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lizal33's review against another edition
3.0
Very slight, and with somewhat unsympathetic characters, nevertheless a charming family story told with wit and a few really brilliant turns of phrase!
meghan111's review against another edition
3.0
Like a dollhouse or the Sims, this is about the members of a family, how they interact, their different foibles and character flaws, how they are all running on their individual obsessions and thought loops even when spending quality time together. It's a character study more than anything, with a wry, detached sense of humor and some sympathy for the emotional lives of ordinary people.
kaymarieplz's review against another edition
3.0
Im not even too sure what to think about this book.. I loved the writing style and I found the characters to be interesting most of the time. in the end though the book really is about nothing! just follwos the life of a family over time. I thought it ended entirely too aburptly. like the author got bored with their own thoughts. however the characters were developed well. I liked the daughter the most. just because she is exactly what I think most misguided youth are today. she just cares about clothes and being on Tv for most of the book and her idols are the reality tv idiots. by the end she finally grows up a little bit. thank God otherwise her character would have had zero redeeming qualities
alireadsandknits's review against another edition
2.0
Felt this ended rather suddenly. Once I found out this was based on a short story, that kind of made sense. Bought this for $1.99 so I can't complain :)
jflemingwickham's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Brilliant character descriptions. The pace is, to me, unbearably slow.
emilybohannan's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
courtthebookgirl's review against another edition
3.0
I honestly don't really know what I think about this book. I gave it three stars for the writing- I did really enjoy that- and once I got used to the "semi-omniscient" narrator that sounded like a movie voice-over in my head, I enjoyed it. The ending has left me feeling abandoned by the narrator, which makes me want to give the book two stars.
All in all, I am not sure about this one......
All in all, I am not sure about this one......
bethreadsandnaps's review against another edition
3.0
3.75 stars
Four generations of family under the same roof, this novel is full of unique and rich characters. As for plot, there is very little. As I've said before, I don't necessarily need plot in the novels I read, but I realize there are some that NEED plot.
The zany characters are more different than alike, each on a personal plight. It makes one think that if they only combined forces, they would be so more powerful, but alas they remain more or less fractured for the whole novel.
I suppose reading this novel is like watching Hoarders. You're fascinated about learning the "how" these people ended up so messed up, and on the other hand feel slightly better about yourself for not being quite as crazy as them.
There were two points that I take issue with:
1. The mother Jean was fairly with it, so I contend that, unlike in the novel, she would not confess to her affair (and the details) to her 9 year old son. I'm a flaky kind of mom, and I inadvertently say little things to my daughter that I probably shouldn't. But even as flaky as I am, I wouldn't talk about intimate details of my life with her.
2. The way the character Gordon is written is far less functional than he's portrayed. He can hold down a job with an assistant (details about his job are fuzzy though), but yet he's accused of being an obsessive stalker and is a walking (Asperger-y) Wikipedia. One wonders HOW he can keep a job and what precisely he does all day. I kind of liked the (possibly unintended?) homage to a character in Californication.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and would love to read more by this author.
Four generations of family under the same roof, this novel is full of unique and rich characters. As for plot, there is very little. As I've said before, I don't necessarily need plot in the novels I read, but I realize there are some that NEED plot.
The zany characters are more different than alike, each on a personal plight. It makes one think that if they only combined forces, they would be so more powerful, but alas they remain more or less fractured for the whole novel.
I suppose reading this novel is like watching Hoarders. You're fascinated about learning the "how" these people ended up so messed up, and on the other hand feel slightly better about yourself for not being quite as crazy as them.
There were two points that I take issue with:
1. The mother Jean was fairly with it, so I contend that, unlike in the novel, she would not confess to her affair (and the details) to her 9 year old son. I'm a flaky kind of mom, and I inadvertently say little things to my daughter that I probably shouldn't. But even as flaky as I am, I wouldn't talk about intimate details of my life with her.
2. The way the character Gordon is written is far less functional than he's portrayed. He can hold down a job with an assistant (details about his job are fuzzy though), but yet he's accused of being an obsessive stalker and is a walking (Asperger-y) Wikipedia. One wonders HOW he can keep a job and what precisely he does all day. I kind of liked the (possibly unintended?) homage to a character in Californication.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and would love to read more by this author.
mhall's review against another edition
3.0
Like a dollhouse or the Sims, this is about the members of a family, how they interact, their different foibles and character flaws, how they are all running on their individual obsessions and thought loops even when spending quality time together. It's a character study more than anything, with a wry, detached sense of humor and some sympathy for the emotional lives of ordinary people.