virtuoso - may 2021 - lesbian film guide

5/12/2021 4 Comments

virtuoso - may 2021

Melody

5/13/2021 05:57:13 am

I felt like while I was reading I was collecting different puzzle pieces and at the end I tried to piece them all together. SPOILERS AHEAD: I understand the main plot, how all of these women are intertwined in some way. What gets my goat is the part about the Blue Angel. I don’t believe it’s a real place. French Aimee went in a dream turned nightmare, and US Amy went after presumably being murdered in Prague (parallel?). Is the Blue Demon a dream space for Aimee alone and Amy is just a reincarnation of her conscience?
The color blue is a reoccurring theme throughout the book, most notably with Aimee, who says it follows her like a cloud after Dominique’s death. The Blue is also tied to Mr. D, a man who appears in each story, and who coughs into a blue handkerchief. He starts as a Czech hospital bed seller, telling Jana that he knows her friend Mala Narcis. He appears again in the Amy/Dominikka plot (it’s important to note the parallels in name with Aimee and Dominique, and the age difference). Mr D is Dominikka’s abusive husband who chains her to the bed and eventually gets his dick chopped off by Zorka’s minion children. He appears again at the Blue Angel while Aimee is there waiting for someone, but they do not talk. I’m wondering what his presence means. Is he death? Is he symbolic of something more complex, like the ties between women and how hard it can be to sever them? I’d love to know other people’s thoughts on this.
One more thought- the book ends with two technicians setting up hospital beds, Mr D’s. They’re discussing what some of the nozzles are used for, and the book leaves us wondering who will use it next. What does this mean? I haven’t read any other reviews or explanations because I wanted to get my thoughts out, but Let me know your thoughts

holly

5/17/2021 01:24:11 pm

I totally agree with the book being like a puzzle. Especially with the different story lines it was like trying to figure out how they are all connected. I really do think that Blue is some kind of symbol for death but I can’t be sure. High key could Mr. D be death himself, he’s got the name for it (Mr. Death). THIS BOOK HURTS MY BRAIN. not in a bad way though just in a way where I don’t know how to formulate my thoughts. The ending, no idea what that was about though.

holly

5/17/2021 01:36:43 pm

ARG. Ok where to start where to start with this one. Honestly, this book is one of my favorites. It wasn't as easy of a read as some of the others, but I enjoyed both the plot and the writing style of this book. This book essentially has three story lines go along at once, Aimee and Dominique , Zorka and Jana , and the IM chat between Amy and Dominikka. You aren't sure how they are connected most of the time, although you can make some assumptions like Aimee being similar to Amy and so on. Ok so the book opens with what I thought was a murder, but (SPOILERS AHEAD BY THE WAY) was actually a suicide. Honestly, I feel like I have to read this book all over again because my head is now spinning and I don't really know what to say. Essentially, I will just talk about my theories. Essentially, first thoughts are that Amy/Dominikka and Aimee/Dominique are connected in some type of way. Turns out the author actually spoke on this in an interview and discussed how they are basically living parallel lives in alternate realities. This makes sense because a) the age gap between the two b) Amy kind of spending her whole time trying to save Dominikka from Mr. D (her husband). In the end when Amy goes to save Dominikka she ends up at the Blue Angel. I don't think I quite have put together what that means BUT I do think that Mr. D symbolizes death in a way. So, Aimee is really trying to save Dominique from her own depression and ultimately cannot save her as Dominique does end up killing herself. It is pretty much the same thing as Amy trying to save Dominikka except the depression is now literal and has become Mr. D. The Jana/Zorka plot line was interesting I really did think Jana was a main character the whole time but now I am not too sure. It almost seems like Jana and Zorka were there to essentially connect all of the characters together. Wow, much to think about.....

holly

5/17/2021 01:38:00 pm

on another note, wow i say "essentially" a lot....

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