Reviews

Greenwood by Michael Christie

birdiesreads's review against another edition

2.0

Got to page 212 and had to stop. Loved the beginning, it just got painfully slow in the middle

lucygoss's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

bestknownfor's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

A long (in parts overly long) family history with high highs and low lows. I'm glad I read it, but God it frustrated me.

The brothers were the emotional core of this story for me, and all the other sequences pale in comparison. And that ending -

talk about shooting the shaggy dog. I'll pay it as a twist,  but it didn't even feel consistent with Jake's earlier character.

 

In general the male characters are written with much more depth and compassion. We get 200+ (good!) pages humanising

Harris and Lomax

but

Jake and Willow are flighty and short-sighted, and Temple is cartoonishly perfect.

Nothing would have been lost if the flashback sequences unwound from

Liam dying in the house. The 2038 plot adds nothing and dilutes the themes.

joerayme's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

4.25

pjm221's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

forroan's review against another edition

adventurous reflective medium-paced

4.0

went in thinking the plot with the baby would be my least favorite and left with it being my absolute favorite part of the book. I also didn’t know this book had a queer plot line which was a wonderful, albeit emotionally painful, surprise

davinabacon's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

sigmer's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

babywren's review against another edition

3.25

It was okay. Some parts I liked, but most others were clunky, and the sentences rambled on for so long I forgot what they were talking about to begin with. 

It felt like the author was trying to reach a word count, based on how much he overcomplicated his storytelling - most of it was more told than shown, too. 

The way he writes women also really frustrated me. I think all of his female characters mentioned either their own fertility or period or pregnancy during the story. Why?? Women are more than reproductive vessels. It really felt like his ingrained misogyny was showing through the way Christie wrote his female characters, especially when compared to the men in the story.

The constant shift between perspectives also made it challenging to follow what was happening, and when it was happening. I know the relevant year was written next to the page count but I still struggled.

bookmaven17's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0