Wednesday, 26 August 2015

COVER COMMENTS - ONLY EVER YOURS BY LOUISE O'NEILL



 All three of the covers featured within this post fit the book very well. I like all three for different reasons. Do you have a preference? . . . .Which is your favourite? . . . and Why?. . .

Cover A

The colours and the feel of the cover suggest and artificial feel. The main feature on this cover is what I would describe as a "barbie" doll on the cover to represent the "perfection" women should strive for as dictated by society. The beautiful cascading blonde wavy hair, teamed with the sea blue eyes with long lush eyelashes and the perfect bright red bow lips. 
The byline on this cover which fits around the title, both before and after. "Choose A Girl . . . Only Ever Yours. . . To Own Forever" This byline really does fit the book and give's you a hint at the society and the way females are a commodity. 
Though I'd say endorsements on front covers are one of my pet hates, I should mention this cover has one by author Jeanette Winterson which say's "A dark dream. A vivid nightmare. . . O'Neill writes with a scalpel"
So would the cover alone make me pick this book up in a book store? Yes, it would, the cover images would attract my eye and then the byline would make me want to learn more about the book.

Cover B

The main colouring of this cover is also quite dark looking the central feature for the cover is a row of what look like mannequins that represent the eve's. They are arranged as though on a conveyer belt, as though manufactured in their masses. This representation fits the book very well as the eve's are treat more like objects than people. It plays on the point that the eve's are manufactured and designed to look similar, but are all an "ideal" shape and weight. The endorsement on this cover is by Marie Claire and says "Deep, dark and frighteningly believable. This story will stay with you for a long time" There is no byline in reference to the book on the cover. Instead wording on the cover informs us that the book won the Irish book awards newcomer of the year!

Cover C

The colour and feel of this cover is very pink and features a rather perfectly made up female, which does fit the imagery that the book gives us of the Eves. They must be perfectly made up at all times and are continually compared to each other. The byline of "Be good. Be pretty. Be chose." really fits really well with the theme that runs throughout the whole book.
It is one of my pet hates to have review quotes of the actual front cover so that something I'm not so keen on featured on this cover. The review quotes are from Marie Claire, and from Vagenda. The review quote from Vagenda compares this book to both Mean Girls and Magaret Attwood's Handmaids Tale. (which I sadly have not read yet even though it is in my favourite genre).

Final Cover Thoughts 
So out of the three covers featured above which is your favourite and why?
As I have explained I like something about all the individual covers but I would have to say that my favourite on is still the one I saw the first when discovering this title and for me has to be Cover A. Though I do think that Cover B and Cover C would perhaps appeal more to an older reader too. All the covers have their own merits but to pick just one it has to be Cover A! 


Which cover would make YOU 
pick up this book from a bookstore shelf?


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