Kind of flashing back and forth in time between a road trip with a spiraling husband and a few other moments culminating in something I don't want to spoil, the narrator of this novel makes for a sympathetic and engaging voice. It makes you want to keep reading to find out what happens, even though you more or less guess the ending well before it is revealed. Kind of depressing, but overall, a good book.

I struggled with this character driven novel that blends the story of Lewis and Eloise with information about the environment-and I'm not sure that the latter works. Lewis is still mourning his mother, who died a year ago and Eloise, who is collecting data for her academic work hopes that their road trip will bring him back. She's also concerned that she's pregnant. It's a road trip book that isn't. The positives- the writing and the imagery-outweigh the rest but this won't be for everyone. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. For fans of literary fiction.

This book was extremely well-written, but there were a few things that I found a bit frustrating. Some parts of it dragged and there were aspects of the writing that felt a little repetitive. I absolutely loved all the elements that were centered around the Southwest and the road trip setting of the novel. As a California girl, there were many things that felt relatable and relevant to me. I'm not sure if folks from other locations would feel the same connection to the writing that I did. I also really appreciated the raw quality of the storytelling; these characters are honest but they're not always likeable. I'd probably recommend this to some select readers, but I don't like it would be universally liked by everyone. It's definitely more character-based than plot-based, which just isn't for every kind of reader.

This book is a slow burn but it is so so worth taking your time with. I felt so immersed reading this. I learned a lot about the American sourhwest and the Colorado River while also watching a marriage slowly fall apart. It’s a book about landscape, and nature, and imperialism(?), and environmental catastrophe. But it’s also a book about love, and art, and mental health, and loss. Maybe above all else it’s a book about loss. My heart was entirely broken by the end of this book. With that being said, please read it.

Netgalley comped this to Death Valley by Melissa Broder, and it is similar except the husband and wife are both on a trip across the southwest. Eloise is narrating the entire book and speaking/journaling/writing a letter to Lewis, her husband. She is speaking from a distant future where everything happened has happened and more. It is unclear why they are apart for most of the book until the end and even that is a mystery. She talks about their journey from Vegas to LA and into Utah and New Mexico, places they visited, how Lewis and herself was feeling. She also tells secrets she kept from him during their trip. Lewis and Eloise navigate their own marriage perils and the death of Lewis' mother and his family and work. The pace of the book is slow but I liked that. It went the pace of a long car trip, where the roads wind around and not a lot happens and then a lot happens. I can't wait to hear other people's reviews.

A thoughtful look at a relationship falling apart against the backdrop of environmental crisis in the Southwest. A quick, affecting read.

This was such an interesting roadtrip novel about realtionships and the ways they change. The writing was capitvating and the characters felt so real.

I loved this one. It's a slow burn, but the direct address style of prose, and the mounting tension as the truth about the narrator becomes clear to us, was brilliant. I felt that I intimately knew these characters - that I even was these characters. Highly recommend!

timely, gorgeous and wqlel written. would recommend quite a bit. 5 stars. tysm for the arc. i especially loved the themes of how much damage we've done to the planet.

3.5 - This book started off slow for me, picked back up quite a bit in the middle, and then unfortunately ended a bit slow. It took me some time to get used to the lack of quotations for dialogue and while I did really enjoy the narrator and her view on the world and the environmental perspective, it just felt like it was leading up to something that never quite happened. I didn't dislike the book, I thought the writing was really beautiful and I loved the discussion and imagery of nature and the different water systems and how that tied into the plot, I just think more could have happened.

Elegy, Southwest is following a young couple who is taking a trip through the American Southwest, experiencing the breakdown of their relationship in the midst of the turmoil of the man losing his mother and fresh in the middle of grief. It is a book about grief and loss, family, working through relationship issues, and the beauty and power of nature. I was really excited for this book because I thought it would be mostly about nature and geography and incorporating that into a healing journey for this couple through grief. And while it was, the plot just moved along slowly, as slowly as this couple made their way through the Southwest. Eloise is grieving the loss of the environment and the effects of climate change, and Lewis is grieving his mother. The perspective of grief on two different issues was quite interesting!

Overall, a bit slow of a book for me personally, but there were parts I really liked. Thanks Simon Books for the free book!!

Unfortunately this one just wasn't for me. I felt early in that I was forcing myself to continue reading. I wasn't hooked, I just felt obligated.

I'm almost certain this is a "me" thing, though. Geography isn't my jam. And while there's no doubt this is well researched, the way the info was used felt too rigid. I was hoping for less info dump, more...idk, a feel more like random fun facts than textbook (at some points).

But one thing I really really enjoyed was how the dialogue was written!! I'm a no quotation marks girlie anyway, and this was even better.

Since this is more a "me" thing, I don't think it's fair to Madeleine to have my rating count against her. For that reason, I'll only be posting my review here on NG.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC!

I really enjoyed the writing, and a lot of the ideas discussed in the book. Many of Eloise's musings deeply resonated with me due to my own experiences, and I have underlined quite a few passages.

I've also learned a lot about the Colorado River that I was not aware of before, so pretty thankful to the author for that!

Overall impression of the book is that it is bleak and slow. The plot moves at a speed of a two-week road trip, which is perhaps the point. The bleakness inevitably comes from the themes covered, which are broadly noted in the blurb for the novel as well, so those should not be a surprise (on that note, I, for some reason, thought this was a sci-fi novel, so don't do what I did). I also found that while the individual ideas were interesting, the narrative never truly coalesced for me into a coherent piece of writing, instead if felt more vignette-ish (hence, this is a rounded up 4 star read).

There is one pretty upsetting scene which might hit some people more than others, so please check trigger warnings.

Elegy, Southwest has a beautiful cover and the premise sounded interesting, alas I couldn’t get into the story and ended up not finishing it at about 30%.

I had no idea what to expect with this one. I thought the cover was hauntingly beautiful; austere, empty, dry. The book itself was similar, but in a good way. Told without the use of quotation marks, this was essentially a travelogue of a couple's trip throughout the Southwest, following the tributaries of the Colorado River. It took a while to get used to the author's style, but once that clicked in, the novel clicked in as well. The couple's descent into trouble was mirrored by Eloise's study of the history of the Colorado, and husband Louis's issues growing up in the region.

I enjoyed this. On the surface simple and unassuming, but beneath the veneer complex and alive. I would absolutely read more from the author.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

A beautiful book. I loved the past tense throughout it emphasized the sadness on the reminiscing. Also an interesting setting.

4 stars / This review will be posted on BookwormishMe.com & goodreads.com today.


This was an interesting first-person narrative of the events surrounding a trip through the southwest U.S. At times it did drag a bit, and as it was told only from the eyes of one character, I’m not sure we ever fully grasped the second main character, the husband. However, a lot of the writing was so descriptive and lyrical, it felt like I was traveling along with them.

Eloise is our narrator. She is working on her doctorate dissertation which is about the Colorado River and the effects of drought on the Southwest. Her husband, Lewis, has been called to Las Vegas to meet with his boss. This gives them a jumping off point.

While this story focuses on the journey down the Colorado River, it is more about the relationship between Eloise and Lewis. Lewis plays a distant supporting role. All we really know about him is Eloise’s reactions to him. He seems childlike in many ways - filming himself dancing in restaurant bathrooms and wanting to be the center of attention. We are merely an audience on the sidelines.

This novel is unique in many ways. It is also really informative about the region they travel through. There are crises and tragedies, but also sheer joy. It wasn’t the easiest read I had in 2024 but I did enjoy it. Being from the southwest, it reminded me of places I’ve been, but also places I’d love to see.

I didn't love this novel, but it was a good way to end 2024.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book at 33%. I just found it incredibly slow and boring. I couldn't connect with the main character. This might be a better read for those that prefer thought-provoking slower paced novels.

As much as I wanted to persist with this book, I found it utterly boring, and after 35% just couldn't give it any more of my time. The writing is dry and bland, and the narrative drones on endlessly, perhaps in replication of the painfully slow trip this couple are apparently taking. I do hope it finds an appreciative audience, but it's just not a book for me. I will not be sharing this one on social media, as I prefer not to post negative reviews that might discourage a potential reader.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ebook. The novel follows a young couple in 2018 on a road trip through the Southwest. Eloise is fascinated with the Colorado River as it’s part of her forthcoming dissertation. Lewis works for a land art foundation and is going to check in on an ongoing, and massive, outdoor instillation. They seem like a normal couple, but we see that the recent death of his mother has sort of left Lewis lost and increasingly self medicating, while Eloise is at a loss as to how to help him. Such a thoughtful debut novel.

I love Madeleine's writing. This book was beautifully written. You can feel the pain the main character feels throughout this story. This is a great read!