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tpeirona's review against another edition
2.0
I’ve figured out that I’m not a huge fan of books with multiple narrators. I got this book in a mystery book buy and it’s not something I would normally pick up. It felt like the author was trying really hard to make this book some serious introspective on life and instead it just felt pretentious and like it was a competition on who’s life sucked the most.
lisawhelpley's review against another edition
4.0
A good one. Realistic characters, plot & setting. Annoying only when the author got bits of dialog & facts wrong for the time frame, and for that, I wonder where was the editor?
mfbr233's review against another edition
2.0
In a word: pretentious.
In a sentence: stereotypical, flat characters who are written to appear intellectual or enlightening, appealing to that quirky contemporary crowd, yet instead this novel radiates pretenciousness.
In a sentence: stereotypical, flat characters who are written to appear intellectual or enlightening, appealing to that quirky contemporary crowd, yet instead this novel radiates pretenciousness.
kylieve's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
3.0
The Year We Left Home tells the story of the Erickson family, of Grenada, Iowa, in the last twenty-five years of the last century. Beginning with the wedding reception of the oldest daughter, Anita, at the American Legion Hall, and continuing, each chapter moving forward a few years and telling a self-contained story about a different member of the family, to end, where the children are approaching fifty. Jean Thompson writes with a clarity and an absence of fuss that is a pleasure to read. Each member of the family, as well as some members of the extended family, are beautifully brought to life, from Anita with her desire to make a success of having a family to Chip, the Vietnam veteran cousin who is having some trouble settling down. There's a quiet strength to this book, with its ordinary family trying to get by in a difficult and changing world.
That said, there are some flaws that marred my enjoyment of this book. Early on, there's a silly anachronism, where the family sits down to watch a show that won't be aired for another six years, which made me wary of believing the accuracy of the background of each chapter's events. Each story is very much oriented in time and place, so that careless mistake at the beginning had me doubting the authenticity of each story's setting. There's a sense in which this book is derivative of The Corrections; although they are very different in tone, there are enough similarities in a few of the characters to make comparisons inevitable, and The Year We Left Home is the lesser book.
That said, there are some flaws that marred my enjoyment of this book. Early on, there's a silly anachronism, where the family sits down to watch a show that won't be aired for another six years, which made me wary of believing the accuracy of the background of each chapter's events. Each story is very much oriented in time and place, so that careless mistake at the beginning had me doubting the authenticity of each story's setting. There's a sense in which this book is derivative of The Corrections; although they are very different in tone, there are enough similarities in a few of the characters to make comparisons inevitable, and The Year We Left Home is the lesser book.
ja3m3's review against another edition
4.0
This is a quiet book filled with well-developed characters that looks at the lost historical time period between The Vietnam War and the Iraq War. It is thought-provoking and endearing - worth reading.
amycrea's review against another edition
3.0
Mixed. There were some aspects I really liked, but the chapters dealing with Chip and Ryan were just entirely meh.
susanthebookbag's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. The book starts in the year 1973 and ends in 2003. I liked the author's style of having the chapters jump every 2-4 years and join the characters lives at that point. I could relate to the time frame of the book, since I also lived it and it was interesting how the author incorporated current events into her characters stories. The Year We Left Home is a part of life that we all go through but then it all comes around again when we realize what is important to us and we return home. This book is a story about that journey.