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Charming Young Man
It all started with a boy who loved the piano . . .
They say Léon Delafosse will be France’s next great pianist. As a sixteen-year-old from a small country town, he knows making that happen will keep his family afloat. Even though he’s the youngest student ever accepted into the prestigious Paris Conservatory, there’s no way for an impoverished musician to make his way in 1890s Paris without an outside patron to pave his way.
A young gossip columnist named Marcel Proust takes Léon under his wing, using the beautiful teenager as his own entrance key into high society. As the boys game their way through an extravagant new world, Marcel opens unexpected doors. When the larger-than-life Count Robert de Montesquiou-Fézensac offers his patronage, Léon’s dreams are made real. But the more absorbed he is into dreams of becoming France’s next great thing, the more he strays from the old country life he shared with his mother, his sister, Charlotte, and his best friend, Félix . . . a boy he might love. With each choice Léon makes, he must navigate a fine line between two worlds—or risk losing it all.
They say Léon Delafosse will be France’s next great pianist. As a sixteen-year-old from a small country town, he knows making that happen will keep his family afloat. Even though he’s the youngest student ever accepted into the prestigious Paris Conservatory, there’s no way for an impoverished musician to make his way in 1890s Paris without an outside patron to pave his way.
A young gossip columnist named Marcel Proust takes Léon under his wing, using the beautiful teenager as his own entrance key into high society. As the boys game their way through an extravagant new world, Marcel opens unexpected doors. When the larger-than-life Count Robert de Montesquiou-Fézensac offers his patronage, Léon’s dreams are made real. But the more absorbed he is into dreams of becoming France’s next great thing, the more he strays from the old country life he shared with his mother, his sister, Charlotte, and his best friend, Félix . . . a boy he might love. With each choice Léon makes, he must navigate a fine line between two worlds—or risk losing it all.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 10, 2023
21 people are currently reading
4632 people want to read
About the author
Eliot Schrefer
43 books1,640 followersELIOT SCHREFER is a New York Times-bestselling author, and has twice been a finalist for the National Book Award. In naming him an Editor’s Choice, the New York Times has called his work “dazzling… big-hearted.” He is also the author of two novels for adults and four other novels for children and young adults. His books have been named to the NPR “best of the year” list, the ALA best fiction list for young adults, and the Chicago Public Library’s “Best of the Best.” His work has also been selected to the Amelia Bloomer List, recognizing best feminist books for young readers, and he has been a finalist for the Walden Award and won the Green Earth Book Award and Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award. He lives in New York City, where he reviews books for USAToday.
Also: I love marshmallows and early twentieth century fiction. And apes.
Also: I love marshmallows and early twentieth century fiction. And apes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews
May 10, 2023
Actual rating 4.5 stars.
From The Darkness Outside Us, an ingeniously written gays in space, to a queer historical story loosely based on a real person’s life. Eliot Schefer did it again!
Eliot Schefer based this book on John Singer Sargent's painting of Léon Delafosse (1895). The painting is in the Met, New York, and touched Eliot because of the sad but also ambitious and defiant look in Léon’s eyes. Léon, Charming Young Man’s main character, was a brilliant pianist and composer.
As I said, this story is loosely based on Léon’s life, and Eliot has taken plenty of liberties, so it’s far from historically accurate. But the book definitely captures Léon’s sadness, ambition, and defiance from the painting, just like the intriguing cover does.
Eliot pictures Léon as a quiet, shy, and modest seventeen-year-old in vibrant and chic Paris. He soon meets Marcel Proust, a writer, who takes Léon under his wing and also meets Robert de Montesquiou, a dandy and poet, who becomes Léon’s patron. Both boys are potential love interests. But Léon might be in love with Felix, his friend back home.
Even before I met Felix in the book, I had already fallen in love with him and his friendship with Léon. Léon often has Felix on his mind while playing or composing, and those thoughts are so incredibly tender that I wanted them to be together badly. I imagined the French countryside, cattle, tall grass, clouds drifting across a blue sky, and two boys walking next to each other, not even talking but just enjoying one another’s company. And my heart opened up for them, and a smile reached my eyes. I rooted for them so much, even though I knew Léon might end up with someone else. Léon struggles and feels like he’s wrong everywhere he goes. In mundane Paris, he finds people like him and becomes a society success while at the same time, he also has to perform a role he might not want. And in the French countryside, he can’t be who he really is while it is home and maybe where he truly wants to be.
TDOU and Charming Young Man are difficult to compare. While TDOU was a wild ride, a thrilling and insane story, Charming Young Man is more classical and quieter. There are no insane plot twists and no surprises. Instead of a romance, it’s merely a character-driven story about a boy searching for his identity and finding out where he belongs. And eventually it’s a beautiful story about love.
TDOU and Charming Young Man have one similarity, they’re marketed as YA books, but in my opinion, both books could easily be adult stories. Or maybe it even should be adult stories. At least, in my opinion.
I received an ARC from HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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From The Darkness Outside Us, an ingeniously written gays in space, to a queer historical story loosely based on a real person’s life. Eliot Schefer did it again!
Eliot Schefer based this book on John Singer Sargent's painting of Léon Delafosse (1895). The painting is in the Met, New York, and touched Eliot because of the sad but also ambitious and defiant look in Léon’s eyes. Léon, Charming Young Man’s main character, was a brilliant pianist and composer.
As I said, this story is loosely based on Léon’s life, and Eliot has taken plenty of liberties, so it’s far from historically accurate. But the book definitely captures Léon’s sadness, ambition, and defiance from the painting, just like the intriguing cover does.
Eliot pictures Léon as a quiet, shy, and modest seventeen-year-old in vibrant and chic Paris. He soon meets Marcel Proust, a writer, who takes Léon under his wing and also meets Robert de Montesquiou, a dandy and poet, who becomes Léon’s patron. Both boys are potential love interests. But Léon might be in love with Felix, his friend back home.
Even before I met Felix in the book, I had already fallen in love with him and his friendship with Léon. Léon often has Felix on his mind while playing or composing, and those thoughts are so incredibly tender that I wanted them to be together badly. I imagined the French countryside, cattle, tall grass, clouds drifting across a blue sky, and two boys walking next to each other, not even talking but just enjoying one another’s company. And my heart opened up for them, and a smile reached my eyes. I rooted for them so much, even though I knew Léon might end up with someone else. Léon struggles and feels like he’s wrong everywhere he goes. In mundane Paris, he finds people like him and becomes a society success while at the same time, he also has to perform a role he might not want. And in the French countryside, he can’t be who he really is while it is home and maybe where he truly wants to be.
TDOU and Charming Young Man are difficult to compare. While TDOU was a wild ride, a thrilling and insane story, Charming Young Man is more classical and quieter. There are no insane plot twists and no surprises. Instead of a romance, it’s merely a character-driven story about a boy searching for his identity and finding out where he belongs. And eventually it’s a beautiful story about love.
TDOU and Charming Young Man have one similarity, they’re marketed as YA books, but in my opinion, both books could easily be adult stories. Or maybe it even should be adult stories. At least, in my opinion.
I received an ARC from HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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April 5, 2024
➳ 3.5 ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧
oh léon, you would’ve loved 21st century. you know, zoom meetings and the ability to stream musicand elton john
➳ rtc ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧
₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚
➳ review is here ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧
this was…interesting? i enjoyed it but it was just different than anything i’ve read in the past.
i really liked léon a lot!! he was adorable and even marcel and robert were beautifully written characters in their own way. also felix 🥹 loved him!
i just wish it was longer and there was more time to develop the characters / it all felt a bit rushed.also tell me how i didn’t know this was based on real people until i read the author’s note
anyways!! overall it was a quick, interesting read and i’m glad i picked this up 🫶
୧ ‧₊˚ 🍓 ⋅ ☆
oh léon, you would’ve loved 21st century. you know, zoom meetings and the ability to stream music
➳ rtc ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧
₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚
➳ review is here ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧
this was…interesting? i enjoyed it but it was just different than anything i’ve read in the past.
i really liked léon a lot!! he was adorable and even marcel and robert were beautifully written characters in their own way. also felix 🥹 loved him!
i just wish it was longer and there was more time to develop the characters / it all felt a bit rushed.
anyways!! overall it was a quick, interesting read and i’m glad i picked this up 🫶
୧ ‧₊˚ 🍓 ⋅ ☆
April 27, 2023
What an odd little book this is! Our hero, Léon Delafosse, is a piano prodigy and beginning composer, studying at a conservatory in Paris around the turn of the 20th century. His family is dead broke, he needs a patron to fund his further education and advance his career, and there the story really begins. Léon gives a performance at a party where he meets Marcel Proust and Lucien Daudet; through Marcel he meets Robert de Montesquiou, at which point I excitedly wrote "CHARLUS!!!!!!" I should have remembered what a nasty piece of work Proust's Baron de Charlus is, because Robert is not only deeply troubled and full of self-loathing but also capricious, cruel, and vengeful.
Throughout Léon's adventures in Parisian high society he remains linked to Félix, a dear friend from his rural hometown. Memories of Félix inform his music -- the playing of it, and then the composing of it. He hasn't left Félix behind, really, except in the geographical sense: they write to each other and spend time together when Léon visits home, and gradually come closer and closer to an acknowledgment of what they mean to each other. Things end well for them, despite some vicissitudes in between.
So, as I started out by saying, an odd little book! Léon Delafosse was a real person, though Schrefer has, as he explains in the afterword, messed around considerably with the known facts of his life. Which leads me to the oddness: Schrefer carefully researched the background of Charming Young Man, and to the extent that I'm familiar with the period and the personae (which is, I'm afraid, mostly through having read Proust), he gets the details and the (mostly terrible) people right. I'm puzzled, though, by his choice of register for the dialogue -- an example that will stand for the whole is that everyone says "Okay," which seems off kilter, not so much for the period, maybe, but surely for that social milieu and in that place. And there's a reference to leaving a carriage in a public garage, which ... did those exist? Maybe they did, I don't know, but the word "garage" (as opposed to, say, "stable") certainly threw me out of the book for a moment.
All the same, I enjoyed myself, and so what if I'd have made different choices for the register of the dialogue? Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
P.S. Marcel Proust was kind of a shit in real life, but don't let anyone tell you that In Search of Lost Time is dry or boring or whatever. I admit, I had to take a few runs at it before it took, but once I got going properly, I was enthralled. It's funny and gossipy and insightful and heartbreaking and everything else you want in a book that might take a person *looks shifty* nine months to read.
Throughout Léon's adventures in Parisian high society he remains linked to Félix, a dear friend from his rural hometown. Memories of Félix inform his music -- the playing of it, and then the composing of it. He hasn't left Félix behind, really, except in the geographical sense: they write to each other and spend time together when Léon visits home, and gradually come closer and closer to an acknowledgment of what they mean to each other. Things end well for them, despite some vicissitudes in between.
So, as I started out by saying, an odd little book! Léon Delafosse was a real person, though Schrefer has, as he explains in the afterword, messed around considerably with the known facts of his life. Which leads me to the oddness: Schrefer carefully researched the background of Charming Young Man, and to the extent that I'm familiar with the period and the personae (which is, I'm afraid, mostly through having read Proust), he gets the details and the (mostly terrible) people right. I'm puzzled, though, by his choice of register for the dialogue -- an example that will stand for the whole is that everyone says "Okay," which seems off kilter, not so much for the period, maybe, but surely for that social milieu and in that place. And there's a reference to leaving a carriage in a public garage, which ... did those exist? Maybe they did, I don't know, but the word "garage" (as opposed to, say, "stable") certainly threw me out of the book for a moment.
All the same, I enjoyed myself, and so what if I'd have made different choices for the register of the dialogue? Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
P.S. Marcel Proust was kind of a shit in real life, but don't let anyone tell you that In Search of Lost Time is dry or boring or whatever. I admit, I had to take a few runs at it before it took, but once I got going properly, I was enthralled. It's funny and gossipy and insightful and heartbreaking and everything else you want in a book that might take a person *looks shifty* nine months to read.
Read
April 9, 2024I feel like I need to warn that my having DNFed this does not mean it’s bad. It’s very good! I recommend!
For me, however, just the teeeensiest bit too YA-simple in terms of the sentence structures, Leon is just the teeeensiest bit too sweet and naive for me as a protagonist - and also, I’m worried he’s going to go through stress and heartbreak before he finds his HEA with his cutie friend from back in the countryside! I’m not sure I’m ready for that emotional trauma! I don’t trust these Paris city slickers!!
I actually LOVE love the setting/time period, so fun, but I just keep reading thinking about Bel Ami by Maupassant and I’m like “all these social climbers, get away from Leon!! He just wants to play his music!!”
So that’s where I’m at. DNFing at 35%. Might pick this up again sometime in the future for sure when I’m in the right mood for it (lol).
ETA:
Me meditating on this review over the last day: “I feel like I’m not quite saying what I want to say, like I’m missing something… He just wants to play his music… 🎶I just wanna play my music🎶… Camp Rock… Demi Lovato… ‘GET A JOB’ ‘STAY AWAY FROM HER’… that’s it!” So to the sleezebags of Paris: get a job! Stay away from her!!
For me, however, just the teeeensiest bit too YA-simple in terms of the sentence structures, Leon is just the teeeensiest bit too sweet and naive for me as a protagonist - and also, I’m worried he’s going to go through stress and heartbreak before he finds his HEA with his cutie friend from back in the countryside! I’m not sure I’m ready for that emotional trauma! I don’t trust these Paris city slickers!!
I actually LOVE love the setting/time period, so fun, but I just keep reading thinking about Bel Ami by Maupassant and I’m like “all these social climbers, get away from Leon!! He just wants to play his music!!”
So that’s where I’m at. DNFing at 35%. Might pick this up again sometime in the future for sure when I’m in the right mood for it (lol).
ETA:
Me meditating on this review over the last day: “I feel like I’m not quite saying what I want to say, like I’m missing something… He just wants to play his music… 🎶I just wanna play my music🎶… Camp Rock… Demi Lovato… ‘GET A JOB’ ‘STAY AWAY FROM HER’… that’s it!” So to the sleezebags of Paris: get a job! Stay away from her!!
December 10, 2023
This was a quick, addictive book to read. Léon was from the country, but could play beautiful piano music. His good looks caught him up with Paris society people that had wanted him to help their own social mobility. Marcel Proust started his journey. Robert de Montesquiou became his patron. And renown portrait painter John Singer Sargent became someone Léon could trust.
It was a real portrait of Léon that author Eliot Schrefer first saw in the Seattle Art Museum that prompted the first drafts of this novel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrai...
Léon comes a long way in this book. I liked having so much of his character developed. And with history not really knowing how Léon eventually turned out, I was quite pleased with the ending to this book that Schrefer gave to him.
I greatly appreciated the author's note at the conclusion of this book concerning his inspiration and facts on the historical characters. While liberties were taken writing this book, it has true historical characters:
Each one of these named historical characters have their wiki site describe their homosexual side. A couple extra characters were invented, and some ages were made in better proximity to each other to let the events unfold. But the feeling of being in 1880's was present.
Léon Delafosse
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9...
Marcel Proust
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_...
Robert de Montesquiou
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...
John Singer Sargent
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Si...
I was ready to let this 4.25* book sit at 4*. But I already put multiple more books into my TBR per the real-historical characters in this book, and even a couple 'on hold' at my local library. I appreciate being inspired like this to read more.
I've also greatly liked two other books by this author this year:
Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality
The Darkness Outside Us
This author is quickly becoming a favorite for me. All of these books I've finished very quickly as I addicted to each one immediately.
So round to 5*
It was a real portrait of Léon that author Eliot Schrefer first saw in the Seattle Art Museum that prompted the first drafts of this novel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrai...
Léon comes a long way in this book. I liked having so much of his character developed. And with history not really knowing how Léon eventually turned out, I was quite pleased with the ending to this book that Schrefer gave to him.
I greatly appreciated the author's note at the conclusion of this book concerning his inspiration and facts on the historical characters. While liberties were taken writing this book, it has true historical characters:
Each one of these named historical characters have their wiki site describe their homosexual side. A couple extra characters were invented, and some ages were made in better proximity to each other to let the events unfold. But the feeling of being in 1880's was present.
Léon Delafosse
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9...
Marcel Proust
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_...
Robert de Montesquiou
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...
John Singer Sargent
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Si...
I was ready to let this 4.25* book sit at 4*. But I already put multiple more books into my TBR per the real-historical characters in this book, and even a couple 'on hold' at my local library. I appreciate being inspired like this to read more.
I've also greatly liked two other books by this author this year:
Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality
The Darkness Outside Us
This author is quickly becoming a favorite for me. All of these books I've finished very quickly as I addicted to each one immediately.
So round to 5*
August 4, 2023
Charming Young Man is based on real life pianist Léon Delafosse, and his attempt to "make it" in Paris in 1890. While studying his craft at the Paris Conservatory, Léon is looking for a patron to help fund him, as well as make introductions into the right circles. During this quest, he makes friends with gossip columnist Marcel Proust, and eccentric socialite Count Robert de Montesquiou. Both Marcel and Robert want more from Léon than he originally imagines, and Léon struggles with trying to appease both men, while also trying to navigate his own desires and ambitions.
I've previously loved Schrefer's The Darkness Outside Us and I was hoping I'd love Charming Young Man as well but this book fell mostly flat for me. I found the pacing to be somewhat off, and Léon's confusion and naivete got annoying.
The book is based on real people though the author doesn't claim it depicts real life events. I don't think the authentic framework for this story did it any favours though. It's a bit of a slife-of-life book, nothing much truly happens, and it's just about the vibes. Usually, I love that but unfortunately, the vibes here weren't great. I didn't like any characters except Léon's sister, and I felt the book dragged on a bit too long.
The premise was interesting but overall this wasn't a book for me. I'm also not sure if the ending was supposed to be happy or not but I guess it's nice that Léon is basically neighbours with Monet.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I've previously loved Schrefer's The Darkness Outside Us and I was hoping I'd love Charming Young Man as well but this book fell mostly flat for me. I found the pacing to be somewhat off, and Léon's confusion and naivete got annoying.
The book is based on real people though the author doesn't claim it depicts real life events. I don't think the authentic framework for this story did it any favours though. It's a bit of a slife-of-life book, nothing much truly happens, and it's just about the vibes. Usually, I love that but unfortunately, the vibes here weren't great. I didn't like any characters except Léon's sister, and I felt the book dragged on a bit too long.
The premise was interesting but overall this wasn't a book for me. I'm also not sure if the ending was supposed to be happy or not but I guess it's nice that Léon is basically neighbours with Monet.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
September 25, 2023
This was such an interesting queer historical YA book about Léon Delafosse, a young pianist who was predicted to become the next big thing in 1890s Paris. Léon needs the help of a patron in order to be able to afford to live and also create opportunities in society for him to play. It was compelling watching Léon befriend Marcel Proust and Count Robert de Montesquiou-Fézensac and seeing the romantic feelings that also arose.
The location and time period of the story really came to life through Eliot Schrefer’s writing. Having Léon be new in the higher society settings provided an interesting look into the world. I enjoyed getting to see Léon’s journey with understanding his queerness and desires in a time when there was far less understanding or access to information than there is today.
I was expecting there to be far more of a focus on Léon’s career as a pianist. There are times when he practices or plays shows, but I felt like that aspect of the story faded too much into the background and it was just about society. Also, I felt like the conflict at the end was really rushed. But I did like how the story wrapped up in the epilogue, I would’ve liked to see even more of it.
Overall I had a great time reading this book. It provided an interesting story that I haven’t seen much of before in YA. Definitely check it out if it sounds interesting to you!
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The location and time period of the story really came to life through Eliot Schrefer’s writing. Having Léon be new in the higher society settings provided an interesting look into the world. I enjoyed getting to see Léon’s journey with understanding his queerness and desires in a time when there was far less understanding or access to information than there is today.
I was expecting there to be far more of a focus on Léon’s career as a pianist. There are times when he practices or plays shows, but I felt like that aspect of the story faded too much into the background and it was just about society. Also, I felt like the conflict at the end was really rushed. But I did like how the story wrapped up in the epilogue, I would’ve liked to see even more of it.
Overall I had a great time reading this book. It provided an interesting story that I haven’t seen much of before in YA. Definitely check it out if it sounds interesting to you!
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 28, 2023
I received an ARC from Edelweiss
3.5
I’m a fan of Schrefer, and I definitely find this book interesting as a look at a little known historical figure. The author’s note about discovering the story and wanting to put him in the limelight made me way more willing to go along on the ride than I might have been. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that Schrefer’s writing is great as always.
Also, most likely because of the fact that it’s based on a real person, it’s fairly impossible to known what’s coming next. This story is certainly not predictable.
On the other side of that, though, the plot being so formed around a real person made the arc feel unshaped and pretty static. Things don’t move beyond a snails pace, with no big inciting action or huge thing pushing it forward. That’s also most likely why the pacing feels so inconsistent and off.
I can appreciate the realism to a point, but since there’s little more than a sketch actually known about the real person & life it feels kind of unnecessary.
I really wanted Robert to feel like more of a character, too. He felt like a wishy washy when he could’ve been a solid character had he not just been left up to interpretation.
The amount of awkward seduction in this put me off and just felt uncalled for- his insistence on trying to seduce a guy who doesn’t seem to have any interest in him and who seems painfully uncomfortable, it makes him so much less of a sympathetic character.
I like Schrefer’s writing a lot, and I didn’t dislike this book, but it felt a lot less like reading a book than hearing an unsatisfying personal story.
3.5
I’m a fan of Schrefer, and I definitely find this book interesting as a look at a little known historical figure. The author’s note about discovering the story and wanting to put him in the limelight made me way more willing to go along on the ride than I might have been. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that Schrefer’s writing is great as always.
Also, most likely because of the fact that it’s based on a real person, it’s fairly impossible to known what’s coming next. This story is certainly not predictable.
On the other side of that, though, the plot being so formed around a real person made the arc feel unshaped and pretty static. Things don’t move beyond a snails pace, with no big inciting action or huge thing pushing it forward. That’s also most likely why the pacing feels so inconsistent and off.
I can appreciate the realism to a point, but since there’s little more than a sketch actually known about the real person & life it feels kind of unnecessary.
I really wanted Robert to feel like more of a character, too. He felt like a wishy washy when he could’ve been a solid character had he not just been left up to interpretation.
The amount of awkward seduction in this put me off and just felt uncalled for- his insistence on trying to seduce a guy who doesn’t seem to have any interest in him and who seems painfully uncomfortable, it makes him so much less of a sympathetic character.
I like Schrefer’s writing a lot, and I didn’t dislike this book, but it felt a lot less like reading a book than hearing an unsatisfying personal story.
April 29, 2023
RATING: 4/5 STARS
Schrefer's sophomore young adult novel CHARMING YOUNG MAN features an earnest green protagonist navigating high society and the performing arts scene in 19th century France. The story is a reimagining of the life of Léon Delafosse, the subject of a John Singer Sargent painting with an ambiguous expression à la Mona Lisa or Girl with a Pearl Earring, featuring many nods to Victorian Era history and famous figures. The writing is magnetic, heartfelt, and opulent - I would describe this style and setting as Oscar Wilde-esque for a young and modern audience. What would have elevated my rating personally was more depth into the central romance which I felt was underdeveloped and principally off page. Nevertheless, I flew through this book and did enjoy it.
A sincere thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an advanced reading copy of this book.
Social: @_shelf.awareness on Instagram
Schrefer's sophomore young adult novel CHARMING YOUNG MAN features an earnest green protagonist navigating high society and the performing arts scene in 19th century France. The story is a reimagining of the life of Léon Delafosse, the subject of a John Singer Sargent painting with an ambiguous expression à la Mona Lisa or Girl with a Pearl Earring, featuring many nods to Victorian Era history and famous figures. The writing is magnetic, heartfelt, and opulent - I would describe this style and setting as Oscar Wilde-esque for a young and modern audience. What would have elevated my rating personally was more depth into the central romance which I felt was underdeveloped and principally off page. Nevertheless, I flew through this book and did enjoy it.
A sincere thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an advanced reading copy of this book.
Social: @_shelf.awareness on Instagram
2023
October 22, 2025Pride TBR
Valentine's Day TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Katherine Tegen Books
Valentine's Day TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Katherine Tegen Books
December 1, 2023
3.5 Stars
An emotionally evocative, Historical YA that loosely explores the lives of notable historical figures —Léon Delafosse, Marcel Proust, Robert de Montesquiou and even John Singer Sargent.
Which follows the young Composer and Painist, Léon Delafosse as he navigates his way through the dazzling allure 19th C high society in order to live up to the moniker of France’s Mozart.
A Coming of Age tale exploring self acceptance, sexuality and classism in such a nuanced and relatable way, I genuinely really enjoyed this.
Léon, our protagonist and sole POV character was so well written and full of depth. He’s quite an introspective character and not nearly as outgoing as some of the more flamboyant people we meet but, exploring his thought processes, feelings and personal motivations endeared me to this ambitiously naive, and endlessly hopeful young man.
Based on archived letters between Delafosse and Marcel Proust (as well as Proust’s fictionalised depiction of him in his novel ‘Remembrance of Things Past’) we get a glimpse at what the real Léon may have been like—which was intriguing to me (and did make me eager to do some of my own research into his life during and after Paris.)
Supporting characters Marcel and Robert (Léon’s Patron) though both well written, weren’t as in depth as our protagonist, Léon. Understandably our focus is Léon but I would’ve liked to have delved into Robert a bit more.
Obviously, as it’s a fictionalised version of events, nobody definitively knows what actually happened (given all the main players are no longer alive) but I’d like to think that, despite the poetic licence taken Léon had someone as sweet and dependable as Felix to love and support him in real life.
For a secondary character, I both loved and was impressed by how much insight we are able to glean from Felix— given most of his interactions are through letters. The emotions conveyed were heart-breakingly sweet, and at times I couldn’t help but want to hug him. His cinnamon roll/golden retriever energy was a soothing balm to the manipulative scheming of Paris’ upper classes, I just wish we had gotten to see more of him (and his horse Clementine.)
Overall, a heartfelt, coming of age story exploring queer identity and self acceptance that,despite the historical setting is incredibly relevant —and a perfect starting point for discussions around queer experiences throughout history.
Also, a huge thank you to Harper360YA for the physical proof.
An emotionally evocative, Historical YA that loosely explores the lives of notable historical figures —Léon Delafosse, Marcel Proust, Robert de Montesquiou and even John Singer Sargent.
Which follows the young Composer and Painist, Léon Delafosse as he navigates his way through the dazzling allure 19th C high society in order to live up to the moniker of France’s Mozart.
A Coming of Age tale exploring self acceptance, sexuality and classism in such a nuanced and relatable way, I genuinely really enjoyed this.
Léon, our protagonist and sole POV character was so well written and full of depth. He’s quite an introspective character and not nearly as outgoing as some of the more flamboyant people we meet but, exploring his thought processes, feelings and personal motivations endeared me to this ambitiously naive, and endlessly hopeful young man.
Based on archived letters between Delafosse and Marcel Proust (as well as Proust’s fictionalised depiction of him in his novel ‘Remembrance of Things Past’) we get a glimpse at what the real Léon may have been like—which was intriguing to me (and did make me eager to do some of my own research into his life during and after Paris.)
Supporting characters Marcel and Robert (Léon’s Patron) though both well written, weren’t as in depth as our protagonist, Léon. Understandably our focus is Léon but I would’ve liked to have delved into Robert a bit more.
Obviously, as it’s a fictionalised version of events, nobody definitively knows what actually happened (given all the main players are no longer alive) but I’d like to think that, despite the poetic licence taken Léon had someone as sweet and dependable as Felix to love and support him in real life.
For a secondary character, I both loved and was impressed by how much insight we are able to glean from Felix— given most of his interactions are through letters. The emotions conveyed were heart-breakingly sweet, and at times I couldn’t help but want to hug him. His cinnamon roll/golden retriever energy was a soothing balm to the manipulative scheming of Paris’ upper classes, I just wish we had gotten to see more of him (and his horse Clementine.)
Overall, a heartfelt, coming of age story exploring queer identity and self acceptance that,despite the historical setting is incredibly relevant —and a perfect starting point for discussions around queer experiences throughout history.
Also, a huge thank you to Harper360YA for the physical proof.
October 6, 2023
I will never not love a good historical fiction story. Even more when it’s queer. Even if it is fictional I feel like I’m taking a look into the past. Swishing my long skirts and walking along cobblestones. This book took me there and it was an interesting journey to be in 1890’s Paris.
The first half of the story kept my interest but it was hard to understand where exactly the journey was going. Léons emotions sometimes felt contradictory and it left me confused as to what he actually wanted. His relationships sometimes felt a little underdeveloped and maybe that was a part of my confusion in the first half.
Overall, I liked the rest of the story. I didn’t understand the music comments but I was happily nodding along like I knew what it meant. The high society aspects were done well and I am always a big fan of hating the historical rich. I highly recommend reading the authors note, it made me appreciate the story even more.
The first half of the story kept my interest but it was hard to understand where exactly the journey was going. Léons emotions sometimes felt contradictory and it left me confused as to what he actually wanted. His relationships sometimes felt a little underdeveloped and maybe that was a part of my confusion in the first half.
Overall, I liked the rest of the story. I didn’t understand the music comments but I was happily nodding along like I knew what it meant. The high society aspects were done well and I am always a big fan of hating the historical rich. I highly recommend reading the authors note, it made me appreciate the story even more.
March 2, 2024
a fictionalized historical queer ya story based on the real life of Léon Delafosse that was very sweet but felt a bit aimless and meandering
November 9, 2023
Charming Young Man follows piano prodigy Léon Delafosse during his struggles to navigate high society Paris in 1890. I wanted to pick this one up mainly because I’d heard so many good things about Schrefer’s other novel ‘The Darkness Outside Us’ (which I am still yet to read), and also because I just love queer historical fiction!
Normally, I’m all for ‘no real plot, just vibes’, but I do think that this one could have benefitted from some deeper plot and character development as everything just seemed a little flat. It felt like a lot of things were quite brief which made it difficult for me to really engage with the story at certain points. I also wasn’t really invested in the characters, but I did enjoy the gentle romance, and I liked Felix a lot.
I don’t always read author notes, but I definitely recommend giving this one a read through as it explains the real life people that this book was loosely based on, and I feel like it left me with a better overall appreciation for the story.
Charming Young Man is quiet and bittersweet, and although I didn’t love it, I do still plan on reading ‘The Darkness Outside Us’. If you’re looking for some queer historical fiction, I’d definitely give this one a go.
Thank you to Harper360ya for sending me an ARC!
Normally, I’m all for ‘no real plot, just vibes’, but I do think that this one could have benefitted from some deeper plot and character development as everything just seemed a little flat. It felt like a lot of things were quite brief which made it difficult for me to really engage with the story at certain points. I also wasn’t really invested in the characters, but I did enjoy the gentle romance, and I liked Felix a lot.
I don’t always read author notes, but I definitely recommend giving this one a read through as it explains the real life people that this book was loosely based on, and I feel like it left me with a better overall appreciation for the story.
Charming Young Man is quiet and bittersweet, and although I didn’t love it, I do still plan on reading ‘The Darkness Outside Us’. If you’re looking for some queer historical fiction, I’d definitely give this one a go.
Thank you to Harper360ya for sending me an ARC!
November 2, 2023
This novel, based loosely on the life of little-known composer Leon Delafosse, immerses the reader in 1890s France. 17-year-old Leon is a piano prodigy from a modest background who bears the weight of providing for his mother and sister. As opportunities put him in the path of wealthy patrons, he must learn to navigate the rules of high society and the dangers of being outed as homosexual.
Schrefer’s note at the end is lovely and gives deeper context to the story.
Thanks to Katherine Tegan/ HarperCollins and Libro.fm ALC for the complimentary e-audiobook.
Schrefer’s note at the end is lovely and gives deeper context to the story.
Thanks to Katherine Tegan/ HarperCollins and Libro.fm ALC for the complimentary e-audiobook.
dnf
July 25, 2023dnf @ 40%
Sadly, I did not finish this book. I couldn't bring myself to care for the story and I did not like the characters.
The writing style was beautiful but too distant for my liking.
Thanks Katherine Tegen Books and Edelweiss for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Sadly, I did not finish this book. I couldn't bring myself to care for the story and I did not like the characters.
The writing style was beautiful but too distant for my liking.
Thanks Katherine Tegen Books and Edelweiss for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
November 28, 2023
1.5 Stars rounded up.
I think we may have found the winner for the most disappointing book of the year.
Full Review to come after our discussion with the Boozy Book Club
I think we may have found the winner for the most disappointing book of the year.
Full Review to come after our discussion with the Boozy Book Club
May 31, 2024
4 stars. Written with prose as delightful as its title, Charming Young Man is a musical ode of a story to a dazzling historical figure.
June 17, 2024
"Paris society is fickle and judgemental. It raises up heroes only because it so enjoys to tear them down as villains. There are fewer options for men like us, I know. We can't fall back on family. The streets are closer to us than they are for conventional people."
I have a lot of complicated feelings about this one, so bear with me. What I think is most important to note (and has given me a great deal to think about) is that this book is based on real people - a sort of queer, fictionalized biography of Léon Delafosse, and Marcel Proust, and Robert de Montesquiou, and John Singer Sargent. I had absolutely no idea that these were real artists going into Charming Young Man, and knowing that now does abate some of the vicious feelings I had about the way this book ended.
That being said, I can't remember the last time such a good book has been so completely ruined by the ending. Without having done much research on the real Delafosse myself, I still know that there must have been plot points in the Delafosse's life that Schrefer wanted to hit in this novel - the good and the bad. But if you're going to write a fictionalized, YA adaptation of a person's life, I think that should give you artistic license to change things for the sake of your fictionalized story.
What I'm getting at here is that Charming Young Man had the potential to be something great, and despite the messages I'm sure Schrefer was trying to convey with how he chose to end this book, all that I'm left with is the much more bitter interpretation of how Léon's journey came to an end: never follow your dreams, the upper class will ruin it for you, so give up now, because you don't even have a chance, stay in your lane, if you were born in the gutter, stay in the gutter. Yikes. Yes, I know, there's something to be said about the concept of home, about going where you feel loved and appreciated, but Léon's entire future was destroyed by men who claimed to love him, by men who were using him, and by men who were, in all fairness, victims of cruel homophobia in Oscar Wilde's time. But fuck, man, c'mon - maybe all of that awful stuff happened in the real Delafosse's life, but you had the opportunity to change this story for the better, and you didn't.
I'm not saying that every queer romance or queer story needs to have a happy ending, because it doesn't! There's plenty of space for cruelty, for sorrow, for pain, for the realities of being openly queer in a homophobic society. I get that. But to have characters like Robert and Marcel introduced for the sake of teasing a romance with Léon, only for them to have zero character development, fuck him over, and then never be spoken about again? That's just bad writing, at a point. Which is so awful, because I think Schrefer is an immensely talented author! There are some incredible, beautiful lines in Charming Young Man - but a book is only as good as the telling of its plot, and the plot on this one sucked. Not to mention that most of this book was just so... low stakes? There's no real problem to be solved, no antagonist to triumph over, no main event that the whole book is leading up to - it's basically just a biography, and a slow one at that.
All of this being said, I gave Charming Young Man 3 stars because it had the potential to be something great, and for the first three-quarters of this book, I really enjoyed reading it. It was just the last quarter that made me angry it dropped the book down a whole star rating for me. Damn. This wasn't what I expected from this book, and I'm really disappointed in what I got. Léon is such a lovely, sympathetic character that the reader roots for constantly throughout the story, and Schrefer did my boy so dirty. If you're expecting a feel-good queer historical story with some heartwarming romance? Yeah, no, this isn't that. I'm sorry for what was done to you, Léon!
I have a lot of complicated feelings about this one, so bear with me. What I think is most important to note (and has given me a great deal to think about) is that this book is based on real people - a sort of queer, fictionalized biography of Léon Delafosse, and Marcel Proust, and Robert de Montesquiou, and John Singer Sargent. I had absolutely no idea that these were real artists going into Charming Young Man, and knowing that now does abate some of the vicious feelings I had about the way this book ended.
That being said, I can't remember the last time such a good book has been so completely ruined by the ending. Without having done much research on the real Delafosse myself, I still know that there must have been plot points in the Delafosse's life that Schrefer wanted to hit in this novel - the good and the bad. But if you're going to write a fictionalized, YA adaptation of a person's life, I think that should give you artistic license to change things for the sake of your fictionalized story.
What I'm getting at here is that Charming Young Man had the potential to be something great, and despite the messages I'm sure Schrefer was trying to convey with how he chose to end this book, all that I'm left with is the much more bitter interpretation of how Léon's journey came to an end: never follow your dreams, the upper class will ruin it for you, so give up now, because you don't even have a chance, stay in your lane, if you were born in the gutter, stay in the gutter. Yikes. Yes, I know, there's something to be said about the concept of home, about going where you feel loved and appreciated, but Léon's entire future was destroyed by men who claimed to love him, by men who were using him, and by men who were, in all fairness, victims of cruel homophobia in Oscar Wilde's time. But fuck, man, c'mon - maybe all of that awful stuff happened in the real Delafosse's life, but you had the opportunity to change this story for the better, and you didn't.
I'm not saying that every queer romance or queer story needs to have a happy ending, because it doesn't! There's plenty of space for cruelty, for sorrow, for pain, for the realities of being openly queer in a homophobic society. I get that. But to have characters like Robert and Marcel introduced for the sake of teasing a romance with Léon, only for them to have zero character development, fuck him over, and then never be spoken about again? That's just bad writing, at a point. Which is so awful, because I think Schrefer is an immensely talented author! There are some incredible, beautiful lines in Charming Young Man - but a book is only as good as the telling of its plot, and the plot on this one sucked. Not to mention that most of this book was just so... low stakes? There's no real problem to be solved, no antagonist to triumph over, no main event that the whole book is leading up to - it's basically just a biography, and a slow one at that.
All of this being said, I gave Charming Young Man 3 stars because it had the potential to be something great, and for the first three-quarters of this book, I really enjoyed reading it. It was just the last quarter that made me angry it dropped the book down a whole star rating for me. Damn. This wasn't what I expected from this book, and I'm really disappointed in what I got. Léon is such a lovely, sympathetic character that the reader roots for constantly throughout the story, and Schrefer did my boy so dirty. If you're expecting a feel-good queer historical story with some heartwarming romance? Yeah, no, this isn't that. I'm sorry for what was done to you, Léon!
September 27, 2023
Real Rating: 3.5/5 rounded down.
I really wanted to read this because "The Darkness Outside Us" was one of my absolute favourite reads from this author and this year, so I knew I had to check "Charming Young Man" out. Unfortunately, while I did like lots of aspects of this book, I was just a little disappointed overall, but I still did enjoy myself throughout with the parts I did like.
Can I just say this cover is GORGEOUS! I did like the premise of the book. I know this story was based on real people and a painting the author saw in a museum too. The author's note did make me appreciate the story even more actually with the backstory of Leon and how much time and effort he put into researching. I loved the queer representation, how it fit into the time period and the liberties the author took in creating the backstory for these characters.
The story did take a minute for me to pick up, I did not really get that into it until like 150 pages into the story when the birthday party happened, so I was kind of struggling a bit to finish even though this technically was a quick read. After that hump I did start to get more into it. I felt at times in the beginning the book wasn't really going anywhere, things were happening, but it was reading like a slice of life, which is fine, but it definitely did drag for me. The pacing and dialogue seemed off at times which threw me off a bit, but overall, this was a decent read and the events at the end made me mad and hurt for Leon in the best way, and the epilogue while it was short, it tied up the story well.
Thank you to Harper Collins Children's Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Links to all my socials
April 21, 2023
Special Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Oh my goodness this book, I haven’t read or enjoyed many YA books recently, I assumed that I had grown out of the genre, yet this book made me remember why despite my hesitancy towards the genre now, my all time favorite books are predominantly YA. This book was mature while still having that youthful hope that so many adults lack.
This book did an outstanding job examining the struggles between French social classes. As a homosexual Leon won’t ever fit into his religious home town, but on the other hand his low class and trusting nature prevent him from assimilating into high class society. “He was unnatural here and uncultured there.”
Leon is unsure about what he wants to do with his life. on one hand he enjoys his family and simple social life from back home, on the other hand he loves to play piano and is lucky enough that he is almost at the point where doing what he loves will support his mother and sister.
Leon struggles with who he is he recognizes his desire for other men and within a closed off but wealthy group he is able to be perceived as gay, yet he lacks the grit and savviness that comes with the high class people, he is to kind and unwilling to hurt others
The lead up to the ending was heartbreaking (I don’t cry often, but I genuinely tested up) but the conclusion was real and satisfying. No book is perfect but to me this book was close. I will most likely be purchasing a physical copy.
*I would also recommend that when you finish the book read the authors note! It was really cool to hear about the historical figures in the novel and how the story came to be
Oh my goodness this book, I haven’t read or enjoyed many YA books recently, I assumed that I had grown out of the genre, yet this book made me remember why despite my hesitancy towards the genre now, my all time favorite books are predominantly YA. This book was mature while still having that youthful hope that so many adults lack.
This book did an outstanding job examining the struggles between French social classes. As a homosexual Leon won’t ever fit into his religious home town, but on the other hand his low class and trusting nature prevent him from assimilating into high class society. “He was unnatural here and uncultured there.”
Leon is unsure about what he wants to do with his life. on one hand he enjoys his family and simple social life from back home, on the other hand he loves to play piano and is lucky enough that he is almost at the point where doing what he loves will support his mother and sister.
Leon struggles with who he is he recognizes his desire for other men and within a closed off but wealthy group he is able to be perceived as gay, yet he lacks the grit and savviness that comes with the high class people, he is to kind and unwilling to hurt others
The lead up to the ending was heartbreaking (I don’t cry often, but I genuinely tested up) but the conclusion was real and satisfying. No book is perfect but to me this book was close. I will most likely be purchasing a physical copy.
*I would also recommend that when you finish the book read the authors note! It was really cool to hear about the historical figures in the novel and how the story came to be
September 26, 2023
I am honored to share my praise for 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙈𝙖𝙣 by Eliot Schrefer, coming out October 10th. ★★★★✬ 4.5/5
Yes! THAT Eliot Schrefer, author of 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙊𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙐𝙨, although this has much different pace and tone.
This is the story of Léon Delafosse in 1890, a young piano virtuoso from the country who moved to study at the prestigious Paris Conservatory with his mother and sister. He places alot of pressure on himself to provide for his family, perhaps at the expense of what he really wants. His journy to make a name for himself, leads him into the halls and palors of Paris' High Society - with unwritten rules and ettiquite he was never taught. Along the way he befriends a young gossip columnist, Marcel Proust, and eccentric Count Robert de Montesquiou - but are their intentions with him selfless or selfish?
Along the way, we also learn about his childhood friend and muse, Felix, which you can't help but love even before we meet him for the first time.
Eliot is a gifted writer, filling his work full of nuance and imagery, painting the picture of Belle Époque France. Leon was so authentically written as a lost and innocent boy, discovering his queer identify and place between two societies when he fits in neither - his boyhood rural home or Paris' "high" society.
"𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎."
"𝙷𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚒𝚜𝚗’𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎; 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚠, 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝."
This is looosely inspired on real individuals but otherwise fictional. Léon, Marcus, Robert were all real - although their true stories and relationship to each other have been lost to time... Eliot shared in the author's note that this story was imagined after spending time viewing a Portrait of Léon Delafosse by John Singer Sargent (1895) - imagining his life and story. Make sure to read the note at the end to learn more. (and if you're like me... deep dive into the Wikipedia rabbit hole)
Thanks to @harpercollins, @harpercollinsch and @netgalley for a chance to early review this story in exchange for an honest review.
Yes! THAT Eliot Schrefer, author of 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙊𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙐𝙨, although this has much different pace and tone.
This is the story of Léon Delafosse in 1890, a young piano virtuoso from the country who moved to study at the prestigious Paris Conservatory with his mother and sister. He places alot of pressure on himself to provide for his family, perhaps at the expense of what he really wants. His journy to make a name for himself, leads him into the halls and palors of Paris' High Society - with unwritten rules and ettiquite he was never taught. Along the way he befriends a young gossip columnist, Marcel Proust, and eccentric Count Robert de Montesquiou - but are their intentions with him selfless or selfish?
Along the way, we also learn about his childhood friend and muse, Felix, which you can't help but love even before we meet him for the first time.
Eliot is a gifted writer, filling his work full of nuance and imagery, painting the picture of Belle Époque France. Leon was so authentically written as a lost and innocent boy, discovering his queer identify and place between two societies when he fits in neither - his boyhood rural home or Paris' "high" society.
"𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎."
"𝙷𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚒𝚜𝚗’𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎; 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚠, 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝."
This is looosely inspired on real individuals but otherwise fictional. Léon, Marcus, Robert were all real - although their true stories and relationship to each other have been lost to time... Eliot shared in the author's note that this story was imagined after spending time viewing a Portrait of Léon Delafosse by John Singer Sargent (1895) - imagining his life and story. Make sure to read the note at the end to learn more. (and if you're like me... deep dive into the Wikipedia rabbit hole)
Thanks to @harpercollins, @harpercollinsch and @netgalley for a chance to early review this story in exchange for an honest review.
January 26, 2024
This book surprised me, it was a YA historical fiction inspired by real people and real events both historical and in the author’s own life but (obviously) fictionalized and ultimately inspired by John Sing Sargent’s painting of Léon Delafosse.
The story was enthralling and dazzling with the egregious displays of wealth and power to the point of ownership over another’s talent. It’s also set in a time period where being queer/gay would result in ostracism from society.
Léon we first get a glimpse of when he’s quite young then we jump forward to when he’s turning seventeen but not yet eligible for patronage for his expensive musical education (and his family is poor). Léon is a likable MC who is shy, soft-spoken, modest and a bit naive to the world of wealth he’s surrounded by.
There are several men who end up being potential love interests, complicated power dynamics and the climax of this book is abrupt and jarring but it definitely hits the reader with a small glimmer of the impact it has on Léon.
This isn’t similar to anything I normally read but I quite enjoyed the story and learning a bit about the history that inspired it!
4 stars
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The story was enthralling and dazzling with the egregious displays of wealth and power to the point of ownership over another’s talent. It’s also set in a time period where being queer/gay would result in ostracism from society.
Léon we first get a glimpse of when he’s quite young then we jump forward to when he’s turning seventeen but not yet eligible for patronage for his expensive musical education (and his family is poor). Léon is a likable MC who is shy, soft-spoken, modest and a bit naive to the world of wealth he’s surrounded by.
There are several men who end up being potential love interests, complicated power dynamics and the climax of this book is abrupt and jarring but it definitely hits the reader with a small glimmer of the impact it has on Léon.
This isn’t similar to anything I normally read but I quite enjoyed the story and learning a bit about the history that inspired it!
4 stars
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 11, 2023
Synposis:
Charming Young Man is an exuberant YA historical coming-of-age novel following Léon Delafosse, a French pianist navigating his way into high society as he explores his sexuality.
***
I have a soft spot for queer historical fiction, and I was excited to read this one due to it being loosely based on real historical figures.
I felt the story was missing something, but I can't put my finger on what it was, exactly. The one thing I really liked about this book was the writing, schrefer is definitely talented when it comes to writing a historically accurate setting for the reader to immerse themselves in.
This one is worth a read if you're a fan of:
- queer historical fiction (especially books like Last Night at The Telegraph Club)
- Books based on real historical figures
- short books that don't take too long to read
- an immersive setting that is historically accurate
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.
Charming Young Man is an exuberant YA historical coming-of-age novel following Léon Delafosse, a French pianist navigating his way into high society as he explores his sexuality.
***
I have a soft spot for queer historical fiction, and I was excited to read this one due to it being loosely based on real historical figures.
I felt the story was missing something, but I can't put my finger on what it was, exactly. The one thing I really liked about this book was the writing, schrefer is definitely talented when it comes to writing a historically accurate setting for the reader to immerse themselves in.
This one is worth a read if you're a fan of:
- queer historical fiction (especially books like Last Night at The Telegraph Club)
- Books based on real historical figures
- short books that don't take too long to read
- an immersive setting that is historically accurate
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.
January 27, 2025
Read most of this in a bout of insomnia last night, but what a weird little book about late 19th cen France & how apparently Proust was a bitchy little writer- who knew! I also loved the Sargent cameos- my favorite artist of whom I wish there were 100% more historical fiction treatments. Cannot imagine what youth this YA book is for (although, when I was 15, I would have been all over this), certainly not most of the youth I know. Still, interesting!
tsk-i-dnfed
September 11, 2024Dnfing at 20%. Idk it didn't really hook me so i don't feel like continuing. I'm like 50/50 on whether I'll enjoy stories with music as a plot, let alone a historical setting. Would rather spend the time on something else.
June 13, 2023
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this advanced copy.
The Darkness Outside Us was my favorite book last year, and Charming Young Man definitely my favorite book this year. I loved Schrefer's writing style so much. It was beautiful and it suited well in this hisfic love story. I loved Léon's journey to find who he was in the high society of France. I also loved how the characters changed their feelings, it was realistic.
Overall, this book just made me thinking : "I'm gonna read anything fromSchrefer
The Darkness Outside Us was my favorite book last year, and Charming Young Man definitely my favorite book this year. I loved Schrefer's writing style so much. It was beautiful and it suited well in this hisfic love story. I loved Léon's journey to find who he was in the high society of France. I also loved how the characters changed their feelings, it was realistic.
Overall, this book just made me thinking : "I'm gonna read anything fromSchrefer
November 25, 2023
Eliot Schrefer is such a fantastic author with a way of writing his characters so that they feel so incredibly real.
Charming Young Man is a combination, in my mind, of the first half of Dorian Grey's tale with Nick from Great Gatsby. A young boy from a small farming type village with so much promise and such a bright future being sucked in to the world of glitzy high society. A boy who is too beautiful and kind of the sharp teeth and backstabbers all looking to use his neck as a stepping stool to higher themselves.
The book does take some time to get in to what all is going on but as a lover of Historical Fiction type stories this was an enjoyable and quick read!
Charming Young Man is a combination, in my mind, of the first half of Dorian Grey's tale with Nick from Great Gatsby. A young boy from a small farming type village with so much promise and such a bright future being sucked in to the world of glitzy high society. A boy who is too beautiful and kind of the sharp teeth and backstabbers all looking to use his neck as a stepping stool to higher themselves.
The book does take some time to get in to what all is going on but as a lover of Historical Fiction type stories this was an enjoyable and quick read!
January 17, 2024
This was such a shift from the last work by Eliot Schrefer I read, The Darkness Outside Us, but I love an author who can be so versatile.
I really enjoyed this little historical biopic of a novel--I found the themes of ambition and success and art and how queer men leverage each other to get the the things that they want from a society unwilling to let them have it really interesting.
I think it could have been a bit longer and the LI could have done with a little more fleshing out but it was a brisk, interesting read.
I really enjoyed this little historical biopic of a novel--I found the themes of ambition and success and art and how queer men leverage each other to get the the things that they want from a society unwilling to let them have it really interesting.
I think it could have been a bit longer and the LI could have done with a little more fleshing out but it was a brisk, interesting read.
January 13, 2024
Originally rated this as 2.5 stars that I rounded up to 3, but I've decided to round down to 2. I think if I hadn't just read a non-fiction book that spoke about many of main characters in this one, I wouldn't have known the real history. This book takes more than a few liberties with that actual history, and I was too distracted by that. Big enough problem, but not always fatal; one of my favorite movies about Elizabeth I - "Elizabeth," with the powerful Cate Blanchett - plays very fast and loose with the real timeline, is VERY historically inaccurate, and I LOVE the movie. (Cate was cheated out of an Oscar that year by her good friend Gwyneth Paltrow.)
Ultimately, I just didn't think the characters were all that convincing, but the book did have its moments. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Ultimately, I just didn't think the characters were all that convincing, but the book did have its moments. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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