This was such a beautiful novel and exactly the type of book I love. We follow Circus Palmer, a trumpet player and a woman player as well. We follow the women in his life including girlfriends, friends with benefits, his ex-wife and his daughter and explore all the ways he’s affected their life. Quiet and heart wrenching and beautifully written, I’ll certainly be recommending this one!

Honestly, I don't know what to make of this one. The prose of this debut is absolutely stunning, possibly the best prose I've read in the past year or so.

However, the plot was jumbled and at times read more like a collection of short stories rather than a cohesive work of literary fiction. I'm left trying to figure out if Warrell successfully completed her goal here as I'm not sure what it was to begin with? Redemption arc for Circus? A character study on Circus and the various women in his life?

If it's either of those, I'd say its partially successful, but as it was not cohesive it is hard to decide.

If I was rating this on prose and the most of plot alone, I would probably give it a 3.7-3.75 stars. While it's obvious no one in this story is supposed to be likable, there was a glaring issue with on plot point that readers should not forgive or forget.

Let's talk about the romanticizing and the idolization of one of the Boston Marathon Bombers by teenage girls.

One, it's problematic - people died and people's lives were changed forever. Two, it was unnecessary as the plot could've been moved along in a similar fashion without this monstrosity.

This glaring issue is why I'll be rating it 2.75 stars.

Worrell's debut held a lot of promise with the amazing prose and the synopsis, but it was not successful in being a cohesive novel.

Real Rating: 2.5* of five, rounded up because god help me it's so readable

It depresses me to say this, but this book was...despite truly, deeply impressive writing...
<blockquote>The girl may have been the end for him.

That the wind shifted and sent a chill across her freshly cleaned skin so that she sensed her own solitude in a way that no longer frightened her as she walked bare and unhindered toward what was new.</blockquote>
...lovely and fully sensory-universe-planted but, and this is the crux of the matter for me, it's about a man.

A group of women have different relationships with one man.

Ground-breaking stuff, no? Never read anything like it before! Except about half the Western canon. Women circle Circus, whose name suggested to me clownishness that I found ample evidence for. They *keep* circling Circus no matter what. And, folks, if there ever was a man whose actions and inactions invalidated his Manhood Card℠, it's Circus. He never met a responsibility he didn't shirk.

But his Art! is usually the rallying cry I hear. His art my lily-white one. He's a bog-standard self-absorbed arrested adolescent, probably a libertarian and a religious nut although those are my own interpolations, with a good line of patter and some skills in sexual gratification.

He is, bluntly, the kind of person I look down on and the kind of character I am deeply sickened to see recrudescing on best-of lists and getting all sorts of happy talk said about it. He's a serial cheater, an emotional abuser, and an unworthy object of our cultural attention because his brothers are teeming like maggots on a shit-pile, exuding their spurious shine that so many seem to see as attractive when it's actually the slime they secrete to slip out of any kind or sort of commitment that inconveniences, annoys, or bores them.

Yuck.

After jazz trombonist, Circus Palmer, turns 40, all his chickens, in the form of women from his past and present, come home to roost. Like a jazz piece, there are some major themes - Circus and his teen daughter Koko - and then different women step up to take a solo in a series of vignettes that weave back into the main narrative.

Though a skilled musician, Circus has never, and will never, make the big time. He’s still playing mid level gigs at bars and a sushi restaurant (but it’s a “classy joint”) and a record company executive dismisses him as “not interesting.” He teaches at Berklee but his more talented students clearly feel like he has nothing they can learn from him. Over the course of the novel, he comes to some sort of acceptance of the gap between his self-view and that of the outside world.

Where he does have a major talent is with the laaadies. He has hooked up with many women and casually discarded them, then picking them back up when he has the whim. But even this is starting to sour as some turn the tables on him.

The second narrative theme is Koko’s burgeoning interest in sex. But this is often viewed as something rather frightening and distasteful, a harsh comparison to the way her father acceptably coast through bedrooms. Koko’s coming of age and her growing into herself are a golden thread in this sometimes discordant melody.

My problem (and, having read the author’s note and seen how much work has gone into this novel, I feel really mean about being so blunt) is that I found Circus a pretty unpleasant and rather pathetic character and was really annoyed by the women who were charmed by him and then hung around limply waiting for him to call. So, despite the skill that has clearly gone into creating these characters, the elegant writing, and the fluid structure, it is more a book I could appreciate rather than enjoy.

Thanks to Pantheon and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

I was drawn into this book much faster than expected, as it was a bit of a departure from my typical reads. The first half was great for me and then I started to struggle a bit, and it took me awhile to finish reading. The character development is great, but there were so many people to keep track of. I think it was just personal preference but this caused the story to lose steam for me, and the pacing was a bit drawn out, which made it tough to stay interested. I would definitely read another story from this author. I did enjoy the rich background information on Circus and the women in his lives, and there were some beautifully written sections, especially from his daughter’s point of view.

Wow. This book far exceeded my expectations. Laura Warrell is a lyricist - the world the created in this story will stay with me for such a long time, and her prose and analogies were so powerful that they stopped me in my tracks a few times. I love when an author can weave words together like she does!

I won’t lie and say that I liked Circus Palmer - he’s precisely the type of man that gets far too much attention for doing far too little, but that’s the role he’s meant to play in this story. The women he left in his wake were often left raw and vulnerable and confused, including his own daughter. I do admit that I loved seeing him get his life together (I love a good redemption story). His period of realization and self loathing was relatable in a way. He was transitioning just as much as Koko was.

I adored this book, and I’ll be keeping Laura Warrell on my author watch-list!

There was so much to unpack in this story. Told in vignettes, through the eyes of the women who have walked in and out of aging musician, Circus Palmer's life, it's beautifully written, although sometimes challenging in the storytelling.. The eloquent prose is powerful and engaging, but the characters aren't necessarily likeable.. It's one of those books that you will either love or hate and if you're able to find a median of understanding, one that will stay with you long after the last page is read.

When trumpet player Circus Palmer finds out that he is having a baby with secret love Maggie, he flees. Instead of honoring his responsibilities, his running sets off a chain of events that affects the most important women in his life, including his daughter and ex-love.

“Delivering a lush orchestration of diverse female voices, Warrell spins a provocative, soulful, and gripping story of passion and risk, fathers and daughters, wives and single women, and, finally, hope and reconciliation, in answer to the age-old question: how do we find belonging when love is unrequited?”

Circus Palmer loves his trumpet. Circus Palmer loves women too. The one thing that Circus does not love is commitment. But when his ex-wife disappears and he has to take responsibility for his teenage daughter Koko, things begin to change.
Laura Warrell presents Circus’s story in vignettes told by the various women in his life, most notably his daughter. This is Koko’s coming-of-age story. Interestingly enough, it is also Circus’s. As this “good-timing” man comes to terms with himself, his relationships with the women in his life change. How refreshing to read a book that ends on a high note. Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm.

DNF at 10%. I downloaded this book because I received a widget for it but on closer examination it's not a fit for me. I find the prose too wordy and dislike the main character Circus.

What a treasure!! Soft, Sweet, Plenty Rhythm is about Circus Palmer; old school jazz musician and the women in his life, including his daughter; Koko.. Circus loves women but not commitment. And so, with each of his relationships comes conflict and agreat deal of emotional hurts. This is Koko's coming of age story and for Circus as well. I loved this exquisitely written book. Laura Warrel's characters are beautifully crafted and moved me from tears to laughter, kept me reading till dawn and will remain with me. The characters, although flawed, were painfully authentic and very human in their need to be loved. "I will give you anything, if you love me. Forgive me. Listen." Right to the heart. 5 stars.

This book was so sad in a toxic way… does that even make sense?? Stay with me…

It’s Boston in 2013, and Circus Palmer is living a bachelor’s dream. He’s a trumpet and an old-school ladies man. When Maggie, the woman he cares for the most, reveals she’s pregnant he flees and sets off to bang every woman he comes across 😬 Meanwhile his teenage daughter Koko is struggling through her own sexual awakening accompanied by Circus’s rejection and a mentally unstable mother.

I loved that this book was from multiple points of views. Circus perception of each sexual encounter was a stark contract to the woman involved.

It brought to light the way in which we sometimes avoid the easy path to happiness and instead dive headfirst into toxicity. Is it because we think we are undeserving? It was surly the case for Cyrus.

And poor Koko, she just wants to be seen and known by her father but he constantly avoids and rejects her. I have to say the girl is resilient.

I want to dissect this so much further but don’t want to give the ending away.

This was beautifully written almost poetic at times. And a whirlwind! I swear with every chapter my eyes got wider and my eyebrows got a inch closer to my hairline. I applaud this book. And highly recommend if you loved Open Water this one is definitely for you!

DNF at 30% after multiple attempts. I think I would classify this as “not for me, not at this time.” It’s a story told in vignettes and is simply not capturing my attention, although the writing and prose are beautiful and this author shows promise. Circus is a pretty loathsome character and I felt sorry for the women in his life.

Richly imagined and beautifully written.
Many thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A beautifully written book about searching for the meaning in life and not necessarily recognizing it when you find it. This is a study in life and love. It shows how you can easily overlook life's little joys if you're always looking for the next best thing or if you doubt that love truly exists. It demonstrates that people don't always understand how difficult it is to truly make yourself vulnerable to another person.

There is a great deal of depth in this book while also being so obvious in its storytelling. It's truly a gem.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Really enjoyed the interconnected stories that made up this novel. I love jazz and this truly embodied the essence of jazz -- the sorrow, the roller coaster of emotions, the fact that you never know where it is going.... Circus Palmer is a varied MC but I enjoyed learning about his life through these stories and various POV. Definitely recommend this one!

Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm comes out next week on September 27, 2022, and you can purchase HERE!

"It's new every time," he said. "You got the notes and arrangements, yeah, but once you start playing, something different happens. You don't know what's gonna come. That's what it is about jazz. Everything else about living stops surprising you at some point, right?"

The first 60-70% of this book felt like it took forever to get through. None of the characters were very likable for most of the novel. It wasn’t until the last 30% where things started to move along, people started growing and changing and their stories started to flesh out.

I could not understand the appeal of Circus throughout this book. Women were OBSESSED with him, and he was just terrible? Like he was the worst, and yet there were so many women we got chapters from in this book who were part of his life, many constantly trying to get his attention and approval. It was hard to read.

I thought Maggie was a great character, but we get so little of her. Koko could be frustrating, I had to keep reminding myself she was a teenager. The story just felt so slow. It was tough to get through.

This one just wasn’t for me, but the writing was strong and the cover is lovely.

This affecting debut is a kaleidoscopic character study, a polyphonic riff on the modern-day Casanova from the perspectives of the myriad women in his wake. When charismatic trumpet player Circus Palmer learns that his free-spirited lover Maggie is pregnant, his first instinct is
denial. His second is to flee. “I already got a kid barely talks to me,” he tells her; he’s not keen for another. The alternative — that he could do better by both— doesn’t seem realistic. And yet, regret is “the dread that stayed in his gut and grew solid.” Both visceral and finely observed, the novel captures social nuance and emotional wreckage with precision

Wasn't my favorite book. Okay but not what I thought was a good read. Rather boring. Hope the author keeps writing.

Cyrus Palmer, known as Circus, I think is best described as one “cool cat”. He’s a jazzy, trumpet player who has a thang for the ladies and his music. This book is told from various point of views and the chapters touch upon his relationships with various women, probably most importantly his daughter Koko, a young teen.

The writing in this one is good and the characters are well developed, but the plot in this one just fell flat for me. It’s good at exploring Circus’ relationships with women and I’d be eager to read another book by this author as her writing is good. I would like to see if a different story might keep my interest more.

Pick this up if you have music in your soul and a penchant for the character driven novel