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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
I'd give it 3 and 1/2 I suppose. It was fairly fluffy but I did find myself getting a bit interested in all of their lives though never very invested. The story lines did feel like they were overreaching as the author tried to jam everything that could ever happen ever to middle class white women in spanning the 1960's to the 1990's including divorce, spousal abuse, adoption, abandonment, lies, affairs, single parenting, being widowed, having gay children, cancer, spirituality, activism, Vietnam, and more that I'm forgetting I'm sure. (Talk about overreaching! That sentence was ridiculous.)
An interesting glimpse into what life was like as a parent in the 1970s and 1980s… it was also fascinating to me to see what long-term friendships actually looked like. These women were friends (and neighbors) for over 30 years!! I love that the book club brought them together, and remained an anchor for all of them as their lives took different twists and turns. The only reason I didn’t give this five stars is because it started to feel a little long and slow right after the halfway point… I wanted it to speed up or get exciting, but I guess that wasn’t the point of this story.
Loved this book! I have never even heard of Lorna Landvik but after reading this wonderful book, I'm going to look up some of her others. This was a beautiful story of friendship, family, love and experiences which all become intertwined over a life time. Great book!
I didn't immediately bond with these women but slowly found them feeling like friends. This isn't an overly sappy book and I liked that.
Great book and an interesting read. Took me forever to read but that was only because life was busy...great chick lit!
This book wasn't for me. I just felt that nothing happened and while I get that it showed how the roles of women changed through a pivotal time in our history, it was hard for me to relate to any of them. All five women had aspects which made them unlikeable and it was hard to root for any of them.
However, my biggest pet peeve with this book was the formatting. Some chapters were written in third person, others in first person. Each chapter was from a different perspective, which is fine, but there was literally no rhyme or reason to why the format changed throughout. It was distracting and took me away from the book.
This was just too long for nothing to really happen. My book club read it and some really enjoyed it, so clearly this was just me.
However, my biggest pet peeve with this book was the formatting. Some chapters were written in third person, others in first person. Each chapter was from a different perspective, which is fine, but there was literally no rhyme or reason to why the format changed throughout. It was distracting and took me away from the book.
This was just too long for nothing to really happen. My book club read it and some really enjoyed it, so clearly this was just me.
meh. i had read Landvik's "house of curl" when i was much younger and enjoyed it but this not so much.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book might be my favorite book of all time. I love all of LL's novels, but I have actually read AHEB at least 15 times. It is my go to book. The characters have depth and complexity, the stories weave together without feeling contrived, the ebb and flow of the story is just... perfect! I adore how LL tackles difficult issues without everyone involved reacting perfectly. Also, the setting and characters are so true to Minnesotan that this could very well be nonfiction. Seriously, I give this book a million stars.
