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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
33: What Comes After by Joanne Tompkins...my April Book of the Month Club selection.
This is a very good book.
This little community has been struck by tragedy...doubly or even more. How to recover from it both as individual victims and perpetrators and as a community is no easy task...for anyone. This is especially true when people try to go it alone and by themselves without leaning on each other. People are so self-punishing and so inward when their real healing has to happen outside of themselves as well.
One of the most important characters in this book is Rufus, an old and much loved dog. And another dog, Brody, is important to the story as well, but he’d passed before the story’s action begins.
Tompkins tells this story from the perspectives of Evangeline, Isaac, and Jonah, each with different views and sometimes of the exact same events. while this causes moments of frustration, primarily for the reader, each time she sees what they’ve gotten wrong...it’s also so human...that they misconclude, mispresume, and don’t always get things right.
I enjoyed seeing inside of Quaker counseling/healing practices and seeing more of that faith. And I found these characters quite compelling and endearing...very human.
I say read it...and let me know what you think.
This is a very good book.
This little community has been struck by tragedy...doubly or even more. How to recover from it both as individual victims and perpetrators and as a community is no easy task...for anyone. This is especially true when people try to go it alone and by themselves without leaning on each other. People are so self-punishing and so inward when their real healing has to happen outside of themselves as well.
One of the most important characters in this book is Rufus, an old and much loved dog. And another dog, Brody, is important to the story as well, but he’d passed before the story’s action begins.
Tompkins tells this story from the perspectives of Evangeline, Isaac, and Jonah, each with different views and sometimes of the exact same events. while this causes moments of frustration, primarily for the reader, each time she sees what they’ve gotten wrong...it’s also so human...that they misconclude, mispresume, and don’t always get things right.
I enjoyed seeing inside of Quaker counseling/healing practices and seeing more of that faith. And I found these characters quite compelling and endearing...very human.
I say read it...and let me know what you think.
I liked it, But nothing special unfortunately. I felt like the author writing style was really bland. I was not excited, not invested in the characters, or anxious to find out what would happen next.
(3.5) this started out really good but kind of fizzles out towards the last 3rd. Overall an enjoyable read
This was so well written. It was a beautiful story, and I loved that the narration was kept to three characters to tell such a complex tale.
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book crushed me. It was so heavy and emotional and gut wrenching. I wept like a baby near the end. What a terrific debut novel.
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Struggled with this one as well….I think there was a lot of poor decisions made by every single character and if one of the characters actually talked to the other this book would have been 1 page long.
Writing was just Okay characters poorly developed. I think Tompkins was trying to throw lie 100 themes in this book when she should have focused on like, 2. There was too much bologna going on and not enough actually story/character building.
Writing was just Okay characters poorly developed. I think Tompkins was trying to throw lie 100 themes in this book when she should have focused on like, 2. There was too much bologna going on and not enough actually story/character building.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Catching up…
This debut novel asks the question…
How do you rebound after tragedy?
Although the premise may sound familiar where adolescents secrets get out of control with devastating consequences…
The story..
Still presents itself as a cautionary tale.
And…
A powerful reminder of how a close-knit community can rally around people in trouble, no matter what the age.
Without revealing the context of the story, as readers we are seeing neighbors and parents facing ugly truths about people they know…
And…
Trusted.
Can there be peace or will there be more division?
I’d like to believe that this is a thoughtful, unexpectedly optimist story of people doing their best, under very difficult circumstances.
It may not be a happily ever after kind of story, but it does give readers a sense of hope…
And…
In these trying times, it is nice to have hope.