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jmelauren's review against another edition
For some reason I thought this was magical realism. Like the word dreams and unwittingly made me think the she "knew" them or saw it play out it in her head. That is not the case, it is very much real drama. My bad.
The reason I dnfed this book though is because there were just too many povs. My brain did not like it.
The reason I dnfed this book though is because there were just too many povs. My brain did not like it.
avigail's review against another edition
4.0
The Smell of Other People's Houses is a book that I have been interested in since I found out about it through BookTube in 2017. It is a delightful story, with solid life lessons delivered masterfully at the right moments. The book contains some perfect phrasings over which readers drool and writers labor.
She vividly evokes the lives of Alaskan natives in the 1970s. Her book, told from multiple viewpoints, all comes together tidily by the end; for some, that ending should be pretty satisfying. I did feel that the characters seemed much older than their physical ages, but I see how growing up in the environment they grow up in would make one come of age faster than a mid-American middle-class teen of that era.
Young adults reading it will relate to the intensity of emotion and the importance of friendship with your peers. Adults will relate to those life lessons learned from youthful mistakes and how important it is to forgive your family for being human and love them anyway.
In Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock's gorgeous debut novel, these characters' lives will become intertwined in ways they could never have predicted. They'll realize that people can save us in our time of need, even people we've never known before. They'll recognize that each of us has untapped reservoirs of courage that we can rely on when needed. They'll realize that sometimes the family we choose brings us more love than the family we're born into.
She vividly evokes the lives of Alaskan natives in the 1970s. Her book, told from multiple viewpoints, all comes together tidily by the end; for some, that ending should be pretty satisfying. I did feel that the characters seemed much older than their physical ages, but I see how growing up in the environment they grow up in would make one come of age faster than a mid-American middle-class teen of that era.
Young adults reading it will relate to the intensity of emotion and the importance of friendship with your peers. Adults will relate to those life lessons learned from youthful mistakes and how important it is to forgive your family for being human and love them anyway.
In Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock's gorgeous debut novel, these characters' lives will become intertwined in ways they could never have predicted. They'll realize that people can save us in our time of need, even people we've never known before. They'll recognize that each of us has untapped reservoirs of courage that we can rely on when needed. They'll realize that sometimes the family we choose brings us more love than the family we're born into.
baoluong's review against another edition
2.0
Through the device of carpooling, we get an insight of the cul-de-sac drama. Woooooo! Maybe there aren't enough stories about middle aged married couples. Certainly, I don't think we have stories revolving around raising children and them not being a ploy to land you a date. While I enjoyed the moments Frances struggle to maintain suburban life, I also kind of don't care. There's something about affairs, disagreements, and soccer games that induces a general lack of care.
Maybe this is about settling and finding yourself at a certain age not where you want to be. This dissonance causes the characters to argue and make decisions they later regret. I recommend this for people who want realism and are fascinated by small talk.
Maybe this is about settling and finding yourself at a certain age not where you want to be. This dissonance causes the characters to argue and make decisions they later regret. I recommend this for people who want realism and are fascinated by small talk.
mbenzz's review against another edition
3.0
This may be a case of "It's not you, it's me.", but I did not love this book. This is the first time I've read an Abbi Waxman book, and I can't say I'm super excited about picking up another one. Many of my reading buddies love her and swear by her though, so I'll probably give it one more shot.
This story was ok. Not a whole lot happens, and the ending doesn't really clear anything up. There's a bunch of characters that are only mentioned sporadically a handful of times, so whenever they popped up (along with their children...looooots of children to keep straight in this book), it was difficult to remember who they were and what their relation was to Frances (since she's the main character here and did most of the talking/thinking)
I thought the cheating storyline would be much more prominent, but it's kind of a side-story and not a very good one. Anne is a selfish bitch who has no REAL reason for completely uprooting her family's lives other than 'I was just so bored' and 'I have a mental problem'.
THAT pissed me off.
No, you do NOT have a mental problem, you're just another bored selfish housewife who was looking for some entertainment with a hot young piece, then had the audacity to turn into a sniveling mess when your husband felt betrayed and kicked you out. And Richard? The boyfriend? When he wasn't sleeping with Anne, he was crying. So. Much. CRYING.
The two other families (lesbians Iris and Sarah and married couple Bill and Judith) served hardly any purpose at all. Especially Bill and Judith (I think that's her name...she was mention so infrequently). You could remove them completely from the book, and absolutely nothing would change (aside from Charlie getting punched).
Overall, this was a ridiculously bland and forgettable read. I finished it about an hour ago and I'm already struggling to remember character names. By the end of the month, the only way I'll know that I have read this book is because it's marked in my Goodreads shelves as 'Read'.
This story was ok. Not a whole lot happens, and the ending doesn't really clear anything up. There's a bunch of characters that are only mentioned sporadically a handful of times, so whenever they popped up (along with their children...looooots of children to keep straight in this book), it was difficult to remember who they were and what their relation was to Frances (since she's the main character here and did most of the talking/thinking)
I thought the cheating storyline would be much more prominent, but it's kind of a side-story and not a very good one. Anne is a selfish bitch who has no REAL reason for completely uprooting her family's lives other than 'I was just so bored' and 'I have a mental problem'.
THAT pissed me off.
No, you do NOT have a mental problem, you're just another bored selfish housewife who was looking for some entertainment with a hot young piece, then had the audacity to turn into a sniveling mess when your husband felt betrayed and kicked you out. And Richard? The boyfriend? When he wasn't sleeping with Anne, he was crying. So. Much. CRYING.
The two other families (lesbians Iris and Sarah and married couple Bill and Judith) served hardly any purpose at all. Especially Bill and Judith (I think that's her name...she was mention so infrequently). You could remove them completely from the book, and absolutely nothing would change (aside from Charlie getting punched).
Overall, this was a ridiculously bland and forgettable read. I finished it about an hour ago and I'm already struggling to remember character names. By the end of the month, the only way I'll know that I have read this book is because it's marked in my Goodreads shelves as 'Read'.
salalamander's review against another edition
1.0
I was not into the suburban block drama and kept finding myself asking why I cared. Slow and slice of life. Nothing much happened till the end.
me25ris's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
masher52's review against another edition
4.0
A fun look into the little secrets that live behind your neighbors doors. This was a quick read but also kept you wanting to find out the next crazy thing that would happen in the neighborhood.
penguin555's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
slicciardi's review against another edition
4.0
This was filled with scandal and i loved it. Everything the author captured felt so real. The characters and their problems could have been their own tv show