Title: Charming Young Man
Author: Eliot Schrefer
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: October 10, 2023
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Summary
Léon Delafosse is supposed to be France’s next great pianist. He’s the youngest student ever accepted into the Paris Conservatory, and has been studying for years. However, in 1890s Paris, it’s nearly impossible to make it as any kind of artist without a patron.
Enter Marcel Proust, a young gossip columnist who takes an interest in Léon. He takes him under his wing and introduces him to the right people. So, when Count Robert de Montesquiou-Fézensac offers Léon patronage, he immediately accepts. But as Léon gets closer to his dreams, he realizes he’s getting further away from his original country roots. And thus, further away from Felix, the boy he might just love.
Review: Charming Young Man
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of Charming Young Man by Eliot Schrefer to review! Schrefer seems to be excellent at writing characters who seem to find themselves in impossible situations. Moving from sci-fi to historical fiction might be an odd jump, but Schrefer has shown that he can masterfully write in both genres.
In the author’s note, Schrefer explains that he was interested in the story of Léon Delafosse after seeing his painting in a museum. After learning that Léon and Robert had a falling out, he was inspired to write this story. Not a lot of YA historical fiction is set during this particular time period, so it really was a breath of fresh air in that aspect. Even though I am no historical expert, the story felt well-researched and realistic for the time period he is portraying.
This book is generally more of a character driven story, showing more of what life could have been like in this time period for those that are queer. It’s a bit slow moving, focusing on Léon and the way he’s moving about society. The writing style also sort of fits with the kind of things that would have been written at that time, which helps to pull you into the story even more.
However, it is quite a short book, so it almost feels like maybe it was over a bit too soon. For the most part, this didn’t take away from my enjoyment of it, but it could have been fun to see more of an expansion of some of the background characters.
All in all, if you like historical drama, you’ll definitely enjoy this one!
4/5 stars