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3.09 AVERAGE
3.09 AVERAGE
Boring as hell. I coulnd't make myself even listen to it on audio book.
I don't often write reviews but this book is truly painful. I liked Memory Keepers Daughter (although anyone I recommended it to cursed me). The main character here is one of the most annoying in any book I've ever read...self indulgent and self centered. I haven't even finished the book but don't know whether to go on. Lucy is so distasteful that I don't care what happens to her or the mystery she's uncovered. The book drags on with endless description about things that don't matter at all like what is on the crackers they are eating and constantly loses focus. I love writers with descriptive language but here it is at the expense of the plot and the readers sanity.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Very dissapointed with this one, espessially since The Memory Keeper's daughter was so good. Nothing happens in this book, very slow paced.
I really wanted to like this book. The premise -- Lucy Jarrett returns home after living abroad and is drawn into the research of her family history and her discovering a part of her family history that has never been spoken about before. This hunt for the past is something which drew me to the book.
The early portion of the book which includes Lucy's internal struggle with the possibility of rekindling a love with her high school flame Keegan was intriguing. But following Lucy's dismissal of Keegan (and that part of her past), I found the actions of Lucy and the supporting characters to take a twist towards the unbelievable.
I did like Edwards' inclusion of the stain-glass story line, as it provided a tangible element to the history that Lucy was searching for. But, the way that everything just fell into Lucy's lap when she was looking for the family history seemed too perfect.
Lucy's stealing of historical documents from a historical society with little remorse also didn't sit well with me -- none of the characters seemed perturbed by her actions, despite the ethical ambiguity. Edwards portrayal of family history as something which belongs solely to the family and which truth is of the uttermost importance didn't inspire me to like Lucy. Rather, it made me see her as someone obsessed and attempting to replace her current life story with the story of generations gone by.
The narrative of voice of the book is well presented, but believability and plausibility of the story are lacking.
The early portion of the book which includes Lucy's internal struggle with the possibility of rekindling a love with her high school flame Keegan was intriguing. But following Lucy's dismissal of Keegan (and that part of her past), I found the actions of Lucy and the supporting characters to take a twist towards the unbelievable.
I did like Edwards' inclusion of the stain-glass story line, as it provided a tangible element to the history that Lucy was searching for. But, the way that everything just fell into Lucy's lap when she was looking for the family history seemed too perfect.
Lucy's stealing of historical documents from a historical society with little remorse also didn't sit well with me -- none of the characters seemed perturbed by her actions, despite the ethical ambiguity. Edwards portrayal of family history as something which belongs solely to the family and which truth is of the uttermost importance didn't inspire me to like Lucy. Rather, it made me see her as someone obsessed and attempting to replace her current life story with the story of generations gone by.
The narrative of voice of the book is well presented, but believability and plausibility of the story are lacking.
The story was really pretty cool, but to me it felt like the author was really attached to certain imagery and background that didn’t quite fit realistically in the story, and the language was ultra-distractingly-flowery. 4 stars for the basic storyline!
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm trying to give longer and more detailed reviews more for my future self than anything. I got this book for christmas from my sister. She had given me one other book a few years back called Little, Big that I loved so I was optimistic going into this book. This was another great pick from her. It's especially relevant since recently at dinner with some relatives we were discussing family narratives and the power they hold whether it's the truth or not. This book also revolves around family narratives and uncovering the truth. The story is about Lucy who was struggling with the death of her father returns home after a decade and starts uncovering details about a previously unknown family member Rose and her daughter Iris. I loved the writing style of this book it was such a great mix of lovely nature descriptions, historical drama, mystery, self discovery, current life problems, and art. It made the book continue to be compelling throughout the novel. I was enraptured with the writing style. I loved how real the novel felt also with important conversations around nature conservation, women's suffrage movement, and indigenous rights. SPOILER The one thing that left me unsatisfied was Lucy's relationship journey. Her and Yoshi never felt compelling and it seemed like a flat relationship. Her and Keegan felt much more developed and passionate. I could truly root for them as a couple. It seemed the author made Lucy and Yoshi end up together because it felt like the adult thing to do to show Lucy has matured but instead it just left me feeling bored and uninspired by them as a couple. SPOILER. Overall I think its a lovely book that has given me a lot to think about. It might be a five star but for now my disappointment with Lucy's relationship journey has me knocking it down to 4.75 cause i'm petty.
Lucy Jarrett has traveled the world, never really settling in one place for too long. When she hears that her mother has had an accident, she decides it's time to go home to The Lake of Dreams for a visit. While there, she discovers a hidden cache of suffragette pamphlets hidden in an upstairs window seat. Within the stack of papers, she also finds a strange letter signed R. What begins as a little bit of genealogical searching to fill the time becomes the unearthing of a family secret that's been hidden for generations.
I really liked the idea of this book, but I felt a general disconnect with the main character. It happens.
I really liked the idea of this book, but I felt a general disconnect with the main character. It happens.