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almolloy's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderful story about the lives of two siblings as they grow from children to adults. This book really solidifies that the definition of ‘home’ is not necessarily a place you live, and it pushes the boundaries of what traditional family relationships are and can be. The story was both infuriating and moving all at the same time.
constancepoplos's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
First with the good parts. Her writing is so engaging I could not put this book down. She beautifully sculpts the story of a dysfunctional family who learns to lean on each other for support. I devoured this book in a few days because it felt so real and raw. I felt like I was a family member hearing the story over dinner.
Now the things I didn’t love. I found all of the main cast infuriating. They’re so stubborn and unwilling to bend on any one point. I think their lives could have been much easier had they just stopped to listen to the other person thinking. It just felt to me like they created a lot of their own problems, and I didn’t love that as a reader because it did feel slightly out of touch.
All that said I would definitely recommend this novel!
Now the things I didn’t love. I found all of the main cast infuriating. They’re so stubborn and unwilling to bend on any one point. I think their lives could have been much easier had they just stopped to listen to the other person thinking. It just felt to me like they created a lot of their own problems, and I didn’t love that as a reader because it did feel slightly out of touch.
All that said I would definitely recommend this novel!
shoule's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
aurora_because's review against another edition
3.0
Weird story about a selfish man who's sole ambition in life is to become a parasite on society and hold grudges
maggiepiercy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
jodikay's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
buttercupita's review against another edition
4.0
You know you really like a book when you get annoyed by other activities that must be done that take you away from it. What I really appreciated about this modern fairy tale is how much Patchett can do with so little. When you think about it, the plot is not complex (not much actually happens), but the depth of the story is satisfying. Many times I found myself wondering at the architecture -- how did she decide which parts of the Conroy family history to tell at which times? -- and sometimes I had to flip back pages to see if I could understand the time shifts. While I wouldn't call it one of the best books I've ever read (I've decided to get picky about my 5 star ratings), I definitely recommend it as a high quality work from a master storyteller.
emilyb_chicago's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to this book and can not say enough good things about Tom Hanks as a narrator. I have such clear and vivid pictures of these characters due to his reading (none of whom look anything like Hanks, oddly). I don't know if I'd have kept reading if I had it in paper - in fact I do have it in paper and haven't picked it up in those months it's lived on my shelf.
The story was told over the life of a family, but there wasn't for me a driving story arc that made me come back. I finished it because it was the book that I was listening to on my commute. I liked the writing, I liked the characters, but nothing in this book stood out to me.
My official rating is for the book, not the narrator. Tom Hanks gets 5 stars.
The story was told over the life of a family, but there wasn't for me a driving story arc that made me come back. I finished it because it was the book that I was listening to on my commute. I liked the writing, I liked the characters, but nothing in this book stood out to me.
My official rating is for the book, not the narrator. Tom Hanks gets 5 stars.
annacameron's review against another edition
2.0
I didn’t love this book as much as I had hoped. I was more interested in the relationships between the characters than the plot we are given, and so found the characters were not as deeply explored as I wanted. It was a nice enough read, but I want fully engaged at any point.