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simplymeg's review
2.0
She writes well. The story was pretty much of a downer. If I had it to do over again I'd probably skip this one.
sarah11's review
3.0
I did enjoy the book, but a few things bothered me. What,if anything, happened at camp to make this child come home so completely changed? Also, why/how did the dad lose his job but there was no police investigation? The story felt incomplete to me.
plcbaker's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Pretty depressing. Finished to see how she’d wrap things up. Ending was somewhat satisfying.
jedore's review
3.0
I waffled between 3 and 4 stars on this book...I'm glad I read it, although it left me wanting. Shapiro took me back to the time in my life when my ex-husband and I were having similar issues with our son. He was difficult from birth and challenged us more than "normal" children nearly every day of his childhood. I descended to a hellish place when he hit 5th grade...and, didn't reemerge until he was 17. My husband was unable to handle things - and no one else could fully relate - so I was virtually on my own. While, overall, Shapiro's writing and character development was very good, I opted for 3 stars because I felt that, for the most part, the emotions floated on the surface. Rachel's situation was worse than mine and I never felt the raw and searing pain that went far beyond my concern for my younger child. It was a pain that ripped me shreds, leaving me broken, and required me to completely rebuild myself. If you're one of the fortunate ones, like me, you emerge a much stronger, unwaveringly authentic, and much wiser person. In fact, I now consider my son my biggest teacher in this lifetime and am strangely thankful for the journey he took us on. I guess I just wanted to connect with Rachel in this way, yet she never let me all the way in...or, she just never went through what I did.
notrachel's review
3.0
still processing...I'll edit this later.
(edit) 5/26/2015
I first read Shapiro's Still Writing. Then I read Devotion. So I went into this having become a fan of her style. It was interesting to read this after reading Devotion because of the overlap in contentious mother/daughter relationships. When I was reading the beginning of Family History I had the thought that this reminded me of some other character who had problems with her mother...only to realize it was Devotion (which is a memoir) that I was remembering. Also the similarity with an incident regarding a young child in Family History and Shapiro's own son. I can't really accuse Shapiro of being derivative or repetitive...Family History was published first and Devotion was non-fiction, so. It just is. As a dabbling writer, I often fictionalize events from my life as a way to cope, to investigate.
Putting that plot similarity aside (which isn't the whole book in either case) I liked this...I didn't love it (as I did my previous reads of her books). It felt like an early work (in comparison to her other books...not to things I've read in general). But the style that I have come to appreciate- slow but rhythmic like breathing, introspective without being neurotic or obsessive- is definitely there though a touch unrefined. Also, there is a turning point in the history of these characters...but nothing is ever made of it, nothing is ever settled or found out. Focus is switched to a another point...but I kept thinking something would happen with an earlier moment (the story is told non-sequentially). I kept hoping until the end, but there was no resolution. I try to be okay with a lack of resolution...but such a big deal was made of the change in this character that to delve into something else...why?
Actually rating would be 3.5 if I could rate on the half-star.
(edit) 5/26/2015
I first read Shapiro's Still Writing. Then I read Devotion. So I went into this having become a fan of her style. It was interesting to read this after reading Devotion because of the overlap in contentious mother/daughter relationships. When I was reading the beginning of Family History I had the thought that this reminded me of some other character who had problems with her mother...only to realize it was Devotion (which is a memoir) that I was remembering. Also the similarity with an incident regarding a young child in Family History and Shapiro's own son. I can't really accuse Shapiro of being derivative or repetitive...Family History was published first and Devotion was non-fiction, so. It just is. As a dabbling writer, I often fictionalize events from my life as a way to cope, to investigate.
Putting that plot similarity aside (which isn't the whole book in either case) I liked this...I didn't love it (as I did my previous reads of her books). It felt like an early work (in comparison to her other books...not to things I've read in general). But the style that I have come to appreciate- slow but rhythmic like breathing, introspective without being neurotic or obsessive- is definitely there though a touch unrefined. Also, there is a turning point in the history of these characters...but nothing is ever made of it, nothing is ever settled or found out. Focus is switched to a another point...but I kept thinking something would happen with an earlier moment (the story is told non-sequentially). I kept hoping until the end, but there was no resolution. I try to be okay with a lack of resolution...but such a big deal was made of the change in this character that to delve into something else...why?
Actually rating would be 3.5 if I could rate on the half-star.
devon's review
5.0
Shapiro could have tacked on another hundred or so pages more to this heartfelt and emotional novel and I would have eaten those up too! Shapiro's prose is such that it will keep you turning the pages and wanting more. It is easy to read, not overly done and yet properly captures every emotion that this family experiences.
Rachel Jensen thought she had the perfect life, complete with the perfect marriage, two beautiful children, and a wonderful home. All things that Rachel believed could not be broken until her life began to slowly spiral out of her control. Her troubled daughter is more than Rachel or her husband Ned know how to handle, due to a tragic accident their infant son is not developing as quickly as other children his age and a terrible lie places a seed of doubt in her marriage that could potentially damage it irrevocably.
I loved the way that Shapiro took us through the story bit by bit revealing everything slowly. Sometimes in flashbacks and at other times showing the reader what state this sequence of events has left this family in present day. Shapiro is an eloquent storyteller and I will definitely be seeking out more of her works.
Rachel Jensen thought she had the perfect life, complete with the perfect marriage, two beautiful children, and a wonderful home. All things that Rachel believed could not be broken until her life began to slowly spiral out of her control. Her troubled daughter is more than Rachel or her husband Ned know how to handle, due to a tragic accident their infant son is not developing as quickly as other children his age and a terrible lie places a seed of doubt in her marriage that could potentially damage it irrevocably.
I loved the way that Shapiro took us through the story bit by bit revealing everything slowly. Sometimes in flashbacks and at other times showing the reader what state this sequence of events has left this family in present day. Shapiro is an eloquent storyteller and I will definitely be seeking out more of her works.
lindseytomsak's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jenny_j's review
5.0
Brutal and beautiful novel. Breathtaking, and brilliantly paced. Shapiro's deep insight into the core of family functioning reminds of Chaim Potok's.
marisahowardkarp's review
3.0
Meh. The writing was good, but the story built and built and then suddenly ran into a wall with a total unimaginative cliche of an ending.
liloud0626's review
4.0
Dani Shapiro's story of a troubled family pushes all the buttons, especially if you are a mother. Her descriptions of the children in this book are heart-wrenching; I could easily visualize everything that happened. I don't think her depiction of Rachel, the mother, was completely honest, but it wasn't my book. I still think it's a great book and a compelling story.