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amaezinggeorge's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
Moderate: Car accident, Death, and Infidelity
cscharfway's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.0
A reflective deep dive into the entire life story of an awkward former librarian. It’s an interesting depiction of the breakup of his marriage, his relationship with his only friend (and the man who stole his wife), his experience running away from home as a child, and his present day interest in volunteering at a local retirement home. It’s a bit slow, the dialogue is as awkward as the character, and it was hard to relate to what was going on. But, the description was thorough, the chapters were short, and the character was eccentric in a way that made you want to find out what would happen to him. It wasn’t my favourite but I don’t regret reading it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity and Dementia
abbyslittelife's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
absolutely adored the dialogue, the way the character spoke, was so humorous, and also felt real. I didn’t love some of the back story that we got; some of the flashbacks felt like they were their own stories that should’ve been their own book entirely. I also was left, wanting more from the current timeline. but was overall very enjoyable :) reminded me the shortness of life and had me thinking about aging a lot
Content Warnings
Minor: Infidelity
navayiota's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An absolutely delightful read. I enjoyed listening to it, and often was excited to get back to it. The writing felt so sophisticated and well edited. Every sentence seemed quote-worthy. The emotion evoked from the storylines -the heartbreak, the grief- was heavy. I feel that the author perfectly distilled the feelings of being abandoned by someone who leaves a hole in your life so vast that they are all you can think about. highly, highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War, Cancer, Alcohol, Sexual content, Medical content, Pedophilia, and Suicide
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
the first part of this, i absolutely loved. i loved his interactions with the members of the senior center, trying to figure out what to do with his time since being retired, etc.
but what in the world was the whole rest of the book??? a good portion of the synopsis of the plot centered around the current events of his life, but that was barely apart of the actual book. the rest was incredibly out of left field and just too whimsical and pointless for me. i cannot believe i got through this book. the characters were very flat and underwhelming and there never seemed to be an established plot. this was incredibly disappointing.
but what in the world was the whole rest of the book??? a good portion of the synopsis of the plot centered around the current events of his life, but that was barely apart of the actual book. the rest was incredibly out of left field and just too whimsical and pointless for me. i cannot believe i got through this book. the characters were very flat and underwhelming and there never seemed to be an established plot. this was incredibly disappointing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Death, Infidelity, Medical content, Sexual content, Grief, and Toxic friendship
louisekf's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Dementia, and Death
jodar's review
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The novel is a bit all over the place, from melancholy and sorrow to romantic love and humorous fun and silliness. And I think that is the point: this is a life as really lived, with its exciting, boring, heartwarming and emotionally distant times.
The MC is unusual as a protagonist in being highly introverted and, for much of his life, more or less happily self-sufficient. It is the characters around him that bring most of the light and colour to the story. The novel does seem to drag for quite some time during periods of the MC’c life; however, that becomes an understandable contrast to other times in his life when he moves beyond a largely solitary existence. What I found satisfying is the MC’s character remains consistent and believable, even after he reaches out to others – both as a child and late in life. And he is open to life experiences and kindly to others whose personalities and attitudes differ widely from his own. He has his own internal strengths and isn’t a ‘victim’ when life events are harsh towards him.
One aspect I found lacking was more detail about his experiences when he was a librarian. We read that in later life he looked back at his work with pride:
The MC is unusual as a protagonist in being highly introverted and, for much of his life, more or less happily self-sufficient. It is the characters around him that bring most of the light and colour to the story. The novel does seem to drag for quite some time during periods of the MC’c life; however, that becomes an understandable contrast to other times in his life when he moves beyond a largely solitary existence. What I found satisfying is the MC’s character remains consistent and believable, even after he reaches out to others – both as a child and late in life. And he is open to life experiences and kindly to others whose personalities and attitudes differ widely from his own. He has his own internal strengths and isn’t a ‘victim’ when life events are harsh towards him.
One aspect I found lacking was more detail about his experiences when he was a librarian. We read that in later life he looked back at his work with pride:
Now he understood how lucky he had been to have inhabited his position [of librarian]. Across the span of nearly fifty years he had done a service to his community and also been a part of it… (Part 4, “2006”)
Also missing is exactly how his internal world of reading impinged on his internal and external existence, given how important it was to him:
Bob was quiet within the structure of himself, walled in by books and the stories of the lives of others. It sounded sad whenever he considered it, but actually he was happy, happier than most, so far as he could tell.… his reading … was a living thing, always moving, eluding, growing, and he knew it could not end, that it was never meant to end. (Part 1, “2005–2006”)
Somehow for me while it is not a perfect novel, by the end it had pleasantly surprised me by its emotional complexity and it is one I may well reread again one day.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Infidelity
Minor: Death of parent and Violence
thedocument's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity and Dementia
citybookspgh's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
False advertising. The MC is a Librarian but that has nothing to do with the plot of the story. Poorly plotted. Missed opportunities. Overrated. Disappointing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Dementia, Death, and Infidelity
leanniefae's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I received an audio arc through Netgalley. This was my first audiobook arc, thanks, publisher and netgalley.
I don't read a lot of fiction like this. So here's a link to a review that explains my feelings perfectly :
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/f637ef62-0491-413b-8cde-c6d487df08cb
I don't read a lot of fiction like this. So here's a link to a review that explains my feelings perfectly :
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/f637ef62-0491-413b-8cde-c6d487df08cb
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Car accident, Death of parent, Dementia, Grief, Mental illness, and Toxic friendship
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