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sejacobson14's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the story but I could not sympathize with the central character, so it was hard to completely enjoy the book.
12grace4's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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
4.5
gsdfan's review against another edition
2.0
I read this because a family member gave it to me. She loved it. It takes place in WI, where I grew up, so that was interesting. But that’s where the appeal ended. I won’t gift this to anyone.
katiebrumbelow's review against another edition
3.0
The writing is well done (except for the sex scenes... "supple balls" and "handful of buttock" makes me feel icky) but the main character is an asshole. If I was rating the writing I would give a 4. If I was rating the story I'd give it a 1.5. The main character is not likable and you are stuck with her for four.hundred.pages.
I'd be willing to read Ann Packer again if I knew going in that the story was better. Without the writing i would have abandoned the story. I was curious about the whole thing but i skimmed the last twenty pages to see how it all ended. Spoiler - the ending is frustrating and stupid.
I'd be willing to read Ann Packer again if I knew going in that the story was better. Without the writing i would have abandoned the story. I was curious about the whole thing but i skimmed the last twenty pages to see how it all ended. Spoiler - the ending is frustrating and stupid.
kricketa's review against another edition
3.0
a moving (albeit anxiety-inducing) story that reminded me of sue miller. carrie bell is considering breaking her engagement to mike when a diving accident leaves him paralyzed from the chest down. but what kind of monster breaks up with a quadriplegic?
i liked but did not love this. it made me feel anxious and funky, although there were rare moments of humor. packer has some incredibly apt observations about human nature, but i spent most of the book feeling frustrated with carrie. it's not that i thought she was making the wrong choices, i just wanted her to be more surefooted about the decisions she did make. 3.5 stars for lovely writing though.
i liked but did not love this. it made me feel anxious and funky, although there were rare moments of humor. packer has some incredibly apt observations about human nature, but i spent most of the book feeling frustrated with carrie. it's not that i thought she was making the wrong choices, i just wanted her to be more surefooted about the decisions she did make. 3.5 stars for lovely writing though.
birdlawyer's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really good book and there are definitely questions one asks him or herself when one reads this book. There actually isn't much "action", but one still keeps reading, which I believe shows how good of a writer Ann Packer is.
mbsteblein's review against another edition
I read this book on my own but then found a book club that was currently read it (my first evening with that book club, more than 4 years ago!) I am always interested in books that challenge me to figure out how I would react in the protagonist's position. I'm not sure there IS a "good" ending to this story, but it's a book to make you think a little about what kind of person you are in times of trouble/change.
chrizzavilla's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
pidgevorg's review against another edition
2.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, the author's style is very smooth and readable, and her character portrayals are very true to life. But on the other hand, the story and characters are unoriginal. The main characters, Carie, Kilroy and Mike, in particular come off as complete non-entities, with nothing unique about them whatsoever, other than the fact that they suffered a personal tragedy. They may embody different “types”--for example, the naive midwesterner vs the “urban snob”--but these are types we've all seen before both in life and in fiction, and nothing new or insightful is being said about them here. It might be unfair to the author to say this, because after all she portrayed the characters brilliantly. But the fact remains that what is being portrayed is a group of people who are completely mediocre and have no depths of character. In a novel like this one, which relies on people rather than plot, character development is critical, and you might even say that this book technically has it. But it all boils down to this: the characters make some half-hearted attempts to transcend their situation, but quickly give up and embrace their moral, mental, and artistic mediocrity. Once again, this might be true to life, but this is a novel, not a sociology textbook. In the end, I was left with a big, bored “so what?”