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buddy524's review against another edition
4.0
Oates is a wonderful writer and this book captures that. She tells the story of a family as they grapple with a tragedy, which affects and rocks them all. Oates' strength is creating characters, but not so much plot. At times, I felt as though I l knew these characters more than the knew themselves, which is true for many people. I was hoping to see more of their relationships with each other. That aspect was a bit underdeveloped. Overall, a well-written story that allows the reader to understand a family on a deep level.
noahaimelire's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
relaxing
tense
slow-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
pixe1's review
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
thebookishhomesteader's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like my expectations of this book were too high going in (I let the praise I had seen get to me). The beginning just drags and could have ended much more quickly, but, alas, it does get better. I didn’t like the premise- that one man can so easily ruin a family but I appreciate the comeback of all the kids and mom in the end. Their stories of making it on their own in their “rag-quilt” lives were lovely.
rita_c's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
bradbury's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
….hmm. This was an interesting one. The core of the plot and the characters are there, but i can’t help but think there’s at least 75 pages of exposition that could have been edited out. i saw myself skipping so many unnecessary pages, especially at the end. the endless “facts” about how these siblings have grown up and away from each other are bothersome, and they don’t spell anything out to me. i don’t care about any of the significant others, including Marianne's, that are introduced at the tail end of this story. Marianne’s arc is incomplete and her voice is barely there in the last 50 pages. She “falls in love” or rather gives into it as much as she is able to through her trauma, but there’s no conclusion to how she is able to break her need to disappear, and she never reconciles with her family members who ignored her for decades. This is a story about a family that dismisses their wrongdoings to each other as necessary in order to keep the mulvaney name stagnant. It’s rather infuriating, and there is no satisfying conclusion for any main characters worth being interested in. Also, the 1st person to 3rd person perspective switches make no sense? Judd’s own narration doesn’t fit with what the reader learns through the narrative. Confusing and unedited, though I felt for Marianne and Patrick, and wished the storyline could have been more focused and condensed.
llockhart4567's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
stefs1974's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-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? No
4.5