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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
You know what CocoChanel said about jewelry: before you leave the house look in the mirror and take at least one piece off. The same could be applied to this book. It had a lot to say about redemption and forgiveness and family, but at least two of the plotlines could have been scaled back and it would have made the message much more powerful.
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've not read Homes' work before but the blurb and reviews for her latest novel intrigued me, and I'm so glad I picked this up at my local library. Homes is such a talent -- I prefer novels that have deep (and perhaps flawed) characters rather than novels that are plot driven. Homes' ability to create characters and have them wind in and out of each other's lives is impressive. There were many unexpected twists and turns throughout the book which kept me completely engaged and wanting more. I even grew to like the less-than-likable characters, so much so that I couldn't help but want to find out what was going to happen to them. In the end, this is a novel about family, truth, and change.
You know what CocoChanel said about jewelry: before you leave the house look in the mirror and take at least one piece off. The same could be applied to this book. It had a lot to say about redemption and forgiveness and family, but at least two of the plotlines could have been scaled back and it would have made the message much more powerful.
I got out of the reading flow. Up until now it's a great book and I do wanna finish it one day. The date I stopped reading it is an estimation.
MESSY. Crazy. Loveable? This book is all over the place, but I confess I love Homes in all her peripatetic glory. Yes, the tone is inconsistent often, feeling like a wild satire and then switching over to heartwarming redemption tale. One is often reading along and then WHAM! An event occurs that takes your breath away or has you laughing with incredulity. What the hell just happened? This sensation gives the reader a sense that Homes sat down, took a deep breath and wrote this whole book in one sitting jumping from one occurrence to the next without trying to think to hard or lift her fingers from the keys. Don't get me wrong. She is not like Stephen King, a writer that needs to be urged to read back over what he has written and edit once in awhile. More like Homes has no internal voice telling her, "that wouldn't happen. You can't put that in there!" Whatever pops into her noggin gets set down in print. Here's a sample and it's not giving away too much because it happens at the beginning.
A man and his brother's family are having Thanksgiving. While doing the dishes the brother's wife passionately kisses the man and they go back to cleaning. A few days after, the brother is in a horrible car wreck killing a family minus their young son. The brother out it, though not intoxicated, walks home, takes off all his clothes and pisses himself. His wife and the man take him to the hospital because he has now lost his mind. They visit him in the psych wing and the man's wife urges him to stay with his brother's wife to help her deal with the fallout from all this. The inevitable happens and they sleep together a few times. Of course, the brother gets free from the hospital and walks back home. Finding his wife in bed with his brother, he bashes her head in. Now SHE is in the hospital with a coma.
This all takes place in the first FIFTEEN pages. Got me? There's something for everyone here folks. You need travelogue? Let's go to Africa. You want thrills. How 'bout crazy Nixon conspiracy theorists? Adultery not titillating enough for you? Try swingers at a Lazer Tag emporium.
This gives you an idea why the tone of the novel is all over the place. This is a piece of hard candy satire with gooey sentiment at its core. And Homes' style has a difficult time marrying the two. But I enjoyed the experiment.
A man and his brother's family are having Thanksgiving. While doing the dishes the brother's wife passionately kisses the man and they go back to cleaning. A few days after, the brother is in a horrible car wreck killing a family minus their young son. The brother out it, though not intoxicated, walks home, takes off all his clothes and pisses himself. His wife and the man take him to the hospital because he has now lost his mind. They visit him in the psych wing and the man's wife urges him to stay with his brother's wife to help her deal with the fallout from all this. The inevitable happens and they sleep together a few times. Of course, the brother gets free from the hospital and walks back home. Finding his wife in bed with his brother, he bashes her head in. Now SHE is in the hospital with a coma.
This all takes place in the first FIFTEEN pages. Got me? There's something for everyone here folks. You need travelogue? Let's go to Africa. You want thrills. How 'bout crazy Nixon conspiracy theorists? Adultery not titillating enough for you? Try swingers at a Lazer Tag emporium.
This gives you an idea why the tone of the novel is all over the place. This is a piece of hard candy satire with gooey sentiment at its core. And Homes' style has a difficult time marrying the two. But I enjoyed the experiment.
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes