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katievgood's review against another edition
1.0
This book was one of the most boring books I have read to date. I am happy to be done with it. I had a difficult time becoming invested in any of the characters lives.
telepathyjmin's review against another edition
Maybe i'm just not the target audience for this, but I could not get into this book. Pacing is so slow and I didn't care for any of the characters thus far.
lisawhelpley's review against another edition
4.0
I picked up this book at a library event book swap. When i started reading it I didn't think I'd finish, simply because I don't ever read historical fiction. Well, I finished this one and I really enjoyed it. It's a fairly quiet book, as the title suggests, allowing you to watch Margaret go through her life, most of the time married to a narcissistic (at best) husband.
cseibs's review against another edition
2.0
The problem with writing a book about a woman who does nothing, who only lets things happen to her, is that the reader is left just as bored as the character. I was gratified by the last page, but otherwise I was left wanting. I understand the statement Smiley was trying to make and I appreciate the perspective, I just don't think in makes for a good read.
derbylea's review against another edition
2.0
Not for me
I had the worst time reading this. Definitely not the book for me. The plot was a bit odd and I found the ending anticlimactic.
I had the worst time reading this. Definitely not the book for me. The plot was a bit odd and I found the ending anticlimactic.
susie_books2brl's review against another edition
2.0
Not Smiley's best in my opinion. It moved slowly. Some of the characters were somewhat interesting but many were not interesting or not fully developed enough to be interesting. I felt some sympathy for Margaret, the main character, but I didn't really like her very much.
I've read several of her other books that I enjoyed enormously, but this wasn't one of them, since I paid money for it, I felt compelled to finish it.
I agree with Brenda c's statement about it being a cautionary tale about marriage and social conviction and .... And I might even recommend it to otheres for that reason. But I found it rather dull and slow and I did not enjoy reading it.
I've read several of her other books that I enjoyed enormously, but this wasn't one of them, since I paid money for it, I felt compelled to finish it.
I agree with Brenda c's statement about it being a cautionary tale about marriage and social conviction and .... And I might even recommend it to otheres for that reason. But I found it rather dull and slow and I did not enjoy reading it.
ewg109's review against another edition
Jane Smiley is a gifted writer and her books are quiet explorations of her character's souls. But I just couldn't get into this one. It was too quiet and my life is a bit too noisy right now.
julesanne's review against another edition
3.0
I debated if I would rate this book at a 2 star or 3 star--rather depressing prospective of life and marriage, but a nicely developed characters. This is a book that will be interesting to see how I view it in 3 months and 6 months. It may age very well--so I gave it 3 stars.
beckydham's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this more as it went along, but it had a sort of dreamy wandering to it that frustrated me. Maybe that was the point, actually.