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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Time will tell if this book will stick in my memory or just fade away. It tells the story of a car accident committed by the main character where she kills three children after her husband divorces her for another woman. If we are supposed to hate the main character, then this book is on target. She decides to run away to Africa after being stalked a little and sleeps with the detective on the accident case. She has unlimited money and the book is constantly mentioning how pretty she is. All this comes after she traveled the world with her husband for over a decade. Am I supposed to feel sorry for her? So while she's in Africa she meets some interesting characters who are mostly white and terrible. I don't need a book full of happy people but it didn't strike a chord with me.
I struggled with this book until we were given some distance from the main character Pilgrim. Recently divorced, she is involved in a tragic accident. The beginning of the book is a relentless look back at her marriage dissolving and her move to Tanzania after the accident. I did not need to read about this much sadness. She is a very passive character, seemingly floating along on a raft of depression. She seemingly makes no decisions, rather just chooses Africa and then life ensued. I much preferred the last third of the book, told through other points of view. It was almost two different books and writing style and I much preferred the last part. I only made it through the slog at the beginning because it was a book club selection.
I think this was recommended as a response to a random FB request for "little-known treasures". I would not have picked this up otherwise. This is such a strange story that got kind of hard to follow at times. Definitely not a favorite of mine, but clearly it was a favorite of someone else who recommended it.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Excellent!
Pilgrim Jones is an American who has fled Switzerland after the breakup of her marriage and a horrific accident.
She comes to small-town Tanzania to escape. But once there, she encounters others also trying to escape. And the Swiss tragedy is not so easily forgotten or escaped from.
Well-written and compelling to me...
[My only complaint -- why is it titled "The Gloaming"? I don't think that helps the book find its potential readers...]
Pilgrim Jones is an American who has fled Switzerland after the breakup of her marriage and a horrific accident.
She comes to small-town Tanzania to escape. But once there, she encounters others also trying to escape. And the Swiss tragedy is not so easily forgotten or escaped from.
Well-written and compelling to me...
[My only complaint -- why is it titled "The Gloaming"? I don't think that helps the book find its potential readers...]
dark
mysterious
medium-paced