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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm a few years younger than Carol Rifka Brunt's character June - so my memories of the 80s are very different. I wasn't really aware of AIDS in 1987 and I take for granted that we've come so far in terms of acceptance and understanding.
I really related to June in many ways - I never felt like I fit in either. I did question why her parents didn't notice their phone bill - but I guess they were busy people and didn't really see what June or their other daughter, Greta, were up to at all. The strained relationships and things that went unsaid made me sad. There are lots of bittersweet moments in this book, but it really is a great story about family and friendship.
I also like books set in places where I've been, and aside from NYC, most of the book takes place in Westchester County, where I worked for years.
I really related to June in many ways - I never felt like I fit in either. I did question why her parents didn't notice their phone bill - but I guess they were busy people and didn't really see what June or their other daughter, Greta, were up to at all. The strained relationships and things that went unsaid made me sad. There are lots of bittersweet moments in this book, but it really is a great story about family and friendship.
I also like books set in places where I've been, and aside from NYC, most of the book takes place in Westchester County, where I worked for years.
I picked this book up in an airport bookstore, I always like to peruse them when I have layovers. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn't, this time I am happy to say it did ! This is a debut novel and it is a good, nicely fleshed out read. There are familial secrets, jealousy, envy and last of all regret. I love how a portrait painted by a sick Uncle, becomes a character itself . I will surely be looking for the next book by Brunt !
A thought provoking novel about family set in the 1980s.
While the author has a very evocative writing style, and definitely understands how to write about the complexities of death and loss, there isn't much in the way of plot in the book. In a novel that doesn't have much action, the characters have to be really amazing to make up for it. Unfortunately, none of the characters were very relatable, nor were their motivations clear or logical. I didn't hate it, but I didn't really see the point of it, either.
Oh, god. *God.*
I don't think I've ever felt this sad. It's like--it's like I'm a being made of grief and the author caught the small, fraying edge of it with her hooks and unraveled its entirety to spin it into the words of this book. God. *God.*
I don't think I've ever felt this sad. It's like--it's like I'm a being made of grief and the author caught the small, fraying edge of it with her hooks and unraveled its entirety to spin it into the words of this book. God. *God.*
Maybe because I've had a lot going on lately and haven't been able to thoroughly concentrate on the book it was kind of meh and took me a long time to finish. Going to try to read this again at a later time to see if it was just me or really the book.
I really liked this. I started it having no idea what the story was about, and that is my new favorite way to read. It had been on my list of recommended books forever, and I enjoyed it.