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meditatinghoneybadger's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely a "chick book." It's not a literary masterpiece, but it is well written with compelling characters and a story that keeps you turning the page.
tuff517's review against another edition
3.0
A good story about a secretly dysfunctional family, whose secret is actually from the family itself. Told from the viewpoint of the eldest daughter, it's a nicely woven story of guilt and sadness.
rdubbaneh's review against another edition
5.0
One of those books that sticks with you months after reading.
deniset's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
engelkat's review against another edition
3.0
Laura looks back on her childhood and tries to see if what she remembers is actually what happened. Did what her sister says happened to her happen to her?
akuhlma03's review against another edition
5.0
This was an excellent book about a family in which one of the siblings encounters a different experience than the other two siblings in the family.
m_lane_reads's review against another edition
4.0
At first the story seemed to drag as the narrator wove between past and present but as I kept reading the pace and weaving of this novel about healing seemed apt. As secrets unfolded the story drew me in. The characters were authentic, and I appreciate the use of the narrator's skill for quilting as a backdrop to this idea of "mending" for this family.
jeanetterenee's review against another edition
3.0
Elizabeth Berg is always good for a quick, easy read with some thoughtful observations about ordinary life and relationships.
This is not one of her best, but I still enjoyed it. Her other books have more joy and caring in among the sorrow and emotional exploration. This one was a little more angry. The only truly beautiful, caring, forgiving character in the book is Laura's husband Pete.
The book does have value in that it shows how we can grow up in the same household with our siblings and yet experience totally different childhoods. I think with the way Berg ended the story, she made the point that sometimes just letting someone tell their story and be believed is a gateway to healing relationships and lives.
This is not one of her best, but I still enjoyed it. Her other books have more joy and caring in among the sorrow and emotional exploration. This one was a little more angry. The only truly beautiful, caring, forgiving character in the book is Laura's husband Pete.
The book does have value in that it shows how we can grow up in the same household with our siblings and yet experience totally different childhoods. I think with the way Berg ended the story, she made the point that sometimes just letting someone tell their story and be believed is a gateway to healing relationships and lives.
logophile's review against another edition
2.0
At a family reunion, quilt-maker Laura Bartone discovers a horrible family secret from her odd and difficult younger sister Caroline. Although this novel had moments of emotional resonance, there were far too many moments that felt like simply padding, arbitrary and irrelevant to the story. For instance, the details about a dog quilt that Laura is making for a client who is not even named or seen in the novel seemed entirely superfluous, as did the discussion about the hypochondria of a friend's partner who similarly never makes an appearance. Some offhand observations, such as how Laura's fabric collection, like a hardware store, is satisfying in its completeness, "because everything is there," would have been nicer if they had more relevance to the story.
Although some of Laura's relationships were lifelike and realistic, the pastiche of Laura's life never meshed into an organic whole. Laura seems to be on the one hand a good person, a good wife and mother, leading an idyllic life, and on the other a seriously flawed and emotionally inadequate sister. How did she get from point A to point B? This story from sister Caroline's point of view would have made a much more interesting novel.
Most annoying to me were old-fashioned, sexist assumptions about men's and women's natures and gender roles, which turned everyone into a caricature: men who can't talk about their emotions, the really good woman friend who you can share everything with, the ebullient and effusive gay man who runs the fabric store and is going on vacation to—where else?—San Francisco. It's almost as if Elizabeth Berg only had the time or resources to flesh out the relationships central to the plot and everyone else was just a stand-in. Such cheap stereotypes kept me from becoming involved in what was a plot that should have struck very close to home.
Although some of Laura's relationships were lifelike and realistic, the pastiche of Laura's life never meshed into an organic whole. Laura seems to be on the one hand a good person, a good wife and mother, leading an idyllic life, and on the other a seriously flawed and emotionally inadequate sister. How did she get from point A to point B? This story from sister Caroline's point of view would have made a much more interesting novel.
Most annoying to me were old-fashioned, sexist assumptions about men's and women's natures and gender roles, which turned everyone into a caricature: men who can't talk about their emotions, the really good woman friend who you can share everything with, the ebullient and effusive gay man who runs the fabric store and is going on vacation to—where else?—San Francisco. It's almost as if Elizabeth Berg only had the time or resources to flesh out the relationships central to the plot and everyone else was just a stand-in. Such cheap stereotypes kept me from becoming involved in what was a plot that should have struck very close to home.