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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
Somewhere between 2 and 3 stars to be honest. For most of the book I honestly didn't like a single character and they all annoyed me (with the exception of all the poor, small, side characters that had to deal with everyone else). I got so annoyed with the repetition of so many things - I get repeating a mantra but it may have been a bit excessive and the main character is an "adult", she couldn't call her therapist anything but "shrinky dink" for the entire book?! And listening to a bunch of catty Facebook conversations....maybe it would have read better instead of hearing it read in audiobook format. It got a little better in the end and there was some closure on things so that was good. Maybe I'm just not in the right headspace at this time to deal with matters like this....
Agatha Arch Is Afraid of Everything by Kristin Bair O'Keeffe is equal parts quirky, honest, completely crazy at points and cuttingly hilarious. Agatha Arch is not exactly the most relatable character, for me, but she is certainly entertaining! I definitely enjoyed the mom Facebook group shenanigans - it felt very accurate! If you've recently gone through or are going through a divorce, you might want to skip this book - the emotional rollercoaster of a divorce was very raw and accurate. I gave this book 3 stars. I felt like the story got a little repetitive in the middle but, overall this book is entertaining and hilarious.
This book is a solid 3.5. There were touching moments, and the whole thing, is quite well-written, but there were 2 major problems: the length, and Agatha.
The book contained many unnecessary scenelets, and many things that should’ve been cut out. There were many partially-realized attempts at symbolism (such as the woodpecker, AND the office, AND the parallel literature), and if Bair O’Keffe had flushed out one of these symbols in it’s entirety rather than keeping a surface level fixation on all of them, the book would’ve been shorter and more impactful.
The greatest challenge with this book is Agatha herself. She seems an archetype of the perennial “Karen,” demanding, bitter, ridiculous, selfish, with some Eleanor Oliphant-esque lack of social skills thrown in for good measure. Bair O’Keefe may have been trying to show a) the motivations of a Karen and b) a satisfying comeuppance.
The hard part of choosing these twin paths, is then Agatha is not a particularly redeemable character. I LOVED Eleanor Oliphant because the particulars of her peculiarities were laid out, explored, and demystified so well. When you are trying to write a character with BOTH empathy AND revenge, the effect can be a confusing, watered down character rather than a nuanced, occasionally unlikeable, but real human being.
Though the character of Agatha Arch had a point of view strong enough to avoid being watered down, the reader’s relationship was confusing, and her character development was bumpy.
I’m looking forward to reading more of Bair O’Keefe’s work, as I truly loved her writing and choice of subject, but this one lost some points for me.
The book contained many unnecessary scenelets, and many things that should’ve been cut out. There were many partially-realized attempts at symbolism (such as the woodpecker, AND the office, AND the parallel literature), and if Bair O’Keffe had flushed out one of these symbols in it’s entirety rather than keeping a surface level fixation on all of them, the book would’ve been shorter and more impactful.
The greatest challenge with this book is Agatha herself. She seems an archetype of the perennial “Karen,” demanding, bitter, ridiculous, selfish, with some Eleanor Oliphant-esque lack of social skills thrown in for good measure. Bair O’Keefe may have been trying to show a) the motivations of a Karen and b) a satisfying comeuppance.
The hard part of choosing these twin paths, is then Agatha is not a particularly redeemable character. I LOVED Eleanor Oliphant because the particulars of her peculiarities were laid out, explored, and demystified so well. When you are trying to write a character with BOTH empathy AND revenge, the effect can be a confusing, watered down character rather than a nuanced, occasionally unlikeable, but real human being.
Though the character of Agatha Arch had a point of view strong enough to avoid being watered down, the reader’s relationship was confusing, and her character development was bumpy.
I’m looking forward to reading more of Bair O’Keefe’s work, as I truly loved her writing and choice of subject, but this one lost some points for me.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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 picked this up thinking it would be like Eleanor oliphant is completely fine and it wasn’t. Kind of slumped through the middle and really had to power through. Lots of moments where I thought “white privilege” or “why is she being gaslit?” And “why is she such a Karen?” Not sure how I felt but the ending was good
Agatha Arch is a writer with a career on-hold due to a turmoil in her personal life. She is as the title suggests afraid of EVERYTHING but also brave enough to do anything to not let face her fears.
I thought I'd find this book relatable as soon as I read the title but boy oh boy Agatha is a whole different nut. I do however confer that she is not afraid of the most important things but is rather distracted by a bunch of irrational/borderline delusional fears.
Agatha's life has turned upside down when she finds her husband shagging the dog walker in their yard while she runs behind them with a hatchet, destroying the whole shed in the process. The story goes on from there. I loved her character although it was nothing of the sort I expected it to be. She was fearful yet courageous and above all, completely and unapologetically herself. Overall, the ending felt underwhelming but that was kind of expected.
The story didn't exactly have a developing plot. Its a rather lighthearted/fun read.
Memorable characters-
Agatha Arch
Shrinky dink/therapist
Dax the ex-husband/cheater
Willow Bean aka GDOG in Agatha's words, dog-walker
Dax and Justin
Blue
Melody Whelan, annoying goody neighbor turned BFF
Officer Henry
Kerry Sheridan
Edward, the rebound/
My favorite quotes from the book-
"Because if I can anticipate it, I can avoid it" This quote sounds like something EXACTLY I would say.
"Grief when it comes, its nothing like we expect it to be."
"She notes that for the first time ever she is not afraid of what might be done to her in the world, but what she might do to the world."
"The head is a funny thing; the heart even funnier."
"The careful curation nauseates Agatha. Where's the pain? Where's the struggle? Where's the honesty?" (referring to social media specifically instagram) MAX relate again.
"Its about the fact that my life has changed without me even being involved in the decision to change it."
Random things I liked about the book:
- list of hard truths file
- her conversations with her therapist aka shrinky dink
- small town effect
- moms and their fb group & The 12 Days of the Wallingford Moms
- spy pants omg
- her ability to give quirky nicknames to anyone
- this cover of the book
- tap tap tippity-tap of the woodpecker
I thought I'd find this book relatable as soon as I read the title but boy oh boy Agatha is a whole different nut. I do however confer that she is not afraid of the most important things but is rather distracted by a bunch of irrational/borderline delusional fears.
Agatha's life has turned upside down when she finds her husband shagging the dog walker in their yard while she runs behind them with a hatchet, destroying the whole shed in the process. The story goes on from there. I loved her character although it was nothing of the sort I expected it to be. She was fearful yet courageous and above all, completely and unapologetically herself. Overall, the ending felt underwhelming but that was kind of expected.
The story didn't exactly have a developing plot. Its a rather lighthearted/fun read.
Memorable characters-
Agatha Arch
Shrinky dink/therapist
Dax the ex-husband/cheater
Willow Bean aka GDOG in Agatha's words, dog-walker
Dax and Justin
Blue
Melody Whelan, annoying goody neighbor turned BFF
Officer Henry
Kerry Sheridan
Edward, the rebound/
My favorite quotes from the book-
"Because if I can anticipate it, I can avoid it" This quote sounds like something EXACTLY I would say.
"Grief when it comes, its nothing like we expect it to be."
"She notes that for the first time ever she is not afraid of what might be done to her in the world, but what she might do to the world."
"The head is a funny thing; the heart even funnier."
"The careful curation nauseates Agatha. Where's the pain? Where's the struggle? Where's the honesty?" (referring to social media specifically instagram) MAX relate again.
"Its about the fact that my life has changed without me even being involved in the decision to change it."
Random things I liked about the book:
- list of hard truths file
- her conversations with her therapist aka shrinky dink
- small town effect
- moms and their fb group & The 12 Days of the Wallingford Moms
- spy pants omg
- her ability to give quirky nicknames to anyone
- this cover of the book
- tap tap tippity-tap of the woodpecker
Agatha catches her husband Dax and the Dog Walker (GDOG) doing more then heavy petting in their shed. Agatha proceeds to take a hatchet and chops the shed down. My kind of girl!
With her husband now living with GDOG, Agatha must face her extremely long list of fears. With the help of her Therapist, who Agatha calls Shrinky Dink, her Bear Grylls bobble head doll, and her spy pants filled with many gadgets, she faces her fears head on.
Her antics of spying on Dax and GDOG and a woman panhandler had me laughing out loud.
Agatha just loves torturing her nosy neighbor Kerry. I am glad she is not my neighbor! Some of the funniest scenes in the book are when Agatha provokes the women on the neighborhood Facebook group. If you need a good laugh, make sure you pickup this book!
Thank you Kristin Bair O'Keeffe, Alcove Press and Suzy Approved Book tours for including me on this tour and this is my honest review.
With her husband now living with GDOG, Agatha must face her extremely long list of fears. With the help of her Therapist, who Agatha calls Shrinky Dink, her Bear Grylls bobble head doll, and her spy pants filled with many gadgets, she faces her fears head on.
Her antics of spying on Dax and GDOG and a woman panhandler had me laughing out loud.
Agatha just loves torturing her nosy neighbor Kerry. I am glad she is not my neighbor! Some of the funniest scenes in the book are when Agatha provokes the women on the neighborhood Facebook group. If you need a good laugh, make sure you pickup this book!
Thank you Kristin Bair O'Keeffe, Alcove Press and Suzy Approved Book tours for including me on this tour and this is my honest review.
The writer made the main character entertaining which made me stick to it. But In all other aspects I found it boring. There wasn’t a plot or any really interesting events. It may be decent if your stuck in a rut and need someone to identify with but I wouldn’t recommend.
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes