Swan Song of My Era

by Elsie Swain

𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚

𝙩𝙝𝙚 “𝙨𝙬𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙧𝙖“

𝙗𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜.

REVIEW

An inspiring story that’ll challenge your very perspective of youth & passion.

Spes’ character is amongst the most well-established female protagonists I’ve ever come across. Her defiance—often misunderstood as arrogance—of pursuing her passion & tendency to push herself too far, seemed to me the solitary protest wielded like armor in the face of oppression & disregard.

Why should it be considered scandalous when women are direct & firm in voicing their beliefs—while such standards are not applicable, instead acceptable & cherished as a male trait?

Her fierce protectiveness over her mother & sisters also emphasized the invisible double standards Asian women face in being expected to put family above everything.

Hope’s entry to the story proved to be turning points for both, as mutual understanding & connection are built upon each challenging the other for changes in perspectives. I loved how Hope learned to set boundaries for her toxic relationships with those whom disrespect her & understand consideration shouldn’t be given at one’s own expense.

The idiom “swan song“ penetrates the whole story, vividly portraying the anxiety in reaching their height of creativity yet in return to be defined/limited by so, but also igniting the fire of passion, as their struggle to overcome the initial fear materializes into something incredibly beautiful.

Youth is often defined as a certain period—a phase of insecurity & naivety, arrogance & ambition—by which we are disregarded because we are young. But youth is also an era, a limited stretch of time in which we are all indefinitely infinite.

For dreamers/believers with hearts bursting with color.