This book could have been a real emotional gut punch of a story. However, it often felt flat and not fully formed. I felt conflicted as I read becauseThis book could have been a real emotional gut punch of a story. However, it often felt flat and not fully formed. I felt conflicted as I read because both the opening chapter and the ending were powerfully done even as so much of the middle just mushed together.
The story jumps back and forth between Elsie and Ben's whirlwind romance, and Elsie mourning her husband's death. The book has its share of poignant scenes but also some pretty eye rolling moments.
I'd definitely read another book by this author because I can see promise in her writing, even if this debut didn't quite hit the mark for me....more
If I had to do a quick sum-up, I'd say, "Clever idea, sloppy execution."
The book opens as a moderately drunk Lauren returns to her apartment followingIf I had to do a quick sum-up, I'd say, "Clever idea, sloppy execution."
The book opens as a moderately drunk Lauren returns to her apartment following a night out. Her husband, Michael, is there waiting for her. This would seem pretty normal aside from the fact that Lauren isn't married. While Lauren is trying to figure out what is going on, Michael runs up to the attic to change a light bulb - and the husband who descends the ladder is an entirely different person. In fact, every time the man of the house goes up to the attic, a different husband comes back down.
It's interesting food for thought. Not only is Lauren suddenly presented with a different partner, but each time the husband changes, so do some of the aspects of Lauren's life. Each life she could live features different interests, a different way of arranging the house, and while the other people in her life stay the same, the ways they interact vary.
The author sets the stage for a story that could delve into what the protagonist really wants in life and how she proposes to get there. Unfortunately, it just becomes a parade of various people that drags on far too long. I felt like I never really got to know what makes Lauren tick, nor does the reader really get to know the possible men involved. Instead of a thoughtful or even entertaining story, this book just felt like a party trick dragged out over 350 pages. I'm not sure why this book got so much hype, but it ended up being a disappointment....more
This is the quietest book I've read in a long time, and I found it refreshing. This novel centers on the deep friendship between 2 couples who met as This is the quietest book I've read in a long time, and I found it refreshing. This novel centers on the deep friendship between 2 couples who met as the husbands were beginning their careers as young professors. As the narrative moves back and forth between what appears to be the 1970s and the 1930s/40s, we get a powerful picture of how the four friends' lives developed and how their friendships endured.
Larry, Sally, Charity and Sid all have their flaws and yet their love and generosity to one another are what shine through most in this book. I loved how the author showed his characters as very imperfect people who love and are loved, and who find deep meaning in their connections. ...more
As the book started, I wasn't sure I'd like it, but as I followed Lillian Boxfish on her New Year's Eve walk through Manhattan and old memories, it grAs the book started, I wasn't sure I'd like it, but as I followed Lillian Boxfish on her New Year's Eve walk through Manhattan and old memories, it grew on me. The title pretty much sums up the plot - on New Year's Eve in 1984, 85 year old Lillian Boxfish sets off across the city to attend a party. Along the way, she has some memorable encounters, but much of the best of this book is contained in the chapters where Lillian relives her time as the top woman in advertising, and her time with her friends, husband and family.
I liked Lillian as a narrator. After reading many thrillers with unreliable narrators, I have to say I found her refreshingly straightforward. There are a few things I wish Lillian had explored more, such as her fraught relationship with her mother, but I did feel as though Lillian as a narrator let readers see both her strengths and her weaknesses. In addition to her professional triumphs, Lillian lived through some fairly low points, and her resilience comes through on the page.
This one isn't high action, but it's a lovely portrait of Lillian's life, as well as showing how much New York City grew and changed throughout one person's lifetime....more
I'm a little bit lost as to how to describe this book aside from "cozy." It's an offbeat story that just envelops the reader in warm fuzzies by the enI'm a little bit lost as to how to describe this book aside from "cozy." It's an offbeat story that just envelops the reader in warm fuzzies by the end. Parts of it almost ooze Hallmark movie cheesniess, while there's also plenty of off-the-wall shenangians. It's a strange combo that very much worked for me.
At the heart of this novel lies a puzzle. Renowned children's author Jack Masterson hasn't written a book in his Clock Island series in years and he's led a rather reclusive life on a private island. That is about to change. Jack has announced a new Clock Island book as well as a contest to win the only copy of the manuscript. It's a prospect that has the potential to change the life of the winner.
Lucy Hart has fond memories of Clock Island. Growing up in a loveless home, neglected by her parents, those books were a solace. At one point, she even stowed away on a delivery boat to Clock Island. Now grown, she is struggling as a teacher's aide, trying desperately to raise the money to adopt an orphaned little boy she thinks of as her own. When she is invited to join the contest at the island, she realizes this could be the lucky break she's been longing for.
On the island, Meg and the others learn that, in order to win, they will need to solve a series of puzzles every day. As they work through the tricks and puzzles, this book reminded me somewhat of The Westing Game, a puzzle of a novel that I loved in middle school. I think that's part of why I enjoyed this book. I also liked that there was a point to some of the odd tricks Jack played on his guests.
Some things in this story work out just a little too easily, and there are definitely some moments in the story that just felt incredibly corny. However, the author has created characters that many readers will want to root for, so even if their stories feel a little too pat, I found myself drawn in anyway because as I thought about it, I realized I wanted good things to happen to the characters in this book and I was willing to just drift along and enjoy the story without questioning too much. There was a plot point in the ending that didn't work for me, but otherwise I found this a rather happy read....more
This quirky book stole my heart. On the one hand, it's filled with whimsical touches while on the other, the author does tackle some very dark subjectThis quirky book stole my heart. On the one hand, it's filled with whimsical touches while on the other, the author does tackle some very dark subject matter, including parental death and fallout from the opioid addiction crisis.
The book centers on Emma Starling, a young woman whom everyone thought was bound for success as a medical student. However, it turns out that while Emma has been believed to have almost mystical healing power all her life, she never truly wanted to be a doctor. In fact, she's not quite sure what she wants to be. Her father is suffering from a mysterious, degenerative brain condition, so Emma has returned to her rural New Hampshire home. There she finds that her mother has more than she can cope with, as the former professor Starling is now having hallucinations, including conversations with long-dead naturalist Ernest Harold Baynes.
There Emma must confront her own ambivalent relationship with her parents. And then there's also the question of her brother. Emma's younger brother has struggled with addiction following a high school football injury, and that has altered the relationships in the family.
And then there's the mystery. Emma's childhood friend is missing, and Emma's father is obsessed with finding her. Coming alongside her father makes Emma do some thinking and as the book develops, we see Emma realizing that she hasn't been much of a friend. As she finds her footing in her hometown, she starts to reconsider her relationships and to really figure out the person that she wants to be.
The story has some whimsical touches thrown in, including commentary from the dead resting in the local cemetery. While some have pointed observations to make, it's obvious that these folks are cheering on the ones still living and there's something touching about those scenes.
In a book filled with depictions of degenerative disease and the ravages of addiction, there is something sweetly hopeful about Ms. Hartnett's writing. I wasn't sure about some of the plot points initially, but this one wormed its way into my mind and heart, and I really enjoyed it.
CW: discussion of adultery and opioid addiction, depictions of mental illness and degenerative disease, mention of animal death...more
I'd heard this book praised as a heartwarming read, so I eagerly picked it up when I saw it was this month's pick for the MMD book club. I did make itI'd heard this book praised as a heartwarming read, so I eagerly picked it up when I saw it was this month's pick for the MMD book club. I did make it most of the way through before I had to bail.
I loved the idea of this book as a homage to books and reading. However, the storyline just didn't work for me. The simplistic treatment of mental illness in this book grated on me to the point that I just couldn't enjoy what I was reading. From what I have seen in other reviews, it sounds like this aspect gets worse as the book goes along rather than improving, so I cut my losses.
I know others have adored this novel, but it just wasn't working for me....more
This tale, set in a remote village in postwar Scotland, ended up being a fantastic read. I went into the book expecting an eerie story with a hint of This tale, set in a remote village in postwar Scotland, ended up being a fantastic read. I went into the book expecting an eerie story with a hint of the supernatural. I definitely got that, but the author delivers so much more.
Leigh Welles and her brother had both left for the mainland, but after their father's death, Leigh is back to settle her affairs. She is also somewhat at loose ends, having failed to maintain employment. One gets the sense that she is drifting from day to day at her father's home.
Her return home hasn't been easy. Many of her contemporaries were lost during World War II. One doesn't mention the War on the island - and then there's October. Every October the sluagh get restless. These eerie birds swarm the island and residents take precautions to ward them off. However, in recent years they have grown denser and more aggressive. The villagers refuse to discuss them in any detail with Leigh, and their haunting of the island lends a very eerie mood to this stark tale.
It's not all darkness, though. As Leigh tries to find her footing on the island, she crosses paths with Iain McTavish, a young widower also looking for a new beginning. Iain was more a contemporary of Leigh's older brother, but it's a small island so the two have an acquaintance to renew.
On the one hand, this book tells an intriguing tale of family and community secrets and a mystery to be solved. However, the author also uses her postwar setting to make this novel a sometimes dark but definitely quite effective picture of communal grief. There's something starkly beautiful about this book that captured me. And amidst the creepy doings and mournful secrets, there's also a hopeful love story woven in. Memorable, and I will definitely reread this one someday.
CW: descriptions of death and war, family estrangement, human and animal death...more
This book is a big, complex family saga that stretches from Beirut and Damascus to the United States. With multiple timelines, it follows the complicaThis book is a big, complex family saga that stretches from Beirut and Damascus to the United States. With multiple timelines, it follows the complicated story of the Nasr family. Idris is a Lebanese cardiologist and his Syrian wife, Mazna, was once an actress. They have three adult children, Ava, Marwan (Mimi) and Najla.
In the modern day plotline, we learn that Idris has inherited the family home in Beirut. It's clear that the home inspires strong feelings in the various family members and when Idris announces a plan to sell, that galvanizes everyone into action. The entire family comes to Beirut for various reasons and while they are there, we journey back and forth between present and past, seeing what has made them who they are.
There is a lot going on in this book and while the middle dragged a tad, Ms. Alyan juggles the threads of plot deftly. Personally, I found the evolution of Mazna's character most fascinating. She has had a life of both difficulty and blessing, and as the book progresses, her ability to make peace with it moved me. The other members of the family also face some deep struggles and so much of this book showed them carving out their identities in ways that felt believable and compelling.
There's a lot going on in this book. At times the tone of the story feels almost deceptively quiet, but these characters all have struggles and secrets, and the author does a wonderful job of showing how their struggles don't happen in a vacuum. We see how the characters influence one another, as well as how they are shaped by their world. If you like richly textured family sagas, you'll likely find this one satisfying.
CW: murder, war violence, adultery, sexual harassment/assault, homophobia, medical issues/hospitalization...more
2.5 stars This book got rave reviews, so when I found it on steep discount, I snapped up a copy. In some ways, it's an interesting read but there were2.5 stars This book got rave reviews, so when I found it on steep discount, I snapped up a copy. In some ways, it's an interesting read but there were too many issues with the writing for me to really enjoy it. On the positive side, this tale of a family staying in what sounds like an isolated airbnb rental only to find that that all hell is apparently breaking loose back in the world beyond is unsettling. Given the events of the past couple years, this is especially true. Once the book really got going, I did find the hints of outside events both intriguing and disquieting as the two families at the center of this book try to figure out both how to coexist and what to do about their situation.
There's food for thought in the characters' dilemma, but it's bogged down in some pretty glaring downsides for me. Here are my three big issues with this book:
1. Amanda and Clay, the younger couple in this book, have sex scenes that really should be nominated for the Bad Sex in Fiction award. Almost every romance novel I've ever read (including some that I've otherwise panned) does it better. I've long thought authors in other genres could learn from them.
2. Speaking of sex, the almost obsessive descriptions of everyone's nakedness, near nakedness and general condition of their genitalia was something I found off-putting rather than adding to the general mood of the story. In large part, I think this is because the author did not limit his descriptiveness to the adults, and I really did not want to be reading descriptions of children's genitalia.
3. This book is painfully overwritten in general. Rather than sounding profound, the writing style often screamed, "I have both a dictionary and thesaurus, and I know how to use them!"...more
3.5 stars This book is a bit of a family saga which touches on all kinds of issues of identity, family relations, and the meaning of home. However, th3.5 stars This book is a bit of a family saga which touches on all kinds of issues of identity, family relations, and the meaning of home. However, the story is told in a rather reserved, somewhat detached fashion that made it rather easy for me to keep putting this book down. I enjoyed What We Were Promised while I was reading, but it's one of those books about which I knew I needed to write my review quickly before I forgot the book all together.
The novel focuses primarily on the Zhen family. Wei, Lina and their daughter Karen had been living in Pennsylvania for a number of years before Wei's job brought them back to China. While Wei and Lina had grown up in Suzhou, where their fathers had both worked in a silk factory, they are now living in a luxurious apartment in Shanghai. They live among the ranks of China's new elite. Wei has a job as an executive, while Lina is now a taitai, spending her days dressing nicely and gossiping with other wives in the ex-pat community who live in her building.
Wei and Lina seem to be settling, albeit a bit uneasily, into their new lives back in China when they get the news that will drive most of this story: Wei's brother Qiang, who hasn't been heard from in about 20 years, is coming to visit. This prompts all manner of inner turmoil for both Wei and Lina. Much of the novel focuses on Qiang's visits, as well as on Wei and Lina's past, particularly Lina's. Through her flashbacks, we see some of her past hopes and dreams, and something of her struggle to figure out her own identity.
Much of the Zhen family's history is tied up in their parents' experience of the Cultural Revolution, and those events are woven into the text and as the narrative covers Wei and Lina's childhoods, we see the gradual changes coming to China in the 80s. By the time Wei and Lina return, we can see how greatly their country has changed and as the lead characters try to figure out their own identities in the family, we also see them trying to reconcile their past with a place in modern-day China.
In contrast to the Zhens, we are also brought into the story of Sunny, the maid who cares for the Zhens' apartment. She has come from the provinces to try to make her way in Shanghai and to send money back to relatives at home. She, too, struggles at times to figure out where she belongs in this strange new world that she has found in Shanghai where she has both opportunities and dangers that would have been unheard of in her hometown.
There is a lot of food for thought in this novel, but much of the story is told rather than shown. There were parts of this book that I rather enjoyed, and I appreciated learning more about a part of the world unfamiliar to me. However, if I'm being completely honest, I have to admit that I frequently grew bored of the Zhens even as I found their world intriguing....more
4.5 stars This book is endearingly quirky and I enjoyed it.
Written in 2012, this book features a lead (Clay Jannon) who has lost his web designer job 4.5 stars This book is endearingly quirky and I enjoyed it.
Written in 2012, this book features a lead (Clay Jannon) who has lost his web designer job in the Great Recession. He finds a job as a night clerk at a 24 hour bookstore in San Francisco. Aside from saying that he quickly discovers Mr. Penumbra's bookstore isn't quite what it seems, I don't want to say too much about the plot because much of the fun in this book is in the discovery.
Watching Clay and his offbeat group of friends, both old and new, figuring out the riddles of the bookstore makes for an entertaining adventure. And at the end, when they learn the greatest treasure of them all, it's surprisingly sweet. The romantic subplot lacks the depth most romance readers would demand, but overall this is an offbeat and enjoyable read....more
I went into this book with no expectations and that was probably wise. This is a quirky book that I went from being unsure about to liking to feeling I went into this book with no expectations and that was probably wise. This is a quirky book that I went from being unsure about to liking to feeling like it was going to be stuck in my memory for a while.
If you're in the mood for some slower paced reading, that might be the time to dive into The Unseen World. This book meanders back and forth through the 1980s and 2000s, as the leads' mysterious past slowly reveals itself to the reader. Right off the bat, we learn that Ada Sibelius (and yes, she is named for Ada Lovelace) has lived with her brilliant father, David, all her life. David is a computer scientist and director of a prominent lab researching AI. Much of the book is set in the 80s, when Ada is about 13-14. David becomes ill, and Ada starts to learn that he may not be entirely what she had always thought.
The story moves slowly. I found it maddening at first and almost gave up after the first few chapters. However, I'm glad I stuck with the novel because as we see Ada starting to mature and grow into herself, I realized that the pace fit the plot because so much of this book is an interior journey for Ada. There is definitely a mystery to solve about David, but there's more going on under the surface as Ada learns to navigate the world outside her father's lab. As the story starts to gel into a combination of mystery/scientific exploration/coming of age tale, it became harder and harder for me to put down.
And the AI? Well, there are hints of sci-fi plot twists meandering through the book but this isn't a story about robots taking over Boston. I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, but I will say that if it had taken place anywhere other than a computer research lab, I'm not sure we would have gotten that beautifully poignant ending.
CW: Mentions of homophobia (mostly countered), discussion of illegal abortion, child abuse, mental illness and cognitive issues...more
Wow oh wow. Beartown is an absolutely incredible book and it affected me deeply. I had heard good things about the author, but I wasn’t expecting a boWow oh wow. Beartown is an absolutely incredible book and it affected me deeply. I had heard good things about the author, but I wasn’t expecting a book ostensibly about hockey to hit me like this. Normally I put trigger warnings at the bottom, but be aware: If rape/sexual assault are major triggers for you, proceed with caution on this one.
The story centers on a dying town in northern Sweden where much of town life revolves around the Bears, a local hockey club. Being one of the Bears of Beartown is a big huge deal, and this year the Bears have a chance to win big which in turn means that a larger hockey academy may build in Beartown and pump some much needed vigor into the town’s economy.
The ensemble cast of this book is amazingly written. We meet the general manager of the club, Peter Andersson, a one-time hockey star whose injuries ended his Canadian career and sent him home to Beartown. And we meet his family, his successful lawyer wife Kira, and their children Maya and Leo. We also spend lots of time with various members of the junior hockey team, their friends and the owner of the town bar. In many ways, it’s a closeknit small town – until it unravels.
The upcoming big hockey game is a big deal in the story, but so is something much more serious. A young woman in town is raped at a party, and we see the town splitting over who to believe, whether or not to speak out and so on. In some ways it’s a painful story, but even as it could be hard to read, I marveled at how sensitively the author wrote it. For example, the victim is certainly a victim of a horrific crime. However, the author does not stop at writing her as a “victim.” She is a complex and multi-faceted human being, and I loved her as a character. She has strong opinions about what happens to her, and a life outside of what was done to her. Most importantly, the author shows her as a person with agency, who makes choices about her own life.
And then there are the members of the junior hockey team. These kids all appear to be between 15-18. The author writes them well as an ensemble cast, but we also get to know them as individuals. I loved how Mr. Backman created a world of multi-layered people. There’s a fair amount of very heavyhanded foreshadowing in this book, but it actually works here. I think it’s because the author made me care so much about his creations that when I get very distinct hints of what will happen to them, I cannot help reacting.
Many of the characters in this book are at a point in their lives when they’re figuring out what kind of people they are going to be. We see them making choices about how they will react to the rape and its aftermath. Does the refugee boy who wants very much to fit in with his new country and new team just go along to get along, or does he find the courage to do something that may be controversial? Is the perpetrator’s best friend going to be silently loyal to the bitter end? These are the types of choices we see the characters making, and as they wrestle with the pressures placed on them by team and by the adults in the town, the author does a wonderful job of showing their growth as people. Some of this book will make a reader smile, and some of it will break your heart, but in the end, Beartown is an amazing portrait of human nature and I’m glad I took the chance and read something outside my comfort zone.
CW: rape, sexual harassment, homophobic and sexist remarks by various characters, hazing/locker room violence, bullying ...more
I had a very hard time sorting out what I thought of this book. It's a fictional memoir of sorts, as a fictitious barber ruminates on his 70-ish yearsI had a very hard time sorting out what I thought of this book. It's a fictional memoir of sorts, as a fictitious barber ruminates on his 70-ish years of life in Kentucky, most of it spent in Port William. Jayber Crow is a rather ordinary fellow, bright and observant without being brilliant, and liked in the community without being prosperous.
At its best, the book features beautiful prose and a sense of place. I enjoyed reading most when I was getting into Jayber's observations on human nature and the things that make life meaningful. We see the weaknesses of the narrator as well. He may be observant, but he's not the most ambitious fellow, and it's fairly obvious that his perceptions of others might not be entirely who these people really are.
So, what didn't work? Well, his obsession with Mattie, for starters. In the book, (view spoiler)[ Jayber basically fixes on Mattie when he is in his late 20s and she is only a 14 year old kid. Even though he doesn't overtly act on that attraction back then, his descriptions felt very creepy to me as the reader. Throughout the book, he's convinced that he and Mattie have a connection and it was sometimes uncomfortable to read. (hide spoiler)]
Also, toward the end, the book started to have a plodding sameness about it. Some of the observations that were beautifully written when first encountered felt repetitive, and by the end, I was rather tired of being in the narrator's head. I did enjoy A World Lost when I read it, but this book didn't quite do it for me....more
3.5 stars Stylistically, this book is beautifully written, but it's a hard one for me to review or grade. At times I loved the lyrical language, and I3.5 stars Stylistically, this book is beautifully written, but it's a hard one for me to review or grade. At times I loved the lyrical language, and I appreciated how the author broke the story down into parts so that we could see Wren's family and their secrets through differing eyes.
When I started this book, I'll freely admit that I was a reluctant reader. The plot, centering on the isolated family of a snake-handling preacher in West Virginia, sounded like a lot of bad Appalachian stereotypes. However, I'd had it recommended to me by several reliable sources, so I decided to give it a try.
At times, the book made me wonder how many times the author had read or watched Salvation on Sand Mountain. There is so much more to Appalachia than snake handling in the backwoods, and even as I loved some of the lyrical language in this story, I also found myself frustrated at the portrayal of the region. The author does correctly show us that her lead characters live on the margins of society, but the rules that hold their world together are a bit unclear at best. How do they manage to get by with so little contact with the outside world? We know Wren's father has a congregation, but who are these people and what draws them to this isolated mountain?
I did like parts of this book but ultimately I also grew frustrated with it. I felt like I never really got to know the characters, and by the end, there were still some fairly important loose ends that didn't get resolved....more
Moving from 1978 Afghanistan to 2008 New York, this haunting book follows Sitara Zamani as she survives the Saur Revolution and ultimately rebuilds heMoving from 1978 Afghanistan to 2008 New York, this haunting book follows Sitara Zamani as she survives the Saur Revolution and ultimately rebuilds her life in the United States. The writing in this novel is hauntingly beautiful, and the first half is an especially gripping read.
Sitara's father was a trusted advisor of President Daoud, and Sitara spent much of her childhood in and around the presidential palace. The early chapters of the book show Sitara's happy childhood among her friends and family.
This vivid picture makes the coup that much more jarring. We see Sitara hiding in the palace as the rest of her family is killed. She is ultimately rescued by one of Daoud's former guards, who hides her in his home, and we see how Sitara ultimately comes to be called by her sister's name of Aryana as she makes her way out of Afghanistan. The story picks up later in the United States, where we see Sitara/Aryana gaining entry to the country and eventually going on to become a cancer specialist.
The earlier chapters of the book show the history of the various conflicts in Afghanistan vividly, and the author does an excellent job of conveying the pain, confusion and sometimes fear of Sitara's situation. It can sometimes be an intense read, but this portion of the book was quite well done.
Likewise, I adored the almost poetic ending of the novel. However, much of the 2008-era narrative felt a little unfinished in some way. We see Sitara/Aryana confronted with the sight of someone from her past and as she struggles to figure out what exactly happened during that bloody coup when she was 10 years old, she goes back to Afghanistan. This part of the book was more challenging to read, not because of the subject matter, but because the emotional landscape of the story didn't feel quite as vivid as in the earlier chapters. The narrative seemed to jump around a bit from place to place without bringing the reader as deeply into the story. I still enjoyed what I was reading, but it didn't grip me quite as firmly as the 1970s portion.
We see a lot in the news about Afghanistan but if you want to see the human toll of what has been happening over there for decades, this book is an excellent place to start.
CW: political violence, adult and child death, child abuse
I wasn't sure about this book, but I'd heard good things about it from a number of sources, so I decided to give it a try. The setup is certainly clevI wasn't sure about this book, but I'd heard good things about it from a number of sources, so I decided to give it a try. The setup is certainly clever. Lincoln gets hired to be an IT guy for a newspaper in the Midwest and part of his job requires him to review flagged emails for violations of company policy. This brings him into contact with the lively (and often flagged) exchanges between Jennifer Scribner-Snyder and Beth Fremont. One is married and struggling with the decision of whether to have children, while the other is clearly in a dead-end relationship.
The more Lincoln reads, the more he really likes these people and wants to meet them. He finds himself falling for Beth, but has enough self-awareness to know that if he tells her how he knows her, it would be more than a little bit creepy. Instead of a meet-cute, Rowell gives us a hero trying to figure out how to even set up an initial meeting. Along the way, we get glimpses into the characters' lives outside of work. The author does a good job of showing Lincoln as a nerdy, but primarily decent guy. He's socially awkward, but there's something earnest and sweet about him, and I liked seeing him grow in confidence and really become his own person.
So, why the lower rating? Well, the story does drag on quite a bit before Lincoln actually gets a chance to meet Beth and Jennifer. Also, while the book is very funny in places, the humor sometimes turns a little mean in that '90s "Friends" sense. Even though she gets rebuked for it, one character does use the "R" word for folks with disabilities, and that was incredibly jarring. While that was the worst of it, there are a few other incidents along that line.
In the end, Attachments had its funny and endearing moments, but it was something of a mixed bag for me....more
A lot of people I know loved this book, but I did not.
It started off well enough for me. I found Mia and Pearl intriguing, and the ties between them A lot of people I know loved this book, but I did not.
It started off well enough for me. I found Mia and Pearl intriguing, and the ties between them and the Richardson family did make me think. However, the more I read, the more frustrated I became. On the one hand, Ms. Ng shows readers different views of the mother-child relationship and in that sense, the contrast between Bebe Chow and her lost baby, Mia and Pearl, and Mrs. Richardson and Izzy did resonate with me. And at times, the writing was beautiful. Hence, two stars instead of one.
What I really did not care about in this book was the degree to which the mother-child bond was elevated over all other bonds. This was especially true with Mia. Mia (view spoiler)[signed a contract to be a surrogate mother. Instead, she fled and has lived a life on the run with Pearl ever since. She has not been honest with Pearl, and Pearl has been denied long-term friendships, as well as relationships with her biological parent and her grandparents. She has Mia and Mia clearly loves her, but it's a very suffocating love that removes Pearl from much of anything except living in poverty and moving with Mia every few months. (hide spoiler)]
I recently read The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny and while that mystery is very different from Little Fires Everywhere, there was an idea discussed in that book that I found very relevant here. In the Penny book, one of the characters talks about how some positive emotions have near enemies that twist things. One of several examples given was the difference between love and attachment. In Penny's example, love is described as promoting the best for the beloved while the near enemy of love promotes the wishes of the person claiming to love another, while suffocating and controlling the beloved by holding them too close. In this book, it seemed like Mia's love for Pearl was more about Mia's needs and desires than Pearl's, and I found that deeply frustrating, particularly since Mia in this book is held up as a positive figure.
Add into this a court case that made my lawyer head spin(though the verdict was what a lot of judges would have done, in my experience) and some plotlines that seemed to meander without going anywhere satisfactory, and this book ultimately just did not work for me. It has also been one of those where, the more I discuss it with others, the more it falls apart....more
Since this book is set in the late 90s, I'll admit that 90s nostalgia is a large part of what guided me to pick it up. The heroine, Casey, is 31, but Since this book is set in the late 90s, I'll admit that 90s nostalgia is a large part of what guided me to pick it up. The heroine, Casey, is 31, but in some ways this book really does feel like a coming of age story. Casey dreams of being a writer, but she's been adrift for quite a while and this book captures her right at the moment when she's having to make decisions and get down to the business of figuring out her life. She's also been through a breakup and now faces the possibility of life with one of two very different men. This story would have been compelling if it weren't so boring.
For reasons that become apparent later in the book, Casey holds herself distant from the reader for much of the first part of the story. We see her going through the motions of work as a waitress and living in a moldy outbuilding. In other words, she drifts along through her days. Change starts to come as she meets Oscar and Silas, but the book just didn't capture me. Every now and again I'd hit a scene or a turn of phrase that really sparkled, but most of the book plodded along. As I mentioned before, this novel is ostensibly set in the late 90s, but really it could have been set just about anywhere that didn't have cellphones. The feeling of a particular time just didn't shine through for me here.
The story does pull together more toward the end and there are some portions that are beautifully written. However, the overall novel is fairly uneven and I suspect many readers will find the first half to be something of a slog.
One last note - since some of the reviews talk about how romantic this book is, I have to admit that I was expecting something wonderfully romantic. There is something of a romance plot in this book, but reading genre romance has clearly spoiled me because what I found in these pages pales in comparison to some of the best of what genre fiction has to offer in the romance department. Those who turn up their noses at genre fiction may be fooled, but romance readers will know better....more
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