Reviews

The Hundred-Year House by Rebecca Makkai

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kelli_jean_'s review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-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

4.0

ashloo's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Loveable characters? No

3.0

I really didn't connect with this one. Probably should have put it down at 50%.

ilona_rae's review

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3.5

Makkai is a favourite of mine but I didn't enjoy this quite like her other works. It was still an achievement though. The backwards structure worked so well, with plenty of surprises along the way. The characters were interesting and flawed, but I just didn't get enough time with many to connect with them.

rachelparker's review against another edition

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dark funny reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

thebakerbookworm's review

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funny mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

This book was such a unique read, I couldn't help but enjoy it!

The story is divided into four sections, 1999, 1955, 1929, and a brief 1900 section, essentially telling the story backward. We spend the longest time in 1999, and by the time you finish that section, you'd think that going backward in time would not answer the questions you need answered about the 1999 characters, but this storytelling device worked in this book. Visiting the past does answer your questions and I loved the subtle ways the characters connected across decades. I do wish we'd been able to go back to 1999 to revisit those characters again—character development doesn't get a chance to grow when the character is no longer present in the story—but overall I was satisfied with what we learn about the characters and the growth they get.

The setting was maybe my one disappointment. Each timeline is set at the title house, and it's supposed to be an imposing house with a mysterious past and a maybe-haunted attic (this book is not scary at all, fyi). But the house doesn't actually feel like its own character. It's just the place that happened to connect all these people.

I read this one for my book club and we had a great discussion about it. I would definitely recommend if you enjoy a book that experiments with storytelling and has quirky characters that may or may not be lovable but are definitely entertaining to watch.