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toreadistovoyage's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very interesting novel. The story revolves around Lydia, a girl from South Boston who marries a medical student - Henry Wickett - and follows her through her marriage, her losses during WWI, and the Spanish Influenza epidemic. Very good look into the time period. There are a few sub-plots/stories that run the course of the novel and add depth to the main story.
abetterjulie's review against another edition
3.0
This book was very engaging if you skipped the parts about the soda. I have no idea what the purpose of that parallel storyline was, maybe it was symbolic of something, but if so, it went right over my head. I would have preferred to hear more about Lydia and her family.
I was at first put off by the little margin notes, but then it grew on me. There were some parts that seemed contrived, and then other parts that were poetic. There was a disjointedness that marred the writing in many places. It felt like trying to see the story through a dirty window.
The glimpse into history for this time period was fascinating. I might get more books about the Spanish Influenza.
I was at first put off by the little margin notes, but then it grew on me. There were some parts that seemed contrived, and then other parts that were poetic. There was a disjointedness that marred the writing in many places. It felt like trying to see the story through a dirty window.
The glimpse into history for this time period was fascinating. I might get more books about the Spanish Influenza.
ldv's review
4.0
The best audio book I've ever read, and by far the best "read by the author" edition I've ever come across. The story itself is interesting, following a young lady through her early career as a sales clerk, young wife, and then discovering nursing during the influenza epidemic. The Wickett's Remedy aspect is more of a subplot. However, the way the Wickett's Remedy story is told is really unique and interesting. The audio makes this book so much more interesting than it would have been to read -- think of listening to a radio during the 40s, with different voices and background music, a variety of genres, and you have a glimpse as to how this book comes across aurally. That the author, and not a famous actor (though perhaps she is an actress), does all the accents and voices is wonderful. All, except the side commentary from the characters of the beyond -- another really unique and interesting feature of the book.
It all makes for a very entertaining listen, with a side of history that I haven't read much about (and therefore an added bonus!)
It all makes for a very entertaining listen, with a side of history that I haven't read much about (and therefore an added bonus!)
ursullamajor's review
5.0
This is now one of my favorite books of all time, but there's so much to parse that I can't yet write a coherent review.
jessicaesquire's review
2.0
I was lukewarm for Myla Goldberg's first novel and the same was true for her second. It's not that she's bad at writing. It's that something about the form of her novels really rubs me the wrong way. This one worked well when it was actually being a novel. But all the little extra scenes that left the narrative were distracting and didn't add much. Also the dead serving as a peanut gallery of sorts, always tossing in their two cents on what actually happened, similarly falls flat.
It's a shame because, as I said, she's not bad at writing. Just maybe not at putting novels together. Also, the audiobook version of this is dreadful. Goldberg reads herself and she is just fine during the normal/novel sections. But the extra bits are strange, the additional readers and voices are strange, and all the background noises and music are super annoying.
It's a shame because, as I said, she's not bad at writing. Just maybe not at putting novels together. Also, the audiobook version of this is dreadful. Goldberg reads herself and she is just fine during the normal/novel sections. But the extra bits are strange, the additional readers and voices are strange, and all the background noises and music are super annoying.
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