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categj's review against another edition
2.0
I thought the writing was good, but I did not engage with the characters and I got tired of the slow-moving plot. In fact, I did something that I NEVER do, I skipped to the end to find out how it all evolved. I was left confused and unsatisfied.
I would not recommend this book.
I would not recommend this book.
siobhanward's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I bought this years ago, before I realized that Joyce Carol Oates' style just isn't for me. Her melancholy books with nothing really happening just make me sad and bored. Despite centering around a murder, it felt like this book just dragged and nothing happened. Don't get me wrong, I get what Oates was trying to do, it just really didn't resonate with me unfortunately.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Child abuse, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
ggherrera's review against another edition
3.0
There was something about this book that was flat for me. I was annoyed by Krista's naïveté and I felt like she never developed like I wanted her to when she got older. She was still the same little girl the whole time. Maybe it was because she was saying daddy all the time and kept repeating the same thing. Aaron was my favorite part of the book. He was real for me. But the ending was flat. It left me scratching my head. I loved Joyce's book them because it was so layered and intricate but this wasn't so much. After reading this, i couldn't pick out anything about the book that gripped me. It wasn't torturous to read or anything, the writing was nice and kept my interest. I just found myself wanting more from it.
the_sassy_bookworm's review against another edition
1.0
100 pages in and this is just not capturing me, so going to set it aside!
madae's review against another edition
1.0
I did not like this book. I couldn't even finish it and that's extremely rare. The story sounded interesting, but I found that the characters to be unlikable and the writing to be repetitive. I got halfway through the book and couldn't subject myself to anymore.
ronanmcd's review against another edition
5.0
Such a slow start. I really found it difficult to get into this book, the first quarter was a slog but for a very good reason.
The book is about the past, about the subjective nature of it and how we each write our own. The first section of the book follows a female protagonist as she constantly reexamines one or two moments in her past, moments that have formed her. Each time she goes over them they lead down different avenues, reflect on other instances or she remembers different details. And so, as readers we read the same over and over with differing embellishment. It's a powerful device, and thought provoking, but requires endurance on the readers part.
But this is the crux. We can change our pasts simply by how we interpret what happened. We can change emphasis and proportion, but ultimately the book shows we don't change who we are, what we are capable of.
The book is about the past, about the subjective nature of it and how we each write our own. The first section of the book follows a female protagonist as she constantly reexamines one or two moments in her past, moments that have formed her. Each time she goes over them they lead down different avenues, reflect on other instances or she remembers different details. And so, as readers we read the same over and over with differing embellishment. It's a powerful device, and thought provoking, but requires endurance on the readers part.
But this is the crux. We can change our pasts simply by how we interpret what happened. We can change emphasis and proportion, but ultimately the book shows we don't change who we are, what we are capable of.
chantelbrenna's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of my favorite books. Joyce Carol Oates has an ability to make really terrible things very poetic without taking away the tragedy of what happened.e