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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Sweet and well developed but timeline jumps around confusingly and unnecessarily and man is this book LONG. Could be 40-50% shorter and have the same effect.
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
emotional
reflective
fast-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
3.5 stars. I liked it ok, but wasn't totally hooked. It was nice to see a family with problems that worked them out. Marriage and sisterhood are things that need to be worked on, and that was my favorite aspect of this story.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is literary fiction at it's finest. Both everything and nothing happens - but that's not important. What is important is the slow, reflexive exploration of the characters, their histories and presents and futures. It was a slow book, and at times I felt it could have hurried up a bit. However, it's difficult to know what could have been cut! And I would have read it had it been longer still, particularly if we had gotten to know Grace a little bit more; her story felt a bit stunted compared to the others. I will say that I still don't entirely get the Wendy/Violet beef - yes, Violet could be horrifically self-absorbed, but I don't think she was necessarily malicious? I also did get a bit tired of all the girls trying to say that they'd had a rough life because their parents loved each other too much! However overall this was a great read. Would definitely recommend to fans of Anne Tyler.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
It was an enjoyable enough read but it was not exactly my cup of tea. Lot of character switching that was actually a bit confusing in the beginning (may have been less so if I was physically reading it). If you’re into interpersonal dynamics, could be the book for you
challenging
sad
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