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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
A beautiful, well-written story that will tug at your heartstrings.
I really enjoyed and was moved by this book. It took me a while to understand what I was reading - at first I thought it was a mystery or a thriller, and it seemed possible that the end could be some sensational gratuitous violence reveal. For the first half there was this vibe of tension, all kinds of secrets the characters were keeping that felt like they would be explosive when revealed. But then they were revealed in the best kind of anticlimactic ways, met with acceptance, or struggle, but not explosion or drama. The mysteries sort of unraveled gently around the midpoint and then the book was about reckoning and reconciliation and forgiveness and relationships. Some of the relationships seemed implausible, but it was well-written and I was on board.
Very traumatizing, potentially trigger-y events, but also super character driven, people reckoning with hard questions about faith and evil and forgiveness, perfectly-written awkward Quakers, caring but imperfect men, some very sad and sweet stuff about dogs.
Very traumatizing, potentially trigger-y events, but also super character driven, people reckoning with hard questions about faith and evil and forgiveness, perfectly-written awkward Quakers, caring but imperfect men, some very sad and sweet stuff about dogs.
sad
slow-paced
I'm still rating this 5 stars, but I will warn the reader NOT to read this if you're going through some loss in your own life. I cried BUCKETS during this book.
Yet....I couldn't put it down. What a talented and inspiring writer. She made me feel things I definitely did not want to feel at this particular time.
Isaac, around 50 years old, is living alone after losing his son. He lives next door to Lorrie, who also lost her son. Evangeline, 16 and pregnant, shows up on his front lawn. And then we learn how their lives are intertangled. Isaac is also a Quaker, and elements of his faith and doubt are woven into this. Very well-developed characters, all of them flawed, but still - I just love them all!
Yet....I couldn't put it down. What a talented and inspiring writer. She made me feel things I definitely did not want to feel at this particular time.
Isaac, around 50 years old, is living alone after losing his son. He lives next door to Lorrie, who also lost her son. Evangeline, 16 and pregnant, shows up on his front lawn. And then we learn how their lives are intertangled. Isaac is also a Quaker, and elements of his faith and doubt are woven into this. Very well-developed characters, all of them flawed, but still - I just love them all!
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can’t tell you the last time a book made me actually cry.
I was literally sobbing and and my mom thought something was seriously wrong
Captures something about being a human that I think is rarely caught in books
Love love love
I was literally sobbing and and my mom thought something was seriously wrong
Captures something about being a human that I think is rarely caught in books
Love love love
It's hard to review a book when that book aims to speak to personal grief and feelings within each reader. This book, through its many perspectives, mysteries, and truths, is a work of art that's almost incomprehensible to write about. In these 400 Pages or so, you will discover stories of mental illness, loss, trauma, and healing. While the narrative of this book reads like an intimate exploration of characters' lives and thoughts, I found myself reflecting on my own responses to loss and grief. Every chapter of this book breathes life into a narrative you understand from chapter one, much like the way we often know the truth when we lose a loved one, but the details and our feelings about the event come to us at their own pace. The author, JoAnne Tompkins, masterfully pulls the readers through the grieving process with each of the characters whether they are grieving the loss of a family member or grieving the trauma that brought them into the narrative. Through the characters of Issac and Evangeline, the reader also gains intimate reflection on how our worldview and religion can vastly change how we handle life's toughest intersections.
Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough. It will be one that I keep on my bookshelf for years to come and return to often.
Content Warning:
Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough. It will be one that I keep on my bookshelf for years to come and return to often.
Content Warning:
Spoiler
Suicide, Murder, Depictions of Violence, Depictions of Sexual Assault.
I LOVED this book. The character development was superb and the way the narrative flowed, revealing parts of Isaac, Evangeline, Lorrie and the boys’ pasts as certain situations popped up felt natural and the perspective switches added to the richness of the story itself. As someone who has experienced a lot of loss, grief and violence in my own life, I feel that Joanne Tompkins has created main characters that all had parts of their grieving and healing processes I could relate to and identify with. This is a beautiful story of healing, found family and answering life’s big questions that I would recommend to anyone.
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes