Reviews

Booth by Karen Joy Fowler

ebbalinnaea's review against another edition

emotional informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

chloejoy's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

itsbrittneyb's review against another edition

2.0

This was…not my favorite. The beginning is very slow. I finally felt invested and like things were picking up about 80% of the way through which is just too long for me.

viclingg's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

sarahbelle2's review against another edition

This book was so boring and slow. If 100+ pages would’ve been cut I may have stuck with it. Unfortunately in flipping ahead I noticed that it didn’t get to the 1860s until the last 100 pages (of a 450+ page book) and the last 30 were around the assassination and after it. I thought this would be more about how the family coped with that. I get the lead up to understand the booth family but goodness I don’t need every detail. 

amfrancis's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.5

thepagelady's review against another edition

4.0

Booth by Karen Joy Fowler is a unique look into not just John Wilkes Booth but the whole family! It gives us a different perspective of not just their lives on stage but also the scandals and their personal struggles not just as an individual person but as a family unit! Karen Fowler's writing has a way of drawing the readers in and bringing the characters to life! When I first started reading I thought I would be reading a book based only on facts just a timeline of John Wilkes Booth's life but it was so much more than that! The only thing that comes to mind that I wish was different is the pace. It was slow but by no means does it take away from the fact that this is a beautifully written, thought provoking read! Happy reading everyone!

buffycat's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A story about the Booth family, of the parents and siblings. 

marinaemoore's review against another edition

3.0

Karen Joy Fowler’s motivation for writing Booth was to explore the families of those who commit heinous acts. She said she was specifically curious about this as it related to American mass shooters. I applaud Fowler for writing about the Booths instead of a specific mass shooter and their family, as to not further glorify or memorialize any particular one.

Fowler’s writing is told from the point of view of three of the other Booth siblings, Rosalie, Asia and Edwin. We learn of their own life trials and tribulations, and see how the family dynamic changes as they grow up. We also see how the infamous John Wilkes Booth changes and becomes more radical over time and how his siblings did and didn’t notice.

Concept-wise, I found this book very interesting and poignant.

I personally thought the first half or so of the book was very boring, and almost DNF-ed it. It was quite repetitive and the story didn’t feel like it moved at all.

I thought the second half was much better. It felt like the story moved and kept my interest.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and it made me want to learn more about the Booth family. I’m not sure this would be high up on my list of recommendations, however, because the first half was truly brutal to get through.

bekreads27's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75