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ovenbird_reads's review against another edition
4.0
This is the sort of book you read for the pure poetry of the writing. Hay is a striking writer who has crafted a quietly complex story. I was completely absorbed, yet in terms of concrete events very little happens. This is a narrative of mind and inner lives that make us who we are.
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
3.0
Elizabeth Hay's new novel tells the story Jim and his mother Nan during his early adolescence. It's a time of change in their lives, beginning with a summer spent on an Ontario lake as Jim enjoys his last summer of childhood and his mother decides whether or not to stay in her marriage. At the same time, Canada is preparing for the second Quebec referendum, and Nan's feeling about her family are entwined with her feelings about Canada's future.
This isn't a book were a lot happens. It's entirely domestic in scope, exploring families and forgiveness in families, which is usually exactly the kind of book I most enjoy. And the writing is very fine. Nonetheless, this book never really captured my attention; I was always turning pages and counting chapters. It never felt real to me. It did, however, capture the tension of that referendum vividly, with Canadians on both sides feeling passionately about the issue.
This isn't a book were a lot happens. It's entirely domestic in scope, exploring families and forgiveness in families, which is usually exactly the kind of book I most enjoy. And the writing is very fine. Nonetheless, this book never really captured my attention; I was always turning pages and counting chapters. It never felt real to me. It did, however, capture the tension of that referendum vividly, with Canadians on both sides feeling passionately about the issue.
horthhill's review against another edition
5.0
"His Whole Life" by Elizabeth Hay was a novel I enjoyed immensely. While I have read it just the once, I think it ranks up there with my all time favourites. I love how it balances a specific historical moment while exploring Nan and her relationship with her son Jim, questions of her marriages, questions of her friendships and a whole lot more. Quite the complex novel and yet very absorbing.
alihewitt's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
amn028's review against another edition
4.0
Exactly the type of book that one expects from Elizabeth Hay. A story that draws you in with rich, flawed and interesting characters. A story that allows itself to unfold slowly.
clarrro's review against another edition
4.0
Slowly paced, but beautifully characterized and it gets under your skin. but whose story is it really? the boy's or the mother's?
petitestory's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
deckle_edged_dre's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5. Slower than most books I tend to read, but you really feel like you know the characters so well by the end of it. There was some truly beautiful writing in this book and terrific imagery. I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway and am happy to have read it.
chrispyschaller's review against another edition
5.0
Quiet but eventful story of family strains set against the second Québec referendum.
crabbygirl's review against another edition
5.0
this is a talented author that knows how to set a scene and tell you everything you need to know to understand a character - like Nan is on her 2nd marriage and her hubby is on his 3rd so it's obvious that their connection to each other would be tenuous, temporary, and convenient. They live in both the US and Canada, straddling both worlds as a couple, but each actually identifies more strongly with separate sides. comparing the feeling of separation within her marriage to the Quebec referendum was brilliant. and topical: everything that she says about how the rest of Canada treated Quebec could be applied to today's first nations' complaints. and this repetitive theme that men in your life will punish you but think they aren't. when we finally come to the last example - nan being written out of the her husband's will after 3 years of caregiving - the rage and frustration and shame is fully felt because we've stayed with Nan this whole journey. and even if she could legally argue the will away, what does that even matter? it's the fact he did it that you have to live with (and can't simply render down to demonizing him; he's was her son's father). and that another fine character - the son. so introspective, so concerned with how the world saw his father and conflicted with his feelings of ownership and embarrassment of him.