The Final Revival of Opal & Nev
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- Create Date：2021-04-17 12:37:20
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Dawnie Walton
- ISBN：1797118528
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Tressa
，
This is tough for me to rate。 I can't believe this is fiction because it reads SO MUCH like non-fiction。 I have so much respect for the author because of the format of the story but because it reads like non-fiction， I found it a bit slow moving。 This is tough for me to rate。 I can't believe this is fiction because it reads SO MUCH like non-fiction。 I have so much respect for the author because of the format of the story but because it reads like non-fiction， I found it a bit slow moving。 。。。more
Sue
，
I have been enthralled by this novel since reading the first pages。 This oral history of music performers Opal and Nev traces their history from their early days （hers in Detroit， his in England） to the titled reunion。 Our eyes for this trip？ Sunny Shelton， daughter of their early drummer who died in an infamous incident in an early concert in 1973， before Sunny was even born。 Now she is writing a book about those times and these people—she is a music writer after all！Over the course of these in I have been enthralled by this novel since reading the first pages。 This oral history of music performers Opal and Nev traces their history from their early days （hers in Detroit， his in England） to the titled reunion。 Our eyes for this trip？ Sunny Shelton， daughter of their early drummer who died in an infamous incident in an early concert in 1973， before Sunny was even born。 Now she is writing a book about those times and these people—she is a music writer after all！Over the course of these interviews， we watch and learn about Opal’s wish to get away and have a different life from that she has in Detroit。 While she loves her family， she is not like them， knows her aims are different。 She likes to sing but even more to perform。 Decides on New York。 Nev also wants something different。 Is going nowhere with his dream of music so takes off for a new country and city， New York。 And they happen to meet; the tall thin red-headed Englishman and the small， dark， black， bald and bold woman。 They tentatively form a partnership and the rest is a complex music history。There are many wonderful voices in this history; Cora’s gospel singing sister and her mother; her fabulous designer and friend， Virgil; other band members and other performers; record company producers， etc。 They are all here。Dawnie Walton gives us all this and she gives us Sunny who is a great presence too tying everything together。 But Opal is the star。 A black woman who knows she wants to be different but also be as true as she can be。What an amazing book。 Recommended for anyone who has ever enjoyed music。A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Rose Eltawy
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Highly engrossing。 The characters are multi-layered and grow and change throughout the telling （or stubbornly don’t）， like the best of works。 The format has been compared to “Daisy Jones，” but I feel like the books have been over-compared - this is a wholly separate story。 The “sex and drugs” environment of rock and roll aren’t made to be the culprit here。The way that racial violence， micro-insults， and micro-aggressions are addressed throughout felt different from other works where racial injus Highly engrossing。 The characters are multi-layered and grow and change throughout the telling （or stubbornly don’t）， like the best of works。 The format has been compared to “Daisy Jones，” but I feel like the books have been over-compared - this is a wholly separate story。 The “sex and drugs” environment of rock and roll aren’t made to be the culprit here。The way that racial violence， micro-insults， and micro-aggressions are addressed throughout felt different from other works where racial injustice is a core driver， in that the interview format and editor’s notes allow for additional direct commentary that might be otherwise insinuated but not stated directly。 I felt like those were important voices to layer in - not that they should be necessary for white readers， but unfortunately are often missed。 。。。more
Jeff
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The Final Revival of Opal & NevNarrative format。 I loved the author’s storytelling and framing this as real-life events with all of the various viewpoints。 There were a myriad of perspectives told with differing conclusions and with multiple perspectives which I think made the story much more relatable。 At various times I needed to convince myself this was fiction and our main characters were not real。 Opal’s voice was different than Nev’s which was different than the producers and Virgil’s and The Final Revival of Opal & NevNarrative format。 I loved the author’s storytelling and framing this as real-life events with all of the various viewpoints。 There were a myriad of perspectives told with differing conclusions and with multiple perspectives which I think made the story much more relatable。 At various times I needed to convince myself this was fiction and our main characters were not real。 Opal’s voice was different than Nev’s which was different than the producers and Virgil’s and this made the story much more compelling。 Race relations。 The story tries to tackle complex relationships through the lens of race。 The relationship between Opal and Nev is crystalized or fractured or enhanced or shattered because of a tragedy that happens during a concert。 Many things lead to the moment where Opal unfurls and destroys a Confederate flag during her show in front of a crowd that would not appreciate such an action。 This leads to violence but the components of the story are told through various viewpoints which， attempts at least， to ultimately narrate the events of the evening in an unbiased way。 Who was at fault？ Who should have done what？ Could this have been prevented？ These are all questions the reader can answer as they read。Popularity of art。 It certainly seems as though the author is making a statement regarding Nev’s popularity and Opal’s lack thereof。 As if one version is a sellout and the latter is an artist staying true to their passion。 I never felt like Opal was as big of a rebel as the author seemed to believe and I never felt Nev was the story’s biggest villain。Foreshadowing。 The major flaw of the book for me was the constant foreshadowing of events that never delivered a major development。 The first half of the book was The Picture， the second half of the book was Nev’s contribution to the tragedy and neither of these revelations really delivered any sense of finality。 I still don’t quite understand the importance of Nev’s reveal and there are countless stories of talented artists that never became popular。 The second half of the book really stalled for me waiting for a punch that never landed。“There’s nothing like the first time you take on a thing that scares the shit out of you and discover the intensity turns you all the way on。” 。。。more
Mayela
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Many thanks to NetGalley， Simon & Schuster/37 Ink！ for an ARC of this book。 The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is the oral story of a fictional band in the 1970s， so far so Daisy Jones and the Six。 Well。。。 Yes and no。 A journalist， who has a personal stake in the matter， is interviewing band members and producers of the great Opal & Nev ahead of a possible reunion。 Where Opal & Nev is different is that it delves deeper into the upheavals of the time period than Daisy Jones。 Opal is a Black singer a Many thanks to NetGalley， Simon & Schuster/37 Ink！ for an ARC of this book。 The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is the oral story of a fictional band in the 1970s， so far so Daisy Jones and the Six。 Well。。。 Yes and no。 A journalist， who has a personal stake in the matter， is interviewing band members and producers of the great Opal & Nev ahead of a possible reunion。 Where Opal & Nev is different is that it delves deeper into the upheavals of the time period than Daisy Jones。 Opal is a Black singer and that changes her experience， how audiences perceived her， even how she became famous。 One of the strongest part of the book is， in my opinion， its characters。 Making each character "sound" distinct is no easy feat when you have so many different POVs， but Dawnie Walton not only manages but greatly succeeds。 The other very strong part， and what sets it aside from Daisy， is the real history behind this fictional history。 The racial tensions， the hate crimes， the questioning of whether some art deserves to endure and what it brings to us in modern times。 As for the weaker points， pacing was a big issue。 Sometimes things felt like they dragged， the plot meandered and you got the sense that if this was a real oral history， someone would have needed to edit those interviews because some of them felt unconnected， or unnecessary。 Overall， I had higher hopes for this book。 It's solid and interesting， but it didn't stay with me after having read through it。 。。。more
Jennifer L。
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2。5 This had so much potential then it just went downhill and got really bored！ Especially the parts about her fashion。 I could care less haha！ I ended up skimming so much that I was like， why am I still reading this？ But I really wanted to know what happened to these characters。 This was a disappointment for sure！ Was expecting so much more from it！ Don’t get me wrong， there were some great moments but overall a let down。
Barb
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Loved， loved， loved this book！ A must read！
Laura
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Strong ending， compelling story， but it definitely dragged at points and took a long time to finish
Karen
，
While this book is written in the same style as Daisy and the Six， it's takes that format and builds on it。 Overall I thought it was an intriguing story， but some of the format was jarring to the flow。 Ultimately I thought it wasn't really a story about Opal and Nev but it really was a story about Sunny。 I read it in two days and I thought some parts were awesome and heart-breaking。 If you are looking for a repeat of Daisy and the Six you probably should pass but if you are looking for a story o While this book is written in the same style as Daisy and the Six， it's takes that format and builds on it。 Overall I thought it was an intriguing story， but some of the format was jarring to the flow。 Ultimately I thought it wasn't really a story about Opal and Nev but it really was a story about Sunny。 I read it in two days and I thought some parts were awesome and heart-breaking。 If you are looking for a repeat of Daisy and the Six you probably should pass but if you are looking for a story of a woman looking for the truth of her father， her idol and an unknown（yet known） villain then definitely this is a book for you。 。。。more
Susan Moss
，
"Many things can be true at once， and we must find inspiration in the materials we have。"First of all， a bazillion thanks to my sister Mari， who not only was ahead of the curve on this book， but sent me a copy immediately after the publishing date so I could see/read what she was raving （in the best possible way） about。 This novel was all she promised， and more: lush writing， colorful characters， tension （with strong elements of racism and feminism）， and a wonderfully compelling storyline told i "Many things can be true at once， and we must find inspiration in the materials we have。"First of all， a bazillion thanks to my sister Mari， who not only was ahead of the curve on this book， but sent me a copy immediately after the publishing date so I could see/read what she was raving （in the best possible way） about。 This novel was all she promised， and more: lush writing， colorful characters， tension （with strong elements of racism and feminism）， and a wonderfully compelling storyline told in the form of interviews/narrative （namedropping real peeps as well as fictional） for a book being written about a musical duo， from their inception， hiatus， and anticipated reunion。 I found myself fully immersed in the unfolding drama such that， music lover that I am， I wanted to put Opal & Nev's record on my turntable to hear for myself what all the excitement/commotion was about:"It's far from a perfect album; I doubt it would crack the top one thousand of most colleagues' personal favorites， and， sales-wise， every Nev Charles solo album afterward annihilates it。 But the music， lyrics， and vocals on enough of its songs expressed a passion and a fury， a focus amid the discord， a give-zero-fucks freak-flag bravado that felt， in some ways， like a tribute。 Hearing it for the first time triggered what I can only describe as a fear response inside my body。 I'm talking heart racing， palms sweating， tiny hairs on the back of my neck doing the wave。 'You gon' fight'， this bald-headed bitch and her people seemed to be asking me， or daring me， 'or you the kind that's partial to flight？' I'd feel similar thrills years later， through spins of N。W。A。 and Nirvana， through piercings and zip lines and experiments with everything from sex to Thai chili peppers， but there's nothing like the first time you take on a thing that scares the shit out of you and discover the intensity turns you all the way on。"Amazing that this was a debut work and， content as I am to recommend and or re-read for now， I will also be looking forward to whatever Dawnie Walton graces us with in the future。 Well done。。。 <3 。。。more
Mary Rochelle
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One of the best books I’ve read in a very long time。 Unexpected twists and I didn’t want it to end。 This writer has a gift; I hope she keeps writing
Olivia
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This book is so damn good。 For those of you who may be shy to read it because you read Daisy Jones and the Six （or any other fictional biography band book）， and you think it might be the same。。。stop right there。 They are not comparable。 Dawnie Walton PUT。 IN。 THE。 WORK。 for this story。 And it shows。 I have never read a novel that weaves together fact and fiction so seamlessly， and it’s breath-taking。
Traci at The Stacks
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I really liked this one。 Smart。 Immersive。 Loved the historical elements （that didn’t seem forced for the most part）。 Loved the ways Walton focused her story through a modern lens to reevaluate history。 Very smart。 My only complaint is the book went on long and lost steam about 3/4 in。
Mary Lite
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The story is powerful; I like how it was presented。 Good job writer！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Hallie
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I wanted to like this book so much because I loved Daisy Jones & The Six。 This book had so much going for it - a really fascinating and intertwined cast of characters， extremely important and timely conversations about race， major plot points。。。 But it all just fell flat for me。 I felt like I was being told these things rather than really getting immersed within them and living in the narrative。 3 stars for all its attributes， but the storytelling just wasn’t there for me。
Korra
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Excellent book。 。。。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Annie Caruthers Wood
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When I first opened this book， I was disappointed to see that it was written in interview format。 I’ve read a few books like this （Daisy Jones & the Six， etc） and typically I struggle to connect with the story in the same way。 Not so with this one - it was incredibly effective at setting the scene and telling an incredibly nuanced story。 The Final Revival of Opal and Nev is an ambitious book。 To cover the rise and career of two musicians， their fictional cultural impact， build the tension， energ When I first opened this book， I was disappointed to see that it was written in interview format。 I’ve read a few books like this （Daisy Jones & the Six， etc） and typically I struggle to connect with the story in the same way。 Not so with this one - it was incredibly effective at setting the scene and telling an incredibly nuanced story。 The Final Revival of Opal and Nev is an ambitious book。 To cover the rise and career of two musicians， their fictional cultural impact， build the tension， energy， and emotion of the Rivington Showcase， discuss racial tensions， etc is not an easy task。 For many authors， a story like this would fall flat as it’s nearly impossible to do all of that in 350 pages。 However， Walton did an incredible job and I was hooked from page 1。 I keep seeing this book compared to Daisy Jones and the Six。 Yes， they’re both about musicians in the 60s and 70s and written in interview format。 But for me， that’s where the similarities end。 While I love TJR， Daisy Jones lacked the depth and emotion and told a very tired story about musicians and their passions and self destructive nature and what comes after。 The Final Revival of Opal and Nev does so much more and stands out on its own。 。。。more
Danielle DellaCamera
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I loved the oral history style this book was told in and there are some extremely important topics and conversations this book helps to shed a much needed light on。 There were just pieces to the story I wanted more from。
Joelle
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The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is a hauntingly beautiful story of 2 unlikely individuals who come together to form the musical duo Opal & Nev in the early 70’s。 While this is a work of fiction， it reads like a memoir and I had to keep reminding myself that I couldn’t run to Spotify and download their songs or do a google search to read articles pertaining to them and the pivotal moment that changed the direction of their musical career paths and their lives。While the fight against systemic raci The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is a hauntingly beautiful story of 2 unlikely individuals who come together to form the musical duo Opal & Nev in the early 70’s。 While this is a work of fiction， it reads like a memoir and I had to keep reminding myself that I couldn’t run to Spotify and download their songs or do a google search to read articles pertaining to them and the pivotal moment that changed the direction of their musical career paths and their lives。While the fight against systemic racism is stronger than ever today， the reality of the fight and the struggle in the 70’s that people of color faced is a reminder that we as a country have so much further to go in ending the hate， the prejudice and the feeling of superiority。 This book brought out some serious feels in me and are similar to the feelings I felt after I read The Hate U Give。 We must do better。 We must BE BETTER。Trigger Warnings: racism， hate crimes/violenceDaw is Walton does a remarkable job at weaving real life events into fictional events and creating a masterpiece that just leaves you wanting more。 。。。more
Jen
，
It is hard to avoid comparisons of this book to Daisy Jones & the Six， and I get why: the oral history of a rock 'n' roll band and the trials and tribulations they experienced。 But for me the similarities end there。 This book is what Daisy Jones *should* have been， and read with such an authenticity and rawness that I felt like these characters exist in an alternate reality somewhere， doing their thing。 That Dawnie Walton is a first-time author is amazing， I will definitely want to pick up what It is hard to avoid comparisons of this book to Daisy Jones & the Six， and I get why: the oral history of a rock 'n' roll band and the trials and tribulations they experienced。 But for me the similarities end there。 This book is what Daisy Jones *should* have been， and read with such an authenticity and rawness that I felt like these characters exist in an alternate reality somewhere， doing their thing。 That Dawnie Walton is a first-time author is amazing， I will definitely want to pick up what she puts out next。 Captivating and amazing。 。。。more
Timothy Patrick Boyer
，
[3。5 Stars， Rounded Down]CAUTION: This review may contain MINOR SPOILERS！！ "Though in moments it might break your heart， as it surely did mine， this story is the closest I could get to the truth。"Here's the thing。 Dawnie Walton's The Final Revival of Opal & Nev， for the most part， feels like a true story。 It's not， obviously， but at the same time， isn't it？ Isn't Opal Jewel's journey as told within these pages the same as so many forgotten artists throughout the '60s， the '70s and beyond？ Sur [3。5 Stars， Rounded Down]CAUTION: This review may contain MINOR SPOILERS！！ "Though in moments it might break your heart， as it surely did mine， this story is the closest I could get to the truth。"Here's the thing。 Dawnie Walton's The Final Revival of Opal & Nev， for the most part， feels like a true story。 It's not， obviously， but at the same time， isn't it？ Isn't Opal Jewel's journey as told within these pages the same as so many forgotten artists throughout the '60s， the '70s and beyond？ Surely her voice rings so true because of all those forgotten artists whose scream is as loud and authentic as hers。Part One of this oral history is a downright revelation。 It explores its sensitive， urgent themes with a sure， balanced hand， one that never feels heavy-handed thanks to the inclusion of every available point-of-view connected to the events lending their voice to the conversation。 It builds up to and delivers a tragic， nuclear bomb of a historical moment in a way that makes it very clear who was to blame。 That is to say， everyone。。。 and no one。 The oral history format brings a depth to this retelling of the tragedy - and the relationships between Opal， Nev and our Editor's father， session-drummer Jimmy Curtis III， as they recorded their first album together in the months before said tragic historical moment - that makes it feel like something that could happen today。 That's because， of course， it can， and it does。 By giving us differing points-of-view， Walton avoids excessive finger-pointing and painting characters as straight-up villains or heroes。 She explores this tragic moment in a way that never lays the blame on any one person who was involved， and that makes for an exploration that's all the more honest and nuanced。Throughout Part Two and Part Three， however， things take a dip in how effectively they're explored。 This is mainly because of the loss of certain points-of-view， but also because we take a major step away from the oral history format， and our Editor becomes a much larger character and her intentions become too sprawling。 She focuses on Opal Jewel's story rather than sticking to that of Opal & Nev， and in the process loses an important， if not always trustworthy， angle。 Then by the time we get to the events that unfold throughout Part Three， there's been such a loss of objectivity that moments that should hit home simply don't。 （And I swear to God that it's not because， as both a long-time professional concert photographer and live music venue security personnel， I have。。。 some issues。） At the very end， these later parts of the book ultimately do end up working because of how they explore the relationship between these two women， and how well fleshed-out both of these two women and their relationship are， but they never quite manage to attack their themes as effectively as the first half does。 This prevents the final moments from hitting as hard as they certainly could have。All that being said， though， I dig the shit out of idea of who Opal Jewel is as an artist。 She never feels like anything less than a complete force-of-nature， and that excites the shit out of me。7/10 。。。more
Sarah
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Loved the story and structure。 I hope this gets adapted into a TV show or movie soon。
Deanna
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Each character felt so real & grounded。 Loved the format of the book & its approach to such important & ever relevant issues。 Thoroughly enjoyed this one。
Ellen
，
I listened to the audiobook version， and it was fast-paced and immersive。 Reminiscent of Daisy Jones & the Six， the novel feels like a true account of an early 70s iconic rock duo， like Where Are They Now？ only better。 The story is told by an ensemble cast， and they all do a fabulous job of bringing the story to life。 Opal was black， fiercely independent and larger than life， Nev a squirrelly Brit with fiery red hair - an unlikely but electric duo that created a loyal following then flamed out。 I listened to the audiobook version， and it was fast-paced and immersive。 Reminiscent of Daisy Jones & the Six， the novel feels like a true account of an early 70s iconic rock duo， like Where Are They Now？ only better。 The story is told by an ensemble cast， and they all do a fabulous job of bringing the story to life。 Opal was black， fiercely independent and larger than life， Nev a squirrelly Brit with fiery red hair - an unlikely but electric duo that created a loyal following then flamed out。 The story's layers are peeled back a bit at at time， airing long-buried secrets about what really happened that night in 1971 when violence broke out during a promotional concert， leaving Opal & Nev's drummer dead and the duo themselves scarred。 。。。more
J。J。
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Ms Walton is an excellent writer and presents a meticulously researched account of the music industry during the 1970s and 1980s。 Although entitled The Final Revival of Opal & Nev， the story is dominated by Opal。 Told through a series of interviews and newspaper clippings， interspersed with many footnotes， the plot is glacially slow。 An inordinate amount of time is given to the two protagonists' early lives and I was a little impatient for the 'real' story to begin。 The seminal moment that affec Ms Walton is an excellent writer and presents a meticulously researched account of the music industry during the 1970s and 1980s。 Although entitled The Final Revival of Opal & Nev， the story is dominated by Opal。 Told through a series of interviews and newspaper clippings， interspersed with many footnotes， the plot is glacially slow。 An inordinate amount of time is given to the two protagonists' early lives and I was a little impatient for the 'real' story to begin。 The seminal moment that affects Opal and Nev's relationship occurs halfway through the book and it is at this stage that the story finally runs out of steam。 The rest of the book recounts what happened to them in subsequent years but doesn't really add anything to resolve the issues raised。Characters: at one stage Opal and Nev are described by another character as 'arrogant'。 This certainly applied to Opal who is one of the most self-centred characters I have ever read and that includes Becky Sharpe。 She endlessly preaches， proselytises and complains until my teeth were on edge。 I felt that she was merely a mouthpiece for the author's opinions。 Nev is selfish and weak but at the same time very loyal to Opal。 The point where doubt is cast on this loyalty， a defining moment in the plot， is never fully resolved one way or another。 The narrator， Sunny， never came alive for me and， although emotionally involved at one level with Opal， remained strangely detached through most of the story。 Opal's friend and designer， Virgil， was the only really likeable character in the story。Ms Walton's habit of constantly name checking， and attributing quotes to， famous people made sections of the book seem like a non-fiction tract as she hammered home yet another 'fact'， usually to excuse Opal's increasingly bad behaviour。 I nearly gave up at the three-quarter's stage as the writing had become a long string of who did what next， most of non-related to the main story， but I stuck it out to the end when it briefly rallied and I thought a big reveal was coming。 Unfortunately， that wasn't to be the case and the whole thing fizzled out with a couple more footnotes to wrap things up。 Three stars for the excellent writing and the interesting accounts of the music industry but two stars lost for the weak story and unbelieveable characters。 I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more
Samantha Ania
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CW: racism， white supremacy， hate crime murder， sexism， 2016 election bullshit， selfish white menThis was so much。 It's a fake rock retrospective fiction story。 But more than that it's a story that shines a spotlight on double standards for black people and white people and the violence done to black men and women。 It's heartbreaking and hopeful and a good story。 I love this format of storytelling。 I had to walk away from the book a few times because I wanted to scream at some （white） man。 I am CW: racism， white supremacy， hate crime murder， sexism， 2016 election bullshit， selfish white menThis was so much。 It's a fake rock retrospective fiction story。 But more than that it's a story that shines a spotlight on double standards for black people and white people and the violence done to black men and women。 It's heartbreaking and hopeful and a good story。 I love this format of storytelling。 I had to walk away from the book a few times because I wanted to scream at some （white） man。 I am so in awe of the deeply real themes Walton explored while also telling a great story。 。。。more
Nora
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4。5*
Shaya Clark
，
I feel like I need some time to process how I feel about this book。。 I loved the first half， twenty pages in I thought it would be a five star read I would recommend to everyone。 But then 。。 I don’t know。 This was a good story， with important perspectives， and the format was really fun to read。
Mitsy_reads
，