Lovely War Reminds Me Of Swing Kids

I watched the Korean movie Swing Kids the other day and I was rightly impressed. It's very different from other Korean films I've watched - the style feels more similar to Hollywood movies that most other Korean films tend to - and everything about it was spectacular: it takes place during war and deals with tough issues like racism and discrimination, but it's done in a musical format where you get tap dancing instead of lyrics. It was a joy to watch, and probably one of the best films I've seen this year. I usually complain about two hour movies but this one was brilliant all the way through. And shortly after, I stumbled upon a new book by one of my favorite authors - Lovely War by Julie Berry. Imagine my pleasantly surprised expression when I began reading and the book turned out to be in a similar vein! It took place during a war (hence the title), it dealt with racism and discrimination, and it had similarly beautiful and heartbreaking relationships between characters: exactly my cup of tea.

I've read quite a few Julie Berry books in my day, and I have never been disappointed by anything she has written - Lovely War is no exception. Berry's books are always brilliant and emotionally draining in the best way possible, and there's always some super unique perspective to them that I always enjoy. Lovely War is a multi-year story of human love during wartime, except the twist is that it's narrated by Greek gods Aphrodite, Ares, Apollo, Hades, and Hephaestus. This beautiful, beautiful book gives us not one, not two, but three amazing love stories that are so much more than just sappy romance (not that I have anything against sappy romance - I adore the genre). But Berry clearly did a crazy amount of research to bring this book to life, and it shows. 

Another thing Berry is kind of known for, at least with me, is her heartbreaking endings. I won't say anything to spoil this one, but allow me to say that the reader will be immensely satisfied but at the same time still shed a bucket of - equally satisfying - tears. It's been a couple of weeks since I read the book but I still can't stop thinking of both Swing Kids and Lovely War. If you've watched one, read the other; if you've read one, watch the other. I can't recommend these two titles enough, so if you're in the mood for amazing, deep relationships, brilliant stories, and more than a tinge of sadness, do yourself a favor and pick one of (or both of) these up.