Scan barcode
amanova's review against another edition
5.0
This is a beautiful and rich story that moved me more than I would have expected. Compelling characters, delicately revealed, and lovely treatment of the dialogue blended with rich descriptions. A delightful read.
maureenr's review against another edition
5.0
this has vaulted to the top of my 2015 favorites. spare, beautiful writing, with a strong sense of place on the plains of sasketchewan, and marvelous lead characters. you will need to suspend logic and realism but, if you do, youll be rewarded with a wonderful tale. tears were shed....
jenny4books's review against another edition
4.0
I am giving it a 4 because most of it was a 4 for me, but the end was probably a 3.
sve100's review against another edition
3.0
Хубава книга за смелостта, за мечтите и демоните, за пътя, който извървяваме към себе си и другите.
cathyleigh1's review against another edition
3.0
I thoroughly enjoyed the first two-thirds of this book - very clever, quirky, sweet. The ending, however, to me seemed to be a contrived attempt to be overly literary. At first the ending made me (a librarian with a BA in English Literature who is widely read) feel terribly stupid because I couldn't quite figure it out. Then I read an interview with the author who stated that she made the ending ambiguous on purpose and the even she couldn't say what really happened. Now I generally don't mind kind of putting a bit of my own stamp on the ending of a book - I often like to imagine what happens to the characters after the book ends. But to me, this ending goes far beyond this. Although most of the book is quite enjoyable, the ending killed it for me.
looloolibby's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
suvata's review against another edition
3.0
• Audible ebook • Scribd audiobook
Etta, a woman in her early 80s, rises early one morning on her farm in Canada’s prairie province Saskatchewan, packs a few useful items in a bag, slings a rifle over her shoulder, and sets out on foot to see the ocean. When her husband, Otto, comes downstairs, some time later, he finds Etta’s note – “I’ve never seen the water, so I’ve gone there” – and a pile of recipe cards so that he’ll know how to feed himself while she is gone. Otto has never lived alone. Etta sometimes has trouble remembering who she is.
Etta, a woman in her early 80s, rises early one morning on her farm in Canada’s prairie province Saskatchewan, packs a few useful items in a bag, slings a rifle over her shoulder, and sets out on foot to see the ocean. When her husband, Otto, comes downstairs, some time later, he finds Etta’s note – “I’ve never seen the water, so I’ve gone there” – and a pile of recipe cards so that he’ll know how to feed himself while she is gone. Otto has never lived alone. Etta sometimes has trouble remembering who she is.
tiffyofthemonts's review against another edition
5.0
I'm in the progress of finishing up a bunch of very belated book reviews, but this is the one I'm going to start with, because it's the best book I've read in 2015 so far.
I received an ARC copy of Etta and Otto and Russell and James back in September 2014 and made it to page 3 before putting it aside until April 2015 (I KNOW). Frankly, this book is slow, but it is slow in a measured way. It feels like you're taking a deep breath and holding it.
As its title might suggest, E&O&R&J is filled with compelling characters and fascinatingly complex relationships that span generations. There’s Etta and Otto, who’ve known each other since they were kids, who weren’t really supposed to fall in love but did. There’s Otto and Russell, friends since boyhood, nearly brothers, with their own secrets that are impossible to share. There’s Etta and Russell, whose entire relationship feels a lot like a What if? or a Maybe or If only... (There’s also Etta and Alma, and Etta and Bryony, and Bryony and her brother, among others.)
And of course, there’s Etta and James, the coyote who Etta encounters along her journey. My favorite chapters in the book involve Etta and James. Yes, it’s magical realism, and sure, maybe it does feel a little bit out of place relative to the rest of the story, but it adds a certain richness, a sparkle, to Etta’s journey. It makes it easier to step aside, away from the doubts and criticisms (“An eighty-two-year-old woman trekking across Canada?”), and towards acceptance of her purpose and what she wants to accomplish.
And that’s a big part of this book, too: finding yourself, finding what drives you when the status quo is gone. Otto has an incredible path of self-discovery in particular. From collecting all the newspapers that mention Etta, to turning all of that paper into art – it blows my mind to think about how Emma Hooper tied it all together.
Perhaps my biggest qualm with E&O&R&J is that Russell’s presence seems the least important relative to the others. His story plays a significant role in the flashbacks that somehow still merge seamlessly with the present, but at times, he feels like little more than a plot device made to create tension between Etta and Otto. I would have liked a closer look at him and at what makes him tick, since Emma Hooper has done that so well for the other characters in this story.
This book is about journeys – journeys across land, journeys through life, journeys to find, remember, and reveal oneself. Some of these journeys are stark and upsetting; some are vague and dreamy and surreal. Etta and Otto and Russell and James is filled with fascinating characters and an ambiguous ending, and it ends in a good place – it ends in the only place that could ever make sense – but still I can't help but wish there were more.
More reviews, including this one, on my blog: Bookplates for Brunch.
I received an ARC copy of Etta and Otto and Russell and James back in September 2014 and made it to page 3 before putting it aside until April 2015 (I KNOW). Frankly, this book is slow, but it is slow in a measured way. It feels like you're taking a deep breath and holding it.
As its title might suggest, E&O&R&J is filled with compelling characters and fascinatingly complex relationships that span generations. There’s Etta and Otto, who’ve known each other since they were kids, who weren’t really supposed to fall in love but did. There’s Otto and Russell, friends since boyhood, nearly brothers, with their own secrets that are impossible to share. There’s Etta and Russell, whose entire relationship feels a lot like a What if? or a Maybe or If only... (There’s also Etta and Alma, and Etta and Bryony, and Bryony and her brother, among others.)
And of course, there’s Etta and James, the coyote who Etta encounters along her journey. My favorite chapters in the book involve Etta and James. Yes, it’s magical realism, and sure, maybe it does feel a little bit out of place relative to the rest of the story, but it adds a certain richness, a sparkle, to Etta’s journey. It makes it easier to step aside, away from the doubts and criticisms (“An eighty-two-year-old woman trekking across Canada?”), and towards acceptance of her purpose and what she wants to accomplish.
And that’s a big part of this book, too: finding yourself, finding what drives you when the status quo is gone. Otto has an incredible path of self-discovery in particular. From collecting all the newspapers that mention Etta, to turning all of that paper into art – it blows my mind to think about how Emma Hooper tied it all together.
Perhaps my biggest qualm with E&O&R&J is that Russell’s presence seems the least important relative to the others. His story plays a significant role in the flashbacks that somehow still merge seamlessly with the present, but at times, he feels like little more than a plot device made to create tension between Etta and Otto. I would have liked a closer look at him and at what makes him tick, since Emma Hooper has done that so well for the other characters in this story.
This book is about journeys – journeys across land, journeys through life, journeys to find, remember, and reveal oneself. Some of these journeys are stark and upsetting; some are vague and dreamy and surreal. Etta and Otto and Russell and James is filled with fascinating characters and an ambiguous ending, and it ends in a good place – it ends in the only place that could ever make sense – but still I can't help but wish there were more.
More reviews, including this one, on my blog: Bookplates for Brunch.
analuisadrv's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0