakespeare and the German language and minor in Mass Communication from the University of Texas Tyler. Lazzara received her MA in Literature with a focus in Creative Writing from UNC Charlotte where she was the recipient of the Robinson Fellowship, the Summer Graduate Research Fellowship, a nomination for the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award and won the Creative Writing Award (2019). In 2021, she finished her MFA in Fiction at North Carolina State University where she worked as a teaching assistant in both fiction and creative nonfiction. At NC State, she was awarded the Academy of American Poets Prize (2020). At university, she studied under writers Aaron Gwyn, Belle Boggs, Cadwell Turnbull and Elaine Neil Orr.
She currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband and three children. Lazzara is co-host of the Band Wives Podcast.
She currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband and three children. Lazzara is co-host of the Band Wives Podcast.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
April 10, 2022
First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.
If you're interested in this one because you're interested in the "modern love story" and the "electrifying mutual attraction," you should move on. About halfway through the book, it felt like the author remembered she wanted these characters to have chemistry and tried to cram it in by using phrases such as "alarmingly erotic."
The main character was beyond unlikeable, and I can't recall a single redeeming quality about her. She's somewhere in her mid- to late-twenties (I don't think it was ever explicitly stated) and really set in her beliefs, which is fair because a lot of people are at that age, but she thought she was so much better than everybody else and pushed everybody away because she's the only one doing anything right. She also had really ugly thoughts regarding her father's shaking hands and general attitude about current affairs and her beliefs. Reader, when it finally clicked that this woman was talking about a man in his mid- to late-seventies spilling things at lunch, I wanted to throw the book across the room. Her strongly held beliefs are her single defining personality trait, and it makes her insufferable. She is downright nasty to the mechanic she allegedly has an electrifying mutual attraction with - doing things such as berating him in public for daring to choose to drink from a plastic bottle he bought at a gas station. (At one point, in the back quarter of the book or so, she is on his phone and deletes a text thread which does not help her case at all.)
Based on the description, I thought the road trip would be more fleshed out part of the story and that it would help our main character shake some of her beliefs, but it felt like the road trip part was glossed over. (Blanche makes Lo take the mechanic in case the car dies and not once do they ever have car trouble?) I love a good road trip as a metaphor for an inner journey, and this was just not it. So if you're looking for that, look elsewhere.
I was also promised an emotional novel, and this didn't deliver. The characters all had one defining personality trait, if that, and nobody showed an ounce of emotion. There was a huge missed opportunity when John told Lo about his upbringing, but the author chose to write it as a first-person account instead of a back and forth where we might be able to see Lo experience emotions in real time or see how deeply it impacted him, but I don't know if Lo experiences emotions that aren't about her.
The ending of this book was unsatisfying. Lo doesn't do anything that really proves she's given up any of her beliefs, and all the characters she's hurt by being so set in her ways forgive her way too easily. She doesn't have to work for anything at all.
There's a side story about the woman's son, Jason, but it was so flat and mostly filler. If you want some pages about a Black man who can't commit right away when his girlfriend tells him she's pregnant so he drives out west to work on a weed farm, then those sections are for you!
Odds and ends: the writing style of this book was not for me (too much telling). The dialogue was bland and awkward, as if the author has never participated in a conversation herself, and maybe part of that is because her characters had no real chemistry or personalities outside of their one defining character trait. There were Objective Scientific Facts (TM) that were neither objective nor scientific, and they were combined with this firefly thing that felt pointless, but was included I guess because the author included in her acknowledgements that she loved the same firefly book as Lo.
If you're a librarian with limited funds and shelf space, you can probably skip adding this to your collection.
If you're interested in this one because you're interested in the "modern love story" and the "electrifying mutual attraction," you should move on. About halfway through the book, it felt like the author remembered she wanted these characters to have chemistry and tried to cram it in by using phrases such as "alarmingly erotic."
The main character was beyond unlikeable, and I can't recall a single redeeming quality about her. She's somewhere in her mid- to late-twenties (I don't think it was ever explicitly stated) and really set in her beliefs, which is fair because a lot of people are at that age, but she thought she was so much better than everybody else and pushed everybody away because she's the only one doing anything right. She also had really ugly thoughts regarding her father's shaking hands and general attitude about current affairs and her beliefs. Reader, when it finally clicked that this woman was talking about a man in his mid- to late-seventies spilling things at lunch, I wanted to throw the book across the room. Her strongly held beliefs are her single defining personality trait, and it makes her insufferable. She is downright nasty to the mechanic she allegedly has an electrifying mutual attraction with - doing things such as berating him in public for daring to choose to drink from a plastic bottle he bought at a gas station. (At one point, in the back quarter of the book or so, she is on his phone and deletes a text thread which does not help her case at all.)
Based on the description, I thought the road trip would be more fleshed out part of the story and that it would help our main character shake some of her beliefs, but it felt like the road trip part was glossed over. (Blanche makes Lo take the mechanic in case the car dies and not once do they ever have car trouble?) I love a good road trip as a metaphor for an inner journey, and this was just not it. So if you're looking for that, look elsewhere.
I was also promised an emotional novel, and this didn't deliver. The characters all had one defining personality trait, if that, and nobody showed an ounce of emotion. There was a huge missed opportunity when John told Lo about his upbringing, but the author chose to write it as a first-person account instead of a back and forth where we might be able to see Lo experience emotions in real time or see how deeply it impacted him, but I don't know if Lo experiences emotions that aren't about her.
The ending of this book was unsatisfying. Lo doesn't do anything that really proves she's given up any of her beliefs, and all the characters she's hurt by being so set in her ways forgive her way too easily. She doesn't have to work for anything at all.
There's a side story about the woman's son, Jason, but it was so flat and mostly filler. If you want some pages about a Black man who can't commit right away when his girlfriend tells him she's pregnant so he drives out west to work on a weed farm, then those sections are for you!
Odds and ends: the writing style of this book was not for me (too much telling). The dialogue was bland and awkward, as if the author has never participated in a conversation herself, and maybe part of that is because her characters had no real chemistry or personalities outside of their one defining character trait. There were Objective Scientific Facts (TM) that were neither objective nor scientific, and they were combined with this firefly thing that felt pointless, but was included I guess because the author included in her acknowledgements that she loved the same firefly book as Lo.
If you're a librarian with limited funds and shelf space, you can probably skip adding this to your collection.
August 22, 2022
Oh no. Ohhh no. Take the concept of manic pixie dream girl, flip it, and you have boring, freegan gremlin, which is essentially the main character of this book. On a surface level, I can see that this book is trying to address childhood trauma and navigate the pathway to adulthood, but that's all just surface bullshit. There is nothing redeeming about any of these flat characters. There is no plot that actually addresses the impact of childhood trauma, or what that trauma looks like as it manifests in different life stages. Even the very obvious MFA-style metaphor of a road trip to "discover" oneself falls completely flat into the pointless void of this story.
January 28, 2023
I picked this book up because the cover was beautiful, and the story within mirrored that. This book explores what it means to be human, what it means to live on this earth, and how we are all intricately connected whether we realize it or not.
The way Lazzara describes Minnesota is so accurate; as someone who grew up in rural Minnesota, the nostalgia this story caused was achingly beautiful. Not just the Minnesotan landscape or the feel of a small town in winter, but Lazzara has a talent for putting into words the emotions and actions that are inherently Minnesotan.
Though Lo was the main character of this story, the side characters were so interesting. The complexity of each character was shown so well in such a compressed space. Take Artie for example: Artie only physically showed up for maybe 5 pages total, but we understood the entirety of his character. This is done partially through what he says to Lo, but the majority of our understanding comes through his body language, and how he chooses his words. For someone who is not the main focus of the book, Lazzara takes great care in fully developing the character of Artie. Every single character in this book is like that, which made it a joy to read.
The framing of this book was so unique. The firefly excerpts throughout set up the next steps in the story, and the flashbacks were told through “long story short” sections which was a really interesting way to give backstory.
This book will make you laugh and cry, all while pondering humanity and the world we live in. Highly, highly recommend!
The way Lazzara describes Minnesota is so accurate; as someone who grew up in rural Minnesota, the nostalgia this story caused was achingly beautiful. Not just the Minnesotan landscape or the feel of a small town in winter, but Lazzara has a talent for putting into words the emotions and actions that are inherently Minnesotan.
Though Lo was the main character of this story, the side characters were so interesting. The complexity of each character was shown so well in such a compressed space. Take Artie for example: Artie only physically showed up for maybe 5 pages total, but we understood the entirety of his character. This is done partially through what he says to Lo, but the majority of our understanding comes through his body language, and how he chooses his words. For someone who is not the main focus of the book, Lazzara takes great care in fully developing the character of Artie. Every single character in this book is like that, which made it a joy to read.
The framing of this book was so unique. The firefly excerpts throughout set up the next steps in the story, and the flashbacks were told through “long story short” sections which was a really interesting way to give backstory.
This book will make you laugh and cry, all while pondering humanity and the world we live in. Highly, highly recommend!
August 23, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley for the Advanced Copy in exchange for an honest review
2.5
This was very enjoyable read and I really liked the set up, but the book kind off falls apart in the second hand and the author starts spoon feeding you a bit too much. I also felt like this could have been two separate books, one a lit fic about a man coming to terms with his childhood and death of his father; and the other one a nice road-trip romance with a strong headed main. But alas it tried to be both and ultimately like many things that try to be too much, it just wasn’t enough of one good thing.
Also the ending is so so soooooo deeply unsatisfactory. Not unsatisfying but unsatisfactory, it was like a really good fried food that leaves you with a greasy after taste and a stomach ache but still hungry.
I wish this had been two separate books. The author has a lot of potential hopefully with a better editor to guide them in the future
2.5
This was very enjoyable read and I really liked the set up, but the book kind off falls apart in the second hand and the author starts spoon feeding you a bit too much. I also felt like this could have been two separate books, one a lit fic about a man coming to terms with his childhood and death of his father; and the other one a nice road-trip romance with a strong headed main. But alas it tried to be both and ultimately like many things that try to be too much, it just wasn’t enough of one good thing.
Also the ending is so so soooooo deeply unsatisfactory. Not unsatisfying but unsatisfactory, it was like a really good fried food that leaves you with a greasy after taste and a stomach ache but still hungry.
I wish this had been two separate books. The author has a lot of potential hopefully with a better editor to guide them in the future
August 3, 2024
There’s so much not to like about this book. Every character was better than the main character. Mediocre writing, bad pacing, commentary that leads nowhere. The summary on the back was way more interesting than the story itself. I liked John a lot; he saved the book for me.
August 9, 2022
via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝑳𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝑱𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆, 𝒂 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓’𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒖𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔, 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔- 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒏.
As her twenties are passing her by, Lo is still trying to figure things out and feeling trapped in her hometown of Elysian, Minnesota. The winters are brutal, so she realizes she must admit defeat and get a car. Nothing exciting ever happens, or maybe she is too wrapped up in herself to notice? Back to her need for a car, it’s a dilemma for someone who doesn’t believe in capitalism, who despises the rat race and wasting money on things you don’t need, destroying the environment with more garbage. As a self-described freegan, imagine her luck when she sees an ad in the paper for a free car. It’s not necessarily a bad idea to repurpose things, to get what you can without wasting money but surviving on the good grace of others, doesn’t someone has to do the work and earn the things you want for free? She doesn’t want to contribute to all the waste, which reminded me of those who seriously leave a very small footprint, it’s a lot of work. Work I cannot imagine Lo doing, seriously, have you ever watched those people who spend a year barely using resources we take for granted and making little to no garbage? It takes serious willpower, not just lip service. Naturally, the car comes with strings attached, as in life it’s quite rare to get something for nothing. Blanche is the giver, but the car is a lure, a means to contact her estranged son, Jason, who she believes is headed for California. Blanche is dying, she just wants to see her son again but is far too ill to venture out and find him herself, that is where Lo comes into the plan. As an aside, Lo is nervous in this dangerous neighborhood, the places she has always been warned to stay away from. Isn’t that a bit of snobbery from someone who wants something for free? Is it just me? The car is hers for the favor of driving out to California and bringing him home. Lo finds a local mechanic named John, Blanche is willing to pay for the repairs on the old car. Then, another idea, John would be the perfect travel companion for Lo, can repair any troubles that arise on the journey, now she just has to convince them. Lo and John both work, it’s a wild plan, a lot to ask of them, getting involved in this family drama but can they refuse the dying woman a chance to see her son before she dies, even though she admits to being a bad mother? Isn’t she supposed to be about the freegan life, wouldn’t that also mean helping others without hesitation? Eventually, they accept. They are strangers at the start of the novel but as they get to know each other there is an attraction. Lo doesn’t seem to understand what boundaries are as she ‘resists the strong urge to check his texts, go through his photos’, it makes me like her even less and she has a strange obsession with fireflies, glowworms. But I won’t ruin the unlikely romance for the rest of you. I spent a lot of time scratching my head when it came to her. She scolds people and seems hellbent on sabotaging every relationship, or the possibility of bonds, by being antagonistic. Why does she think her way of existing is superior? She’s the person you want to shake and say, ‘how’s that working out for you?’, all her brilliant choices? I’m supposed to like her but I don’t. I’m sorry, but she is part of the problem too, as much as the people she judges. In many ways, she is lucky, there are people her age and younger struggling with bigger issues and zero help. That aside, she realizes if she were to be involved with John, sustainability and capitalism will be serious issues between the two of them. ‘She owed it to herself to find someone who accepted this part of her without judgment.’ Boy, the hypocrisy.
Jason’s story is presented at first on a farm in Twin Falls, Idaho where he is living with his girlfriend Alexis in a one room yurt. This life, working the farm, is all he has ever wanted. His tale in told in chapters as we breakaway from Lo and John’s trip. Alexis suddenly wants something more permanent, wants Jason to teach again, why waste his degree? He can still do some farming on the side, as there are Black Farmer’s Markets in the area. I don’t understand why the author didn’t dive deeper into the black farming community. Yes, Alexis is a ‘hands in the dirt’ sort of person but the reality is that they’re not getting younger, she misses her parents and wants a home, it’s time to settle down. More, she is pregnant, so there are pressing needs. He doesn’t want that life, tied down by loans and a job indoors and expectations of society. Wasn’t that the whole point of why they loved their current life so much? Add a kid to worry about, one he never planned on having, in fact it’s a crippling fear? When she asks for a plan, he is drawing a blank. She furiously tells him she will deal with it and he can remain the rootless guy he is. She thinks he should leave, and just like that, he does. As the story grows, we learn why he is a restless wanderer, it all goes back to the death of his father and issues with his mother. As much as he shirks his responsibility I think about Alexis, who knows full well the sort of person he is. Why? Why force a situation on someone who isn’t ready? It’s a recipe for disaster usually, but what do I know, maybe it will work out? Maybe he needs to leave to find himself, to figure life out but will Lo and Jason track him down, complete their quest to bring him home to see Blanche before she dies? The clock is ticking.
I pushed through the frustration I felt for the characters. No one seemed to have their head on right, maybe it’s the chaos of the world making so many people feel lost. I wanted to care more than I did but by the time I learned more about Lo, I still just couldn’t stomach her. I suppose you can sympathize over someone’s lot in life, their past sorrows, and still find them unlikable. Trauma has laid the foundation for the young people in this novel, you get past it or you sink, I suppose. It’s no surprise feeling trapped or frozen is often what happens but at some point, you have to make choices and take control of your life. You can’t expect someone to step in and save the day or clean up your disasters. It really is a part of growing up. It wasn’t a bad story idea, I just felt at times the plot deviated from where I thought it was going and that the author didn’t deliver on Jason and Alexis. Lo isn’t doing much to change the world she hates so much, despite her views, and that is something that turns me off anyone. Jason and Alexis’s story had potential to be engaging but I never felt they were solid enough as believable people. This is a love story I would not want to be in. Certainly, this is about idealism gone sour. Youth butting it’s head against reality and wrestling with whether to conform or find another way to live (at least in Jason’s case). Again, with Lo she seemed to love problems, not solutions, which is the mark of immaturity. I leave it to the reader to decide.
Publication Date: August 9, 2022
Blackstone Publishing
𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝑳𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝑱𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆, 𝒂 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓’𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒖𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔, 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔- 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒏.
As her twenties are passing her by, Lo is still trying to figure things out and feeling trapped in her hometown of Elysian, Minnesota. The winters are brutal, so she realizes she must admit defeat and get a car. Nothing exciting ever happens, or maybe she is too wrapped up in herself to notice? Back to her need for a car, it’s a dilemma for someone who doesn’t believe in capitalism, who despises the rat race and wasting money on things you don’t need, destroying the environment with more garbage. As a self-described freegan, imagine her luck when she sees an ad in the paper for a free car. It’s not necessarily a bad idea to repurpose things, to get what you can without wasting money but surviving on the good grace of others, doesn’t someone has to do the work and earn the things you want for free? She doesn’t want to contribute to all the waste, which reminded me of those who seriously leave a very small footprint, it’s a lot of work. Work I cannot imagine Lo doing, seriously, have you ever watched those people who spend a year barely using resources we take for granted and making little to no garbage? It takes serious willpower, not just lip service. Naturally, the car comes with strings attached, as in life it’s quite rare to get something for nothing. Blanche is the giver, but the car is a lure, a means to contact her estranged son, Jason, who she believes is headed for California. Blanche is dying, she just wants to see her son again but is far too ill to venture out and find him herself, that is where Lo comes into the plan. As an aside, Lo is nervous in this dangerous neighborhood, the places she has always been warned to stay away from. Isn’t that a bit of snobbery from someone who wants something for free? Is it just me? The car is hers for the favor of driving out to California and bringing him home. Lo finds a local mechanic named John, Blanche is willing to pay for the repairs on the old car. Then, another idea, John would be the perfect travel companion for Lo, can repair any troubles that arise on the journey, now she just has to convince them. Lo and John both work, it’s a wild plan, a lot to ask of them, getting involved in this family drama but can they refuse the dying woman a chance to see her son before she dies, even though she admits to being a bad mother? Isn’t she supposed to be about the freegan life, wouldn’t that also mean helping others without hesitation? Eventually, they accept. They are strangers at the start of the novel but as they get to know each other there is an attraction. Lo doesn’t seem to understand what boundaries are as she ‘resists the strong urge to check his texts, go through his photos’, it makes me like her even less and she has a strange obsession with fireflies, glowworms. But I won’t ruin the unlikely romance for the rest of you. I spent a lot of time scratching my head when it came to her. She scolds people and seems hellbent on sabotaging every relationship, or the possibility of bonds, by being antagonistic. Why does she think her way of existing is superior? She’s the person you want to shake and say, ‘how’s that working out for you?’, all her brilliant choices? I’m supposed to like her but I don’t. I’m sorry, but she is part of the problem too, as much as the people she judges. In many ways, she is lucky, there are people her age and younger struggling with bigger issues and zero help. That aside, she realizes if she were to be involved with John, sustainability and capitalism will be serious issues between the two of them. ‘She owed it to herself to find someone who accepted this part of her without judgment.’ Boy, the hypocrisy.
Jason’s story is presented at first on a farm in Twin Falls, Idaho where he is living with his girlfriend Alexis in a one room yurt. This life, working the farm, is all he has ever wanted. His tale in told in chapters as we breakaway from Lo and John’s trip. Alexis suddenly wants something more permanent, wants Jason to teach again, why waste his degree? He can still do some farming on the side, as there are Black Farmer’s Markets in the area. I don’t understand why the author didn’t dive deeper into the black farming community. Yes, Alexis is a ‘hands in the dirt’ sort of person but the reality is that they’re not getting younger, she misses her parents and wants a home, it’s time to settle down. More, she is pregnant, so there are pressing needs. He doesn’t want that life, tied down by loans and a job indoors and expectations of society. Wasn’t that the whole point of why they loved their current life so much? Add a kid to worry about, one he never planned on having, in fact it’s a crippling fear? When she asks for a plan, he is drawing a blank. She furiously tells him she will deal with it and he can remain the rootless guy he is. She thinks he should leave, and just like that, he does. As the story grows, we learn why he is a restless wanderer, it all goes back to the death of his father and issues with his mother. As much as he shirks his responsibility I think about Alexis, who knows full well the sort of person he is. Why? Why force a situation on someone who isn’t ready? It’s a recipe for disaster usually, but what do I know, maybe it will work out? Maybe he needs to leave to find himself, to figure life out but will Lo and Jason track him down, complete their quest to bring him home to see Blanche before she dies? The clock is ticking.
I pushed through the frustration I felt for the characters. No one seemed to have their head on right, maybe it’s the chaos of the world making so many people feel lost. I wanted to care more than I did but by the time I learned more about Lo, I still just couldn’t stomach her. I suppose you can sympathize over someone’s lot in life, their past sorrows, and still find them unlikable. Trauma has laid the foundation for the young people in this novel, you get past it or you sink, I suppose. It’s no surprise feeling trapped or frozen is often what happens but at some point, you have to make choices and take control of your life. You can’t expect someone to step in and save the day or clean up your disasters. It really is a part of growing up. It wasn’t a bad story idea, I just felt at times the plot deviated from where I thought it was going and that the author didn’t deliver on Jason and Alexis. Lo isn’t doing much to change the world she hates so much, despite her views, and that is something that turns me off anyone. Jason and Alexis’s story had potential to be engaging but I never felt they were solid enough as believable people. This is a love story I would not want to be in. Certainly, this is about idealism gone sour. Youth butting it’s head against reality and wrestling with whether to conform or find another way to live (at least in Jason’s case). Again, with Lo she seemed to love problems, not solutions, which is the mark of immaturity. I leave it to the reader to decide.
Publication Date: August 9, 2022
Blackstone Publishing
June 23, 2022
In this absolute dazzler of a debut novel, Lazzara deftly articulates the total necessity, utter heartbreak, and transcendental power of love. Manmade Constellations shines with a fantastic cast of complicated and challenging characters who are irresistible, infuriating, surprising, and lovable. This is that rare and gorgeous novel that is 1000% a page-turner and 1000% a book you'll still be smiling about and gleaning glowy wisdom from long after reaching the back cover. Inviting, authentic, and refreshing! A welcome must-read.
February 28, 2023
I'm sorry, but I can't do it.
I had to set the book down a few chapters in and decided to give up on it completely. I'm genuinely unsure of why this book peeves me so much, but the casual racism (Lo discussing the Hispanic men that work at the auto shop; the start of Jason's entire setup [a black man with commitment issues running out on his pregnant girlfriend and saying her pregnancy was "all her fault for looking so damn good", which, yes, is an actual quote), repetitive narrative (how many times in 40 pages can it be reiterated that Lo will not pay for something because of anti-capitalism? Way too many), and unrealistic plot (why does this random mechanic agree to any of this?) absolutely kills me. Somehow, John is the only character that doesn't make me cringe yet. The descriptions Lo gives of Blanche and her home make me so uncomfortable, leaning heavily towards some serious ableism, and judging by the rest of the reviews, that seems to be a common trend with Lo.
I don't necessarily subscribe to the "show, don't tell" rule of writing as it's very much open to interpretation, but wow, does the prose make me want to scream it from the rooftops.
I really hate writing poor reviews of books- especially so early into reading them- as I know authors work incredibly hard on their stories. But this one nags at me like nobody's business. If Misha is gunning for writing unlikable, flawed characters, she's definitely succeeding. There are plenty of stories centered around deeply problematic people (The Secret History, for instance) that are still engaging and make you want to read more. Lo and Co. just make me want to pick up another book entirely.
I had to set the book down a few chapters in and decided to give up on it completely. I'm genuinely unsure of why this book peeves me so much, but the casual racism (Lo discussing the Hispanic men that work at the auto shop; the start of Jason's entire setup [a black man with commitment issues running out on his pregnant girlfriend and saying her pregnancy was "all her fault for looking so damn good", which, yes, is an actual quote), repetitive narrative (how many times in 40 pages can it be reiterated that Lo will not pay for something because of anti-capitalism? Way too many), and unrealistic plot (why does this random mechanic agree to any of this?) absolutely kills me. Somehow, John is the only character that doesn't make me cringe yet. The descriptions Lo gives of Blanche and her home make me so uncomfortable, leaning heavily towards some serious ableism, and judging by the rest of the reviews, that seems to be a common trend with Lo.
I don't necessarily subscribe to the "show, don't tell" rule of writing as it's very much open to interpretation, but wow, does the prose make me want to scream it from the rooftops.
I really hate writing poor reviews of books- especially so early into reading them- as I know authors work incredibly hard on their stories. But this one nags at me like nobody's business. If Misha is gunning for writing unlikable, flawed characters, she's definitely succeeding. There are plenty of stories centered around deeply problematic people (The Secret History, for instance) that are still engaging and make you want to read more. Lo and Co. just make me want to pick up another book entirely.
December 15, 2022
I found a lot of myself in Lo Gunderson. Someone wanting to leave her small town to see and save the world. Lo is a freegan which a bit radical. Lo interacts with characters that don’t just dismiss her but engage in conversation (a bit far fetched in real life where it is too easy just to label and leave). The mission that Lo and John embark on changes both of them.
Ideas that intrigued:
Lo’s freeganism mantra:
We must achieve the character and acquire the skills to live much poorer than we do. We must waste less. We must do more for ourselves and each other. It is either that or continue merely to think and talk about changes that we are inviting catastrophe to make.—Wendell Berry.
Actually, I think people finding their identity in work is a product of a sick capitalist culture. I would never base my worth or my dreams on a career. I'm more than a job. I'm a human being. So, I don't base my life goals on a future income or anything like that. I aim for contentedness in my surroundings, peace in my heart and a sustainable balance with nature. That's all.
Ideas that intrigued:
Lo’s freeganism mantra:
We must achieve the character and acquire the skills to live much poorer than we do. We must waste less. We must do more for ourselves and each other. It is either that or continue merely to think and talk about changes that we are inviting catastrophe to make.—Wendell Berry.
Actually, I think people finding their identity in work is a product of a sick capitalist culture. I would never base my worth or my dreams on a career. I'm more than a job. I'm a human being. So, I don't base my life goals on a future income or anything like that. I aim for contentedness in my surroundings, peace in my heart and a sustainable balance with nature. That's all.
April 14, 2023
This was a beautiful, subtle, quiet book. When Lo finds an ad marketing a free car (she's a freegan), she doesn't realize that it actually comes with a catch: Blanche, the car's seller, is at the end of her life and she wants Lo to find her son. Lo eventually agrees with the help of local car mechanic John, who finds Lo all too interesting. Lo is staunchly anti-capitalist, and it appears, to many readers' dismay, ableist and at times a little racist. Whether this is or isn't the intent of the author or the author's own perspective sneaking in isn't so much the point as is Lo's growth. Lo, over the course of her road trip, must reckon with the fact that most people don't fully agree with her perspective, though they can find something to like about it. However, Lo is firmly against any opinion that seems to differ from her own. She closes herself off, from potential lovers, family, and friends. It's only until she returns to her small town, having failed at her mission, that she realizes what this has meant for her.
This book is not about changing. Not quite. This book is about realizing that something needs to change.
Manmade Constellations also oscillates between Lo and Jason, Blanche's son. When Jason realizes that his girlfriend is pregnant and she asks him to leave, he does, not realizing that the other choice is to stay. Jason, like Lo, has his convictions, but he seems to be as easygoing as Lo is rigid. The two, though not simultaneously, must deal with their mothers: Jason must come to terms that Blanche really did do her best, even if her best wasn't good enough, and Lo must come to terms with the fact that her mother never really wanted her, even after all these years. Where does this leave a person? Can they reckon with these facts of their histories?
Structurally, Lazzara makes an interesting choice. About every 25% of the book, she inserts facts about fireflies. She also allows for short chapters so that characters may tell their stories in their own words.
Overall, this book is endearing. It's not a book that ties everything up neatly, and there's as much failure for the characters as there is room for growth--which is to say, a lot.
This book is not about changing. Not quite. This book is about realizing that something needs to change.
Manmade Constellations also oscillates between Lo and Jason, Blanche's son. When Jason realizes that his girlfriend is pregnant and she asks him to leave, he does, not realizing that the other choice is to stay. Jason, like Lo, has his convictions, but he seems to be as easygoing as Lo is rigid. The two, though not simultaneously, must deal with their mothers: Jason must come to terms that Blanche really did do her best, even if her best wasn't good enough, and Lo must come to terms with the fact that her mother never really wanted her, even after all these years. Where does this leave a person? Can they reckon with these facts of their histories?
Structurally, Lazzara makes an interesting choice. About every 25% of the book, she inserts facts about fireflies. She also allows for short chapters so that characters may tell their stories in their own words.
Overall, this book is endearing. It's not a book that ties everything up neatly, and there's as much failure for the characters as there is room for growth--which is to say, a lot.
December 4, 2022
Ooof I didn’t actually finish it but decided at around 80% that I’m done with the book.
It wasn’t a bad book, I quite enjoyed the writing and the story, but the main protagonist became progressively more punchable in every chapter.
She embodied everything I hate in a person: she’s a self-righteous, overly rigid Enviromentalist Vegan Communist with a rich dad, who also accepts the privilege from that when it’s convenient to her. She would freak out over people buying water bottles and go on Marxist tirades about how money and capitalism is evil, but then she had her dad pay her rent and phone for her. Why didn’t she go live at a trailer park or a hippie commune and pay for her own shit?
People like her, I despise. It’s not that I don’t support some of her views, it’s just that when it’s too black and white and rigid, it’s annoying.
The good thing is that this is addressed in the book by several characters, but she’s also a bit of a manic pixie dream girl, viewed so like that by her romantic interest.
Personally, I couldn’t help but think that it’s highly implausible she’s as attractive as she supposedly is, if she smells because she refuses to wear deodorant because it’s made by evil megacorporations.
That being said, I understand how her history has shaped her into what she is now and the book does want to address how past traumas shape a person, but I still found her really unlikeable, especially since I’ve interacted too many times with people like her irl.
It wasn’t a bad book, I quite enjoyed the writing and the story, but the main protagonist became progressively more punchable in every chapter.
She embodied everything I hate in a person: she’s a self-righteous, overly rigid Enviromentalist Vegan Communist with a rich dad, who also accepts the privilege from that when it’s convenient to her. She would freak out over people buying water bottles and go on Marxist tirades about how money and capitalism is evil, but then she had her dad pay her rent and phone for her. Why didn’t she go live at a trailer park or a hippie commune and pay for her own shit?
People like her, I despise. It’s not that I don’t support some of her views, it’s just that when it’s too black and white and rigid, it’s annoying.
The good thing is that this is addressed in the book by several characters, but she’s also a bit of a manic pixie dream girl, viewed so like that by her romantic interest.
Personally, I couldn’t help but think that it’s highly implausible she’s as attractive as she supposedly is, if she smells because she refuses to wear deodorant because it’s made by evil megacorporations.
That being said, I understand how her history has shaped her into what she is now and the book does want to address how past traumas shape a person, but I still found her really unlikeable, especially since I’ve interacted too many times with people like her irl.
February 11, 2022
I enjoyed this book a lot! It was a quiet kind of story, and while some of the characters weren't 100% likable, they seemed to grow a bit and have some self-reflection, which I definitely appreciated. I kept reading because I really wanted to know where the book's storylines would go, and the ending was pretty satisfying.
I felt a bit like Lo's story was a bit more fleshed out than Jason's, but that wasn't a big deal for me. It was interesting how the characters in this small town in Minnesota were entwined with one another. It was a quirky book that I connected with in a lot of ways, even though Lo's freegan thing was a bit annoying. But, I mean, that's part of being in your 20's, right? Feeling like you know everything and are completely right all the time. But also, she seemed to evolve a bit towards the end, which was good.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC! I would definitely recommend this novel!
I felt a bit like Lo's story was a bit more fleshed out than Jason's, but that wasn't a big deal for me. It was interesting how the characters in this small town in Minnesota were entwined with one another. It was a quirky book that I connected with in a lot of ways, even though Lo's freegan thing was a bit annoying. But, I mean, that's part of being in your 20's, right? Feeling like you know everything and are completely right all the time. But also, she seemed to evolve a bit towards the end, which was good.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC! I would definitely recommend this novel!
August 15, 2022
I was looking forward to this for a long time, and I thought it was a great debut! A lot of complex themes through subtle conversations, and the descriptions are beautiful. But I had two major complaints. The first being that I wish the tie-in between Lo and Jason had been a little clearer. Given that the whole book was supposed to be leading up to them meeting, I wanted a little more umph with that storyline. Second is that I didn’t totally understand John’s feelings towards Lo. They felt like such different people, and given how *specific* she is, I just had a hard time with his attraction. I would have loved if some portions were written from his point of view so that it made more sense.
Overall though this was lovely and kept me reading.
Overall though this was lovely and kept me reading.
September 25, 2022
A book about a road-trip that lacked direction. A lackluster storyline that at points didn’t flow very well (editor or author issue?), made for a choppy read. The characters were unlikable, especially Lo, she was pompous and awkward. Her interactions with other characters was odd and so were the conversations (robotic, no warmth or realistic communication). A two dimensional character that the author couldn’t make me like in a directionless, nonsensical story.
August 24, 2022
4.5/5
So. Beautiful.
I loved the deep meanings threaded through the simplest of interactions.
Reading the other reviews, I think Lo was really misunderstood. She was human, with human reactions.
Misha's writing was beautiful in the delivery and, in moments, poetic.
So. Beautiful.
I loved the deep meanings threaded through the simplest of interactions.
Reading the other reviews, I think Lo was really misunderstood. She was human, with human reactions.
Misha's writing was beautiful in the delivery and, in moments, poetic.
July 5, 2024
When I finished the book, I was pretty satisfied, but after an hour or so I feel a little let down in end. I cruised through it and I feel like it’s because Lazzara and I share a very similar writing style. However she’s a little more “tell” than I would like but that’s a mild critique.
The premise is quite simple, it’s no great fantasy or head-scratching mystery, just a simple road trip plot. It was a little lacking on the potential antics a road trip can provide to a story; no car troubles, no issues finding a place to pull over, no messy traffic jams, like just add something to make feel it little more grounded to the road trip plot. It’s kinda just two people talking in a room that’s actually a car. I didn’t mind because I love a dialogue driven story, but the atmosphere wasn’t utilized in any way and, as a road trip enjoyer myself, was disappointing.
*Gentle spoilers but none that ruin the overall plot*
For one of the main characters I think the story was fully realized and executed well and that character is Lo. I read some other reviews of people saying that Lo is a shitty person and it’s like well duh that’s why she’s going through this whole character arc. That’s why she met John so that someone would finally challenge her and force her to look inward. That’s why she and Raul had that whole conversation at the dinner table. That’s why John and her had an argument on the way back home. Thats why she cried over her actions and apologized to all the people she hurt at the end! It’s called character growth! YOU HAVE TO START OUT SHITTY TO GROW! THATS WHY WE USE FERTILIZER!!” *takes deep breath cause I’m so tired of screaming from the rooftops about character development to people who have the media literacy of a doorknob*
Anyway Jason’s storyline was severely underwhelming which was unfortunate. I thought the bones for a meaningful story were there but the meat was nowhere to be found. Also felt unintentionally stereotyped and not in a good way. Like in a kinda hopefully accidentally racist way. And there were moments where Lo gave off those vibes too but I’m going to credit it towards her close mindedness and shitty attitude to the world around her. However I don’t think casual racism is a necessary installment for “bad character traits” which is why I’m assuming it was unintentional. But intentional or not there’s still the impact. I am white and therefore do not feel qualified to determine this as racist, but it just rubbed me the wrong way and felt unnecessary. I really don’t have a lot to say on Jason which sucks because he’s kinda the MacGuffin of the story. His story with Alexis and fatherhood didn’t go nearly as deep as it had the potential to.
The love interest was kinda one note with the exception of the one scene where he actually challenged Lo and made her reflect for the first time in a while. I also see a lot of reviews saying the Lo is the manic pixie dream girl. Babes you got it all wrong. John is a goddamn manic pixie dream boy; appears seemingly from nowhere, there for the spontaneity and trying to show the MC how to live differently and see the world, have her learn empathy but like for real, has a crazy backstory, shows her how to be thankful for her life and all the people she has… I’ve said enough. Also his backstory was wild and felt thrown in there for shock value. I grew up in a heavily religious lifestyle and have never ONCE heard of snake churches. I was actually curious enough to research it and it is a real thing which is terrifying and I am not trying to offend anyone that practices this or has in the past. I was just so thrown off by it, it felt so out of place in this book that at first I thought it was a bad joke.
The firefly facts sprinkled throughout the book were a nice touch of foreshadowing and tied in well to the story. I’m not sure how scientifically accurate they are and I don’t care enough to research it. Real or not I thought they were a welcome addition.
Oof. This review started out at 4 star rating but the more I kept writing and remembering, the harder it was for me to keep it there. I really wanted to rate this higher for the sake of looking out for the fellow MN girlies but I just can’t.
The premise is quite simple, it’s no great fantasy or head-scratching mystery, just a simple road trip plot. It was a little lacking on the potential antics a road trip can provide to a story; no car troubles, no issues finding a place to pull over, no messy traffic jams, like just add something to make feel it little more grounded to the road trip plot. It’s kinda just two people talking in a room that’s actually a car. I didn’t mind because I love a dialogue driven story, but the atmosphere wasn’t utilized in any way and, as a road trip enjoyer myself, was disappointing.
*Gentle spoilers but none that ruin the overall plot*
For one of the main characters I think the story was fully realized and executed well and that character is Lo. I read some other reviews of people saying that Lo is a shitty person and it’s like well duh that’s why she’s going through this whole character arc. That’s why she met John so that someone would finally challenge her and force her to look inward. That’s why she and Raul had that whole conversation at the dinner table. That’s why John and her had an argument on the way back home. Thats why she cried over her actions and apologized to all the people she hurt at the end! It’s called character growth! YOU HAVE TO START OUT SHITTY TO GROW! THATS WHY WE USE FERTILIZER!!” *takes deep breath cause I’m so tired of screaming from the rooftops about character development to people who have the media literacy of a doorknob*
Anyway Jason’s storyline was severely underwhelming which was unfortunate. I thought the bones for a meaningful story were there but the meat was nowhere to be found. Also felt unintentionally stereotyped and not in a good way. Like in a kinda hopefully accidentally racist way. And there were moments where Lo gave off those vibes too but I’m going to credit it towards her close mindedness and shitty attitude to the world around her. However I don’t think casual racism is a necessary installment for “bad character traits” which is why I’m assuming it was unintentional. But intentional or not there’s still the impact. I am white and therefore do not feel qualified to determine this as racist, but it just rubbed me the wrong way and felt unnecessary. I really don’t have a lot to say on Jason which sucks because he’s kinda the MacGuffin of the story. His story with Alexis and fatherhood didn’t go nearly as deep as it had the potential to.
The love interest was kinda one note with the exception of the one scene where he actually challenged Lo and made her reflect for the first time in a while. I also see a lot of reviews saying the Lo is the manic pixie dream girl. Babes you got it all wrong. John is a goddamn manic pixie dream boy; appears seemingly from nowhere, there for the spontaneity and trying to show the MC how to live differently and see the world, have her learn empathy but like for real, has a crazy backstory, shows her how to be thankful for her life and all the people she has… I’ve said enough. Also his backstory was wild and felt thrown in there for shock value. I grew up in a heavily religious lifestyle and have never ONCE heard of snake churches. I was actually curious enough to research it and it is a real thing which is terrifying and I am not trying to offend anyone that practices this or has in the past. I was just so thrown off by it, it felt so out of place in this book that at first I thought it was a bad joke.
The firefly facts sprinkled throughout the book were a nice touch of foreshadowing and tied in well to the story. I’m not sure how scientifically accurate they are and I don’t care enough to research it. Real or not I thought they were a welcome addition.
Oof. This review started out at 4 star rating but the more I kept writing and remembering, the harder it was for me to keep it there. I really wanted to rate this higher for the sake of looking out for the fellow MN girlies but I just can’t.
November 8, 2023
I enjoyed reading Manmade Constellations so much. The parallel storylines that came together are very well written. This story involves a road trip, romance, family trauma, and a mysterious character our main character is set out to find, I was hooked from the beginning!
The main character Lo is a bit stubborn, but she’s young and that’s what makes her, her! I did love that Lo wanted to get out of her small town and grow. She wanted change, without compromising who she already was. She stayed true to herself, made some mistakes along the way, but held herself accountable for her actions. This was very admirable of her.
I really enjoyed John as a character and how laid back and down-to-earth he is. The romantic spark between John and Lo was fun to watch develop. I believe they go great together and balance each other out. Also, John’s physical description is just the type of man I’m personally attracted to so that made reading the chapters he was in even more enjoyable!
But one of my favorite parts of the book was how the character Jason kept a voice recording of his father. My father did the same. When I was little, my father played back some tapes he had of his late father; so I could hear what my grandfather sounded like. That part of the book really hit close to home and brought back some great memories of my own.
I also loved the inserts of lightning bugs or firefly facts and how it related to some of the development within the story. I believe Misha wrote these in like fun dots for us to connect. They were also like magical little breaks that made me think about summer and the beauty of life.
This book made me smile at Lo and John’s romantic storyline, laugh at Lo’s stubbornness, relate to the complexity of family dynamics, and even made me cry twice with two sentimental scenes. One involving Jason hearing his father's voice, and the other with Lo and her mom.
Family relationships and dynamics are not always easy, but we cannot forget how important they are.
Overall, I know this will be a book I could read again in the future and it’ll be just as magical as reading it the first time.
The main character Lo is a bit stubborn, but she’s young and that’s what makes her, her! I did love that Lo wanted to get out of her small town and grow. She wanted change, without compromising who she already was. She stayed true to herself, made some mistakes along the way, but held herself accountable for her actions. This was very admirable of her.
I really enjoyed John as a character and how laid back and down-to-earth he is. The romantic spark between John and Lo was fun to watch develop. I believe they go great together and balance each other out. Also, John’s physical description is just the type of man I’m personally attracted to so that made reading the chapters he was in even more enjoyable!
But one of my favorite parts of the book was how the character Jason kept a voice recording of his father. My father did the same. When I was little, my father played back some tapes he had of his late father; so I could hear what my grandfather sounded like. That part of the book really hit close to home and brought back some great memories of my own.
I also loved the inserts of lightning bugs or firefly facts and how it related to some of the development within the story. I believe Misha wrote these in like fun dots for us to connect. They were also like magical little breaks that made me think about summer and the beauty of life.
This book made me smile at Lo and John’s romantic storyline, laugh at Lo’s stubbornness, relate to the complexity of family dynamics, and even made me cry twice with two sentimental scenes. One involving Jason hearing his father's voice, and the other with Lo and her mom.
Family relationships and dynamics are not always easy, but we cannot forget how important they are.
Overall, I know this will be a book I could read again in the future and it’ll be just as magical as reading it the first time.
March 19, 2023
I think your enjoyment of this debut novel will hinge on how much empathy you have for Lo and Jason as selfish, struggling protagonists. For me, it worked bc Lo's character arc is specifically about becoming self-aware, realizing her privileges and the limits of her political attitudes. The second half of her journey is full of people calling her in and confronting her emotional unintelligence, and she receives it with relative humility. And Jason? Well, he's a traumatized idiot but he is actually trying his best, poor thing.
I appreciate that the author is clear-eyed about the insider/outsider dynamic that makes small towns a blessing as well as a hell, and she handles discussions of race skillfully for a white writer. I believed in all of these characters of color (how they interacted with white folks and how they expressed themselves) which is no small feat. Author clearly loves Minnesota but isn't blind to its challenges.
Perhaps the best aspect was choosing to leave several of the parent-child relationships ugly and unforgiven without painting anyone as a 1-note villain. And while I think John was a bit too dick-blinded with Lo (I'd have given up on her much earlier), I do think Lo, John, Alexis, and Jason have promising futures ahead of them, better than they would have had alone.
Ultimately this is a novel about choosing families, choosing vulnerability for the sake of love, and I think it is quite successful for a debut. I'll keep an eye out for her next book.
I appreciate that the author is clear-eyed about the insider/outsider dynamic that makes small towns a blessing as well as a hell, and she handles discussions of race skillfully for a white writer. I believed in all of these characters of color (how they interacted with white folks and how they expressed themselves) which is no small feat. Author clearly loves Minnesota but isn't blind to its challenges.
Perhaps the best aspect was choosing to leave several of the parent-child relationships ugly and unforgiven without painting anyone as a 1-note villain. And while I think John was a bit too dick-blinded with Lo (I'd have given up on her much earlier), I do think Lo, John, Alexis, and Jason have promising futures ahead of them, better than they would have had alone.
Ultimately this is a novel about choosing families, choosing vulnerability for the sake of love, and I think it is quite successful for a debut. I'll keep an eye out for her next book.
December 27, 2022
This book had an identity crisis and never delivered on the promises made in the description. The roadtrip was lackluster and the romance felt forced. The second POV felt unnecessary, like filler to get the book to novel-length word count.
My biggest issue with the book was that the main character hardly faced any consequences for her shitty behavior towards...everybody. She was blind to the fact that she was beloved by the town and all its people, and it was infuriating to me that a lot of her beliefs that she would tout were rooted in racism and classism and nobody called her out on this or pointed this out. Her big "all is lost moment" was just her crying that she finally faced a single consequence for her actions, and it wasn't even as much of a consequence as she deserved considering how terrible she was to basically everybody around her.
The self-centered, spoiled behavior of the main character would have been more fitting in a coming of age YA book where at least I could forgive a teen character because that's how teens are, but Lo is in her mid-to-late-twenties and should have had to reckon with this behavior a lot earlier.
From a technical standpoint, the writing was mediocre, and I hated the two or three chapters that flipped to a third POV to give backstory, like the author couldn't figure out a better way to convey that. It wouldn't have been so jarring if the characters had equal narrative stake in the novel, but they didn't.
My biggest issue with the book was that the main character hardly faced any consequences for her shitty behavior towards...everybody. She was blind to the fact that she was beloved by the town and all its people, and it was infuriating to me that a lot of her beliefs that she would tout were rooted in racism and classism and nobody called her out on this or pointed this out. Her big "all is lost moment" was just her crying that she finally faced a single consequence for her actions, and it wasn't even as much of a consequence as she deserved considering how terrible she was to basically everybody around her.
The self-centered, spoiled behavior of the main character would have been more fitting in a coming of age YA book where at least I could forgive a teen character because that's how teens are, but Lo is in her mid-to-late-twenties and should have had to reckon with this behavior a lot earlier.
From a technical standpoint, the writing was mediocre, and I hated the two or three chapters that flipped to a third POV to give backstory, like the author couldn't figure out a better way to convey that. It wouldn't have been so jarring if the characters had equal narrative stake in the novel, but they didn't.
August 17, 2022
This book was one of the most cathartic works of fiction I’ve read in a very long time. The storyline was unexpected with twists and turns that keep you engaged until the last page. The romance was refreshingly real and added a healthy element of passion to the book without overpowering the broader point of the storyline. The scenery is described with such captivating and expert detail that it invites the reader to fall in love with the landscape of our nation’s less traveled roads. None of this, however, makes more of an impression than the true mastery of how growth in action is brought to life through the characters. Flawed as they may be, Lo and Jason are very relatably human, trying to make sense of the world with the hands they’ve been dealt in life and the tools currently at their disposal. Sometimes in life, in order to be the person you want to be, you have to have been the person you don’t want to be. Despite the fantastical storyline, I loved how honest this book felt and I loved feeling so deeply moved by the love these characters were growing for themselves and each other along the way. Thank you to Misha Lazzara for writing this book! I cannot wait to read the next one!
November 1, 2022
Love this book! In Manmade Constellations, her debut novel, Misha Lazzara takes readers on an emotional rollercoaster of a road trip and deep into the hearts of her characters. Lazzara slowly reveals and beautifully explains the complex and diverse personalities peopling her work. Lo and John, Jason and Alexis, don’t turn out to be who you assume they are on first meeting. But their true selves are shown through lyrical prose, action and interaction, dialogue and those road trips. I found myself thinking I understood Lo and was pleasantly surprised at how much I didn’t.
With care and precision, Lazzara deconstructs the very characters she spends so much time building, and it’s a wonderful thing to witness. It’s a testament not only to Misha Lazzara’s writing, but also to her great mind and big heart that she can present complicated characters who don’t always act their absolute best with such compassion, that she can create a plot that reveals them to us as they learn about themselves. Misha Lazzara’s second novel is forthcoming, and I personally can’t wait to read Skipped a Generation. But for now, pick up a copy of Manmade Constellations and greet this writer at the start of a great career.
With care and precision, Lazzara deconstructs the very characters she spends so much time building, and it’s a wonderful thing to witness. It’s a testament not only to Misha Lazzara’s writing, but also to her great mind and big heart that she can present complicated characters who don’t always act their absolute best with such compassion, that she can create a plot that reveals them to us as they learn about themselves. Misha Lazzara’s second novel is forthcoming, and I personally can’t wait to read Skipped a Generation. But for now, pick up a copy of Manmade Constellations and greet this writer at the start of a great career.
August 27, 2023
This is a tale of resilience, of overcoming the traumas of childhood to move on and make one's own path in the world. In two very different love stories, the reader understands how resilience moves us forward and grudges hold us back.
Lo Gunderson is a "freegan" who wants to leave the small town she was born and raised in, where she often feels like the odd one out, different from everyone she has ever know; she hopes to move out into the world to find a community of people who think like her, who care about the environment and climate change, who won't think of her as strange. When the story opens, Lo is answering an ad in the local paper for a free car, her ticket out. The owner who wants to give the car away wants nothing in return - nothing but one small favor. Little does she know, though, how granting that request will change her life forever.
Manmade Constellations has a cast of characters who are as quirky as Lo is and Minneapolis is described in such vivid detail as to be a separate character. What shines through is the importance of community, forgiveness, empathy and second chances. If these themes appeal to you, this is the perfect read for you.
Lo Gunderson is a "freegan" who wants to leave the small town she was born and raised in, where she often feels like the odd one out, different from everyone she has ever know; she hopes to move out into the world to find a community of people who think like her, who care about the environment and climate change, who won't think of her as strange. When the story opens, Lo is answering an ad in the local paper for a free car, her ticket out. The owner who wants to give the car away wants nothing in return - nothing but one small favor. Little does she know, though, how granting that request will change her life forever.
Manmade Constellations has a cast of characters who are as quirky as Lo is and Minneapolis is described in such vivid detail as to be a separate character. What shines through is the importance of community, forgiveness, empathy and second chances. If these themes appeal to you, this is the perfect read for you.
February 24, 2022
Manmade Constellations by Misha Lazzara. Thanks to @blackstonepublishing for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lo felt she really lucked out with the free car she found in town. It may just be her ticket out of town. Then the owner asks her to fulfill herone dying wish… find her son and bring him back home.
Have you ever liked and disliked a character? That is how I felt about the main character, Lo. I enjoyed her backstory and struggles, but her belief system and rants seemed very immature and youthful. I enjoyed her conversations with John and getting to know him. I felt that there could have been more scenes with Jason, but I also understood his was the backstory. If you enjoy a romance that takes the passenger seat to an emotional journey, you may like this one.
“Just as her plans to leave town were unfolding, here was this guy with his sweet tea addiction and stupid blue eyes.”
Manmade Constellations comes out 8/9.
Lo felt she really lucked out with the free car she found in town. It may just be her ticket out of town. Then the owner asks her to fulfill herone dying wish… find her son and bring him back home.
Have you ever liked and disliked a character? That is how I felt about the main character, Lo. I enjoyed her backstory and struggles, but her belief system and rants seemed very immature and youthful. I enjoyed her conversations with John and getting to know him. I felt that there could have been more scenes with Jason, but I also understood his was the backstory. If you enjoy a romance that takes the passenger seat to an emotional journey, you may like this one.
“Just as her plans to leave town were unfolding, here was this guy with his sweet tea addiction and stupid blue eyes.”
Manmade Constellations comes out 8/9.
February 12, 2023
So this is the lowest I have rated a book yet but I really was not impressed with this one. The concept could have been really cool except for the fact that the main character for almost the ENTIRE BOOK was surface level and straight up just kinda annoying. I actually found myself rooting for the ex boyfriends and the guys in this book which has never happened to me before. And there was a dual pov that only made the book harder to get through and was completely unnecessary. The only reason I finished this is because I already spent a lot of time reading it and I didn’t want to throw away a book towards my book goal😭 But yeah it was fine I guess but literally the whole time I was thinking about starting ANY of the other books I have.
November 7, 2023
I really enjoyed this book because I grew up in a small Wisconsin town with similar people. Reading about a main character who is so fundamentalist about her lifestyle that she pushes loved ones away is a bit of a Midwest trope, but we do tend to believe we are the good people in the USA. John is such a lovely character whose backstory that could have made him closeminded, and yes, he admits to that as a highschooler, brings a wonderful way for the protagonist to find forgiveness. (I think we like to forget that as teenagers and young adults we really are dug into our own self-righteousness.)
I really appreciated the firefly book as scientific facts that complemented the story. The secondary characters touched my heart and I am hoping we might see them in another book from this author.
I really appreciated the firefly book as scientific facts that complemented the story. The secondary characters touched my heart and I am hoping we might see them in another book from this author.
July 12, 2023
Wow, I am speechless. I picked up this book randomly at my rural library after spending entirely too much time looking for books I've had on my "want to read" list. When I read that the author is a NC native, I figured that the worst case scenario would be that I support a local artist. This book completely surprised me in the best way. Easily one of my favorite books now!
The story is set so well and written in a way that you feel like a passerby watching the characters navigate through it. It was beautiful, emotional, heart warming, inspiring - ALLLLL of the good things!
The story is set so well and written in a way that you feel like a passerby watching the characters navigate through it. It was beautiful, emotional, heart warming, inspiring - ALLLLL of the good things!
December 22, 2023
Beautiful and magical. Beautifully written. Characters are flawed but understandable—this book was a pleasure to read. Bought a signed copy in Duluth at a little bookstore, having never heard of it or the author prior. Was pleasantly surprised. As someone from small town Minnesota, this book is dear to my heart in its little complexities. It didn’t change my brain chemistry, but it made me feel understood and seen and less alone, even in a small sense of the concept. It’s a sort of coming of age story that I will likely revisit from time to time.
August 28, 2022
I took my time reading this as I did not want it to end.
Character development was exactly what I needed. I had such a love/hate feeling while getting to know Lo.
I really enjoyed the double storyline, how they were both very different yet the characters all wanted the same outcomes.
10/10
5 stars
All the good things you can say about the structure of a story you’ll find right in this book. I can’t wait for Misha’s next novel!
Character development was exactly what I needed. I had such a love/hate feeling while getting to know Lo.
I really enjoyed the double storyline, how they were both very different yet the characters all wanted the same outcomes.
10/10
5 stars
All the good things you can say about the structure of a story you’ll find right in this book. I can’t wait for Misha’s next novel!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2022
Is this supposed to be a love story? Or a journey to discover one’s self? Or a book about overcoming childhood trauma? There are just a lot of themes going on that never really get flushed out to satisfaction. The main character is really judgmental, opinionated, and extremely dislikable. It seems like she goes out of her way to make things harder than they need to be which makes it impossible to root for her.
April 11, 2023
This type of book is my favorite. It’s the type that leaves you caring for the characters and wondering what they are doing now. With a sweet twist midway, the main character heading in the direction you hope her to. The writer knew what she was doing the whole time. Presenting Lo as a young woman trying to make sense of her life.
I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun light read. Can’t wait to read more from this writer.
I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun light read. Can’t wait to read more from this writer.
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