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bensonmorgane's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting concept, but failed in any purpose of a storyline.
cler's review against another edition
3.0
Such an odd book, with unusual characters and a mewling plot. I was expecting a more traditional comedy/mystery story arch, but it ends up being a century-sprawling family epic with splashes of eccentricity. Certainly worth knowing before diving in.
bkdrgn303's review against another edition
5.0
So beautifully written. Strange and quirky and lovely.
julesanne's review against another edition
2.0
I was hoping for quirky and interesting characters in a novel which spans across a few generation. Instead the characters were unlikable, the story was dull. I am still not sure the point of the story. However , the writing was actually very good.
moviebuffkt's review against another edition
3.0
This was a quirky and fun little book. It took me awhile to get in to it but the characters are rich and full. Well done, but it’s hard to find a hook in to this story.
ceroon56's review against another edition
4.0
Not an easy read. I wasn’t sure where we were going but I am glad we went. Beautiful writing. I found myself highlighting many great passages.
bookherd's review against another edition
2.0
Bowlaway is an oddball family epic that starts with Bertha Truitt's mysterious appearance in the Salford, Massachusetts graveyard at the beginning of the 20th century. She wouldn't talk about her past or where she came from, but she made a place for herself in the town by building and running a candlepin bowling alley that became an important part of town life. She also surprised everyone by marrying a black man, a doctor, Leviticus Sprague.
The focus of the story moves from one character to the next without much warning. I started this book thinking it was going to be about Bertha Truitt and Leviticus Sprague, but I was wrong. It was about them for a while, but then it moved on. Also, I tagged this as a family epic, and in a way it is, but it's also not, for reasons that will be clear to you if you read the book.
I didn't find any of the characters especially likeable (with the exception of Minna Sprague, the daughter of Bertha and Leviticus, who escapes the bowling alley and who I wish was a bigger part of the story). All of them, except possibly Bertha herself, seem stunted in some way--determined to trap themselves in unhappy marriages or jobs, or poison themselves with drink. There is a sad, dead-end feel to the story at the same time as it moves along at a steady clip. The pace is what kept me reading--if I didn't like what was happening at any one moment, I wouldn't have to wait long before things changed. There were enough intriguing, oddball details (the Salford Devil, the ghost hunter, Roy Truitt getting caught sneaking into his colleague's offices) that I always had hope the story would turn in a direction that was more interesting to me. Overall, I didn't love the book but I'm glad I read it. I liked the end more than I liked the rest of it.
The focus of the story moves from one character to the next without much warning. I started this book thinking it was going to be about Bertha Truitt and Leviticus Sprague, but I was wrong. It was about them for a while, but then it moved on. Also, I tagged this as a family epic, and in a way it is, but it's also not, for reasons that will be clear to you if you read the book.
I didn't find any of the characters especially likeable (with the exception of Minna Sprague, the daughter of Bertha and Leviticus, who escapes the bowling alley and who I wish was a bigger part of the story). All of them, except possibly Bertha herself, seem stunted in some way--determined to trap themselves in unhappy marriages or jobs, or poison themselves with drink. There is a sad, dead-end feel to the story at the same time as it moves along at a steady clip. The pace is what kept me reading--if I didn't like what was happening at any one moment, I wouldn't have to wait long before things changed. There were enough intriguing, oddball details (the Salford Devil, the ghost hunter, Roy Truitt getting caught sneaking into his colleague's offices) that I always had hope the story would turn in a direction that was more interesting to me. Overall, I didn't love the book but I'm glad I read it. I liked the end more than I liked the rest of it.
bibliobethica's review
4.0
McCracken is a wordsmith! Bowlaway is hilarious. The numerous characters got a bit confusing by the end, but still very enjoyable read.
nssutton's review against another edition
4.0
Well worth the late fines I spent on it. I love McCracken’s voice, even if I never felt totally invested in Truitt or really any of the other characters. For me, it was the telling of the story, the sentence about Nahum that I read three times until I got it.