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rowan_d's review
4.0
Truly, I would give this book 4.5 stars if I could. I really enjoyed this read. I recently saw the 1999 made for television film adaptation, and although the film wasn't what I would call "good", many aspects of it quite charmed me, so when I found out it was from a book, I simply had to read it. The book is DEFINITELY higher quality than the film.
I love the two main characters, the story's two narrators, Linda (the recently divorced mother of three) and Drew (her 15 year old son). They are both relatably flawed and good-hearted characters with sharp wit and a wonderful sense of humor. The narrative is somewhat dated in that it allows a lot of what would now be considered politically incorrect opinions. But in a way I enjoyed this aspect of it, because it made the characters feel more honest somehow and less designed purely to meet the reader's preconceived expectations. It also provided an appropriate sense of time and societal temperament in order to fully appreciate the backdrop of the story.
There were a few times when the more "tell" over "show" style of the writing made me wish I could have experienced some of the scenes in a more fleshed out form (rather just be told after the fact that things happened), times when I would have liked to have read the characters' dialogue for a conversation written out rather than read something like, "and then I told him all about what had happened to me and what I was afraid of, and he was very sweet and said all the right supportive things at the right times" (my invented example, not a quote from the book). But overall, the experience was very visceral and memorable. The sense of place -- a small town on Florida's gulf coast -- was VERY strong, and I relished the experience of life in a place I've never spent much time and found myself enchanted by the beauty of the environment.
The humor was lovely, and that's saying something since words like "humor" or "funny" on a book cover are much more likely to make me put a book down than want to read it.:D. But this author struck a perfect balance between amusing antics and the serious emotions of a genuine human story.
This book may not be to everyone's taste, but for me it was a lovely experience, one I'm likely to return to at some point in my reading future.:)
I love the two main characters, the story's two narrators, Linda (the recently divorced mother of three) and Drew (her 15 year old son). They are both relatably flawed and good-hearted characters with sharp wit and a wonderful sense of humor. The narrative is somewhat dated in that it allows a lot of what would now be considered politically incorrect opinions. But in a way I enjoyed this aspect of it, because it made the characters feel more honest somehow and less designed purely to meet the reader's preconceived expectations. It also provided an appropriate sense of time and societal temperament in order to fully appreciate the backdrop of the story.
There were a few times when the more "tell" over "show" style of the writing made me wish I could have experienced some of the scenes in a more fleshed out form (rather just be told after the fact that things happened), times when I would have liked to have read the characters' dialogue for a conversation written out rather than read something like, "and then I told him all about what had happened to me and what I was afraid of, and he was very sweet and said all the right supportive things at the right times" (my invented example, not a quote from the book). But overall, the experience was very visceral and memorable. The sense of place -- a small town on Florida's gulf coast -- was VERY strong, and I relished the experience of life in a place I've never spent much time and found myself enchanted by the beauty of the environment.
The humor was lovely, and that's saying something since words like "humor" or "funny" on a book cover are much more likely to make me put a book down than want to read it.:D. But this author struck a perfect balance between amusing antics and the serious emotions of a genuine human story.
This book may not be to everyone's taste, but for me it was a lovely experience, one I'm likely to return to at some point in my reading future.:)
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