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sparetimereader's review
3.75
Short synopsis: A story of mother daughter relationships told through the years, and the lengths taken to, or to not repeat a mothers mistakes.
My thoughts: Parts of this story were definitely hard to read. Charlotte’s alcohol addiction and the sometimes terrible mistakes she made because of her addiction. And Viva as she started walking the same path to addiction.
This is told over a number of years, and each character faced some immense growth through the story. I loved how Viva found a passion for dancing, and worked so hard to cultivate that passion.
I think ultimately even though it was difficult for her, charlotte really wanted to be a good mother. To provide a good life for her daughter. It really made me stop and take a look at my own relationship with my mom, and how I’m raising my children.
Read if you love:
- Mother Daughter relationships
- Story told through the years
- Dance and painting
- character growth
My thoughts: Parts of this story were definitely hard to read. Charlotte’s alcohol addiction and the sometimes terrible mistakes she made because of her addiction. And Viva as she started walking the same path to addiction.
This is told over a number of years, and each character faced some immense growth through the story. I loved how Viva found a passion for dancing, and worked so hard to cultivate that passion.
I think ultimately even though it was difficult for her, charlotte really wanted to be a good mother. To provide a good life for her daughter. It really made me stop and take a look at my own relationship with my mom, and how I’m raising my children.
Read if you love:
- Mother Daughter relationships
- Story told through the years
- Dance and painting
- character growth
novelvisits's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to @ZibbyBooks for both an ALC and ARC of #Burst.
iridium_oak_trees's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A beautiful journey through years and the layered relationships of mother and daughter, love and reality, and the world of dance.
shafikma's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
lizalovereads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a slice of life lit fic focused on a complicated mother-daughter relationship. It shows how generational cycles can repeat and is a quick read. It’s not super revolutionary but I always love lit fic about mother-daughter relationships. It was well written and enjoyable! A quiet character study.
melannrosenthal's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
meghan_readsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
A debut novel filled with lyrical writing, powerful themes on mother/daughter bonds, and the complexity of love and family. This is a perfect book club selection with many themes to explore! Thank you Zibby books for the ebook copy of Burst by Mary Otis
I applaud Mary Otis for so effectively creating characters that feel real, Charlotte and Viva are memorable, and for bravely asking readers to examine how loving relationships might not always be right or what we need, and that sometimes our passions and dreams and drive are tinged with elements of self-destruction and pain. The writing and character driven story drew me in and I was rewarded as a reader with an impactful read that I will think about for a long time.
Recommended for: fans of White Oleander, YaYA Sisterhood, and similar reads
I applaud Mary Otis for so effectively creating characters that feel real, Charlotte and Viva are memorable, and for bravely asking readers to examine how loving relationships might not always be right or what we need, and that sometimes our passions and dreams and drive are tinged with elements of self-destruction and pain. The writing and character driven story drew me in and I was rewarded as a reader with an impactful read that I will think about for a long time.
Recommended for: fans of White Oleander, YaYA Sisterhood, and similar reads
amysbrittain's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars for me.
Mary Otis's debut novel explores the complicated mother-daughter relationship between alcoholic, erratic Charlotte and rigid, dance-focused Viva.
Mary Otis's debut novel Burst explores a fraught mother-daughter relationship. Burst is told from both Viva and Charlotte's points of view, and Otis manages to nail each.
Viva and Charlotte have always been a team. Young Viva overlooks and covers for her mom Charlotte's drinking, while Charlotte drags them from town to town as she takes advantage of people to get by. They move on when Charlotte has burned bridges again.
Viva sees Charlotte as self-obsessed and unreliable, while Charlotte imagines herself an artsy, nonconformist tough lady who was pregnant too young and has done a bang-up job.
As Viva gets older, she immerses herself in dance and distances herself from her mother.
Viva writes in a college admissions essay--which Charlotte secretly reads, and resents--that Charlotte's drinking and flakiness were always something for Viva to push against. As a reaction to her mother she shapes her life as the opposite of Charlotte's influences. Viva dances and thrives in the rigid, exacting, unforgiving yet artistically expressive environment, she largely eschews drinking, and she takes the jobs she must in order to sustain her dancing lessons and art-focused lifestyle.
When an unexpected event makes Viva vulnerable to thwarted dreams and pain, echoing her mother's disappointment from her younger years, she begins to make choices that further echo her mother's path.
Meanwhile, Charlotte feels like she's losing her grip on reality and begins acting more erratically than ever. The two women clash, resisting their reliance on each other as they become more deeply intertwined.
It's sometimes difficult for me to read about people making unhealthy or unhelpful choices for themselves, so I spent a lot of time bracing myself for the next blow while listening to this book. Yet Otis offers realistic hope in the end without neatly wrapping up her story with a bow, and she kept my interest throughout the ups and downs of the novel.
I received a prepublication audiobook edition of this book courtesy of Libro.fm and Zibby Books.
To see my full review on The Bossy Bookworm, or to find out about Bossy reviews and Greedy Reading Lists as soon as they're posted, please see Burst.
Find hundreds of reviews and lots of roundups of my favorite books on the blog: Bossy Bookworm
Follow me on Instagram! @bossybookwormblog
Or Facebook! The Bossy Bookworm
Mary Otis's debut novel explores the complicated mother-daughter relationship between alcoholic, erratic Charlotte and rigid, dance-focused Viva.
Mary Otis's debut novel Burst explores a fraught mother-daughter relationship. Burst is told from both Viva and Charlotte's points of view, and Otis manages to nail each.
Viva and Charlotte have always been a team. Young Viva overlooks and covers for her mom Charlotte's drinking, while Charlotte drags them from town to town as she takes advantage of people to get by. They move on when Charlotte has burned bridges again.
Viva sees Charlotte as self-obsessed and unreliable, while Charlotte imagines herself an artsy, nonconformist tough lady who was pregnant too young and has done a bang-up job.
As Viva gets older, she immerses herself in dance and distances herself from her mother.
Viva writes in a college admissions essay--which Charlotte secretly reads, and resents--that Charlotte's drinking and flakiness were always something for Viva to push against. As a reaction to her mother she shapes her life as the opposite of Charlotte's influences. Viva dances and thrives in the rigid, exacting, unforgiving yet artistically expressive environment, she largely eschews drinking, and she takes the jobs she must in order to sustain her dancing lessons and art-focused lifestyle.
When an unexpected event makes Viva vulnerable to thwarted dreams and pain, echoing her mother's disappointment from her younger years, she begins to make choices that further echo her mother's path.
Meanwhile, Charlotte feels like she's losing her grip on reality and begins acting more erratically than ever. The two women clash, resisting their reliance on each other as they become more deeply intertwined.
It's sometimes difficult for me to read about people making unhealthy or unhelpful choices for themselves, so I spent a lot of time bracing myself for the next blow while listening to this book. Yet Otis offers realistic hope in the end without neatly wrapping up her story with a bow, and she kept my interest throughout the ups and downs of the novel.
I received a prepublication audiobook edition of this book courtesy of Libro.fm and Zibby Books.
To see my full review on The Bossy Bookworm, or to find out about Bossy reviews and Greedy Reading Lists as soon as they're posted, please see Burst.
Find hundreds of reviews and lots of roundups of my favorite books on the blog: Bossy Bookworm
Follow me on Instagram! @bossybookwormblog
Or Facebook! The Bossy Bookworm
danidsfavereads's review against another edition
4.0
This was a lovely story about family and dreams.
I liked seeing the interaction between Charlotte and Viva. Their mother/daughter relationship was challenging and complex.
It was interesting to see Viva strive towards her goals and have a hard time recalibrating after an accident.
(3.5)
I liked seeing the interaction between Charlotte and Viva. Their mother/daughter relationship was challenging and complex.
It was interesting to see Viva strive towards her goals and have a hard time recalibrating after an accident.
(3.5)