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2.96 AVERAGE
2.96 AVERAGE
I finished this book really quickly. I liked the short chapters and change in point of view. I also liked the character development.
I love the premise: lonely older woman enters a contest to win a cruise to Europe with three guests. She enters by writing an essay and improbably, she wins. She invites her three adult children to sail with her from Athens to Barcelona. Oh yeah, she lives in Savannah, a place I really like.
Surprise! Everyone has super heavy emotional baggage and the family dynamics are anything but smooth sailing.
Each chapter has a tiny bit about the ports they visit and a lot about the dysfunction of the family. I didn’t dislike any of the characters but I didn’t bond with them either.
Surprise! Everyone has super heavy emotional baggage and the family dynamics are anything but smooth sailing.
Each chapter has a tiny bit about the ports they visit and a lot about the dysfunction of the family. I didn’t dislike any of the characters but I didn’t bond with them either.
#ReeseWitherspoon Book Club March 2020 pick
So, I’m confused. Did Charlotte win the contest for her story, or not? Other than that, this was a pretty good story about a dysfunctional family who wins a cruise forcing them to spend time together and also forcing them to confront their problems.
So, I’m confused. Did Charlotte win the contest for her story, or not? Other than that, this was a pretty good story about a dysfunctional family who wins a cruise forcing them to spend time together and also forcing them to confront their problems.
The prose wasn’t for me—too snappy in a way that felt uncomfortable, not clever.
I liked this book until the ending. It was too rushed; it needed a few more chapters.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
fast-paced
Writing quality was not good. Good bones to the story but the delivery was terrible.
Alright easy beach read, but nothing special considering all the potential deeper story lines.
The book kind of wavered between wanting to be a beach read and wanting to be serious fiction. It would go into a few sensitive issues but without a lot of depth. It wanted to be entertaining but without a commitment to going full crazy family. I did want to know what happened to these people and read it easily, but it's probably not going into the re-read pile.
Pretty good characters and family narrative. Ending fell a bit flat. Didn’t have much of a conclusion