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labajas5280's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kdurham2's review
2.0
Quite the depressing read, that took quite a few pages, or a lot, to get to the heart of the story. There were days upon days of our main character Rose complaining about life and her family and I just didn't see the book going anywhere at all. There was little set up for the town before the smog rolled in and would have liked more of an emphasis on how this city was going to be impacted by the disaster.
I was intrigued that this book was going to be centered around a disaster that affects the town, but it took way to long for the disaster to happen. The build up of the Rose's personal turmoil overshadowed the main star that I believed to be was the smog and the affect of it on this town.
The ending brought closure, but it took too much to get to the heart of the story. I appreciated where the story ended.
I was intrigued that this book was going to be centered around a disaster that affects the town, but it took way to long for the disaster to happen. The build up of the Rose's personal turmoil overshadowed the main star that I believed to be was the smog and the affect of it on this town.
The ending brought closure, but it took too much to get to the heart of the story. I appreciated where the story ended.
wisbeth's review
5.0
When I was first approached to review this book, I had never heard of the "killing smog" of Donora. I love learning about historical events so I knew this was probably going to be a very interesting book for me. Before I even received the book in the mail, I was looking up Donora and the horrible smog that enveloped the town. It's both shocking and interesting. Once I received the book and started reading, I was hooked!
After the Fog tells the story of Rose and her family. Rose was raised in an orphanage and has struggled to get to where she is today. She has a husband and two teenage children and she is the community nurse. She juggles being a homemaker while serving the community as the townspeople. In the meantime, the killing smog of 1948 is covering the town making people sick without them even realizing what is happening to them. As Rose tends to the townspeople while trying to secure funding for the Community Nursing Program, her past comes back to haunt her. Rose is challenged in ways she never imagined.
I found Rose to be an amazingly strong woman even though I found her difficult to like at times. At times I found her cold. Other times I felt sorry for her. I did find myself hoping all would turn out well for Rose and her family. I found myself reading After the Fog into the wee hours hours of the morning, just to find out how Rose's story would end.
While reading this book, you can tell that Kathleen Shoop has done much research on Donora and it's killing smog. My hats off to her for writing a great story set in such a horrible, historical event. It made for a great setting for the story. I felt as though I had gone back in time and was walking the smoggy streets of Donora alongside Rose. I got an eerie feeling reading the book which is how I imagined the people of Donora felt at the time. The author nailed the setting perfectly!
I really enjoyed this book and think it would make for a great and interesting book club selection. I have not yet read Kathleen's debt novel, The Last Letter but it is going on my wish list. She is an author I will be keeping an eye on in the future.
After the Fog tells the story of Rose and her family. Rose was raised in an orphanage and has struggled to get to where she is today. She has a husband and two teenage children and she is the community nurse. She juggles being a homemaker while serving the community as the townspeople. In the meantime, the killing smog of 1948 is covering the town making people sick without them even realizing what is happening to them. As Rose tends to the townspeople while trying to secure funding for the Community Nursing Program, her past comes back to haunt her. Rose is challenged in ways she never imagined.
I found Rose to be an amazingly strong woman even though I found her difficult to like at times. At times I found her cold. Other times I felt sorry for her. I did find myself hoping all would turn out well for Rose and her family. I found myself reading After the Fog into the wee hours hours of the morning, just to find out how Rose's story would end.
While reading this book, you can tell that Kathleen Shoop has done much research on Donora and it's killing smog. My hats off to her for writing a great story set in such a horrible, historical event. It made for a great setting for the story. I felt as though I had gone back in time and was walking the smoggy streets of Donora alongside Rose. I got an eerie feeling reading the book which is how I imagined the people of Donora felt at the time. The author nailed the setting perfectly!
I really enjoyed this book and think it would make for a great and interesting book club selection. I have not yet read Kathleen's debt novel, The Last Letter but it is going on my wish list. She is an author I will be keeping an eye on in the future.
interrupting_quack_duck's review
1.0
DNF got about 50% of the way, and still didn’t have much idea of what was going on as it seemed to be a jumble of details without much connection.
faithfulgirl4's review
3.0
Every May 6 is National Nurse's Day (Teacher's Day too!) with the following week celebrating these two great professions (of which I'm a part of both!). [a:Kathleen Shoop|4787101|Kathleen Shoop|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-F-50x66.jpg] has written her sophomore novel about Rose Pavlesic, a community health nurse working in Donora, Pennsylvania in the 1940's. The steel mills are what keeps Donora running and, due to the economy, Rose wonders what will keep her running monetarily. There is so much more work to do than there are medical professionals who can care for the citizens of Donora. When a new mill Superintendent moves to town, many changes begin to take place. Could he and his wife possibly fund the clinic that Rose has dreamed of all these years?
I must admit, I had a bit of difficulty getting into this story but once I did, it became hard to put it down. I found this to be a very enjoyable book but I want to explain why I gave it the rating that I did. First of all, historical fiction is my favorite genre of books to read. Ms. Shoop kept true to the historical accuracy of the 1940's. I did take some offense at the strong language and suggestive scenes (a couple of them became borderline erotic). I guess that took me a bit by surprise and has caused a slightly lower rating from me than I would have otherwise given.
Rose's character is very dynamic. She is a true Type A personality nurse. She puts her clients first and foremost, but at the expense of her family. How many of us in the field have done this to ourselves and our families? Nursing professionals truly do have a calling to do what they love but often times we fail to care for ourselves, thus finding it necessary to become a patient. I love how Ms. Shoop "got this" and was able to incorporate it into Rose's character.
I do recommend this book with warnings and reservations as previously mentioned. The story is incredible if you are able to look beyond the language (which I can) and the intense scenes (this was a bit much for me). I would like to encourage you to read the guest post by Ms. Shoop about her book and the Donora Fog. You may find that post here.
If you've read this book, what did you think?
Many thanks to Kim Cecere and Kathleen Shoop for providing this book for review.
I must admit, I had a bit of difficulty getting into this story but once I did, it became hard to put it down. I found this to be a very enjoyable book but I want to explain why I gave it the rating that I did. First of all, historical fiction is my favorite genre of books to read. Ms. Shoop kept true to the historical accuracy of the 1940's. I did take some offense at the strong language and suggestive scenes (a couple of them became borderline erotic). I guess that took me a bit by surprise and has caused a slightly lower rating from me than I would have otherwise given.
Rose's character is very dynamic. She is a true Type A personality nurse. She puts her clients first and foremost, but at the expense of her family. How many of us in the field have done this to ourselves and our families? Nursing professionals truly do have a calling to do what they love but often times we fail to care for ourselves, thus finding it necessary to become a patient. I love how Ms. Shoop "got this" and was able to incorporate it into Rose's character.
I do recommend this book with warnings and reservations as previously mentioned. The story is incredible if you are able to look beyond the language (which I can) and the intense scenes (this was a bit much for me). I would like to encourage you to read the guest post by Ms. Shoop about her book and the Donora Fog. You may find that post here.
If you've read this book, what did you think?
Many thanks to Kim Cecere and Kathleen Shoop for providing this book for review.
booksuperpower's review
4.0
After the Fog by Kathleen Shoop is a 2012 publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Based on real events that took place in 1948 Pennsylvania concerning the “Killing Smog” the story tells the story of Rose, an independent nurse with a slight penchant for nipping vodka here and there. She is determined her children will have life other than the one most in the town of Donora live, which is work at the mill. But, Rose's husband and extended family is unaware of Rose's closely guarded secrets. All of that will change when the gas from the mill lies stagnant over the town.
Going in I knew this book was not a romance or mystery in the usual sense and that it was stark and depicted a harsh life and living conditions. I have read several of Kathleen's books and at first, I will admit, I didn't really know quite how to take her stories. But, after read a couple of her romances I began to really appreciate her style and grew to admire her courage as an author. She is not afraid to tackle the darker sides of life which is realistic and emotional and raw. And boy does it ever pack a powerful punch.
The only complaint I had with this book was it had a few mistakes in it , they were minor, but it did affect the rating only because I know others have and will bring it up and it should be noted. However, this book is the best one I have read so far from this author. Yes, Rose is a very difficult to understand character, especially in the beginning. However, the more I learned about her past, the more I understood her and felt sympathy for her plight. I know people who are sort of like Rose. She never slowed down, not ever. It was perhaps too painful to stop and contemplate very painful matters or deal with family issues in depth. It was easier to focus on her duties and rules. But, when the funding for her job is in jeopardy, her daughter makes a startling announcement, or two, and her son informs her of his new career plans, plus her marriage begins to show some cracks when she learns her husband, Henry has been less than honest with her by keeping secrets ,Rose begins to turn to alcohol more and more often. If that weren't bad enough the smog rolls in and Rose finds herself face to face with a part of her past she has never been able to deal with and is at the root of all that troubles her soul. One bad thing after another follows like a domino effect until Rose is absolutely broken.
It's at this point that Rose pulls herself up and takes a good hard look at herself and doesn't at all like what she sees. But, is it too late? Has she lost everything?
Well, it's not too often that I end up doing the ugly cry , but this one really got to me. But, not for the reasons you might think. I actually saw hope and inspiration in this story. Life was hard for the people of this town even in the best of times. To have something like this happen was devastating and there were many deaths. It was sad. Rose's life was particularly difficult and while she never meant to come away as being rough around the edges, she was simply dealing with life the only way she new how to. If you have children, then you know you want them to have a better life. Rose wanted that too. She was very disappointed at the direction their lives were taking, and then the behavior of her husband leaves her feeling even more fragile. But, in the end things look much, much brighter. Things will be different from the way Rose thought they should be, but things are going to be much better for everyone without all the baggage and lies and secrets. Rose will know she is loved, respected and that despite some of her terse character flaws, she has set a good example for her children to follow. The bonds of family are like no other and this book shows that although we may go through crisis and we may not always get along or see eye to eye, our family is there for us through good and bad and will forgive us our for our flaws and mistakes like no one else will or can. So I think this story was ultimately uplifting and satisfying.
I really liked this book and I am learning to appreciate this author's voice more and more. This one is 4.5 stars.
Based on real events that took place in 1948 Pennsylvania concerning the “Killing Smog” the story tells the story of Rose, an independent nurse with a slight penchant for nipping vodka here and there. She is determined her children will have life other than the one most in the town of Donora live, which is work at the mill. But, Rose's husband and extended family is unaware of Rose's closely guarded secrets. All of that will change when the gas from the mill lies stagnant over the town.
Going in I knew this book was not a romance or mystery in the usual sense and that it was stark and depicted a harsh life and living conditions. I have read several of Kathleen's books and at first, I will admit, I didn't really know quite how to take her stories. But, after read a couple of her romances I began to really appreciate her style and grew to admire her courage as an author. She is not afraid to tackle the darker sides of life which is realistic and emotional and raw. And boy does it ever pack a powerful punch.
The only complaint I had with this book was it had a few mistakes in it , they were minor, but it did affect the rating only because I know others have and will bring it up and it should be noted. However, this book is the best one I have read so far from this author. Yes, Rose is a very difficult to understand character, especially in the beginning. However, the more I learned about her past, the more I understood her and felt sympathy for her plight. I know people who are sort of like Rose. She never slowed down, not ever. It was perhaps too painful to stop and contemplate very painful matters or deal with family issues in depth. It was easier to focus on her duties and rules. But, when the funding for her job is in jeopardy, her daughter makes a startling announcement, or two, and her son informs her of his new career plans, plus her marriage begins to show some cracks when she learns her husband, Henry has been less than honest with her by keeping secrets ,Rose begins to turn to alcohol more and more often. If that weren't bad enough the smog rolls in and Rose finds herself face to face with a part of her past she has never been able to deal with and is at the root of all that troubles her soul. One bad thing after another follows like a domino effect until Rose is absolutely broken.
It's at this point that Rose pulls herself up and takes a good hard look at herself and doesn't at all like what she sees. But, is it too late? Has she lost everything?
Well, it's not too often that I end up doing the ugly cry , but this one really got to me. But, not for the reasons you might think. I actually saw hope and inspiration in this story. Life was hard for the people of this town even in the best of times. To have something like this happen was devastating and there were many deaths. It was sad. Rose's life was particularly difficult and while she never meant to come away as being rough around the edges, she was simply dealing with life the only way she new how to. If you have children, then you know you want them to have a better life. Rose wanted that too. She was very disappointed at the direction their lives were taking, and then the behavior of her husband leaves her feeling even more fragile. But, in the end things look much, much brighter. Things will be different from the way Rose thought they should be, but things are going to be much better for everyone without all the baggage and lies and secrets. Rose will know she is loved, respected and that despite some of her terse character flaws, she has set a good example for her children to follow. The bonds of family are like no other and this book shows that although we may go through crisis and we may not always get along or see eye to eye, our family is there for us through good and bad and will forgive us our for our flaws and mistakes like no one else will or can. So I think this story was ultimately uplifting and satisfying.
I really liked this book and I am learning to appreciate this author's voice more and more. This one is 4.5 stars.
mamaj2016's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia and Sexual content
lisa_serenitynow's review
3.0
Enjoyed the setting in 1948 Pennsylvania, but I would have liked to know more about the fog. After googling more info about it, the story was more interesting.
The main character is realistic and compelling, but the many dramas happening within one week was distracting. Overall, though, a good read.
The main character is realistic and compelling, but the many dramas happening within one week was distracting. Overall, though, a good read.
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