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d52s's review
1.0
DIdn't like this book very much, no depth to the story, the characters were thinly drawn. I got bored waiting for something to happen, or for a character to develop, but when nothing surfaced, I gave up on it midway.
kcmc59's review against another edition
3.0
I love Anne Tyler and this book has all her best themes. Lonely isolated souls looking for connection and love. The twist of the adopted Korean children and the Iranian family add an extra point of view for Tyler to explore things uniquely American and things that are simply human. I liked it, but don't rate it as highly as some of her best.
hectaizani's review
4.0
My second Anne Tyler book this year, I enjoyed this one as much as I did The Amateur Marriage. I like the way the author does her characters and descriptions. For some reason, I thought it was going to be about the two girls adopted from Korea, and was surprised when the focus was on the extended adoptive families. I found all the information about the different cultures fascinating, but did think some of it was very stereotypical, and in the case of Maryam, very repetitive as she kept going on and on about how different Iranians are from Americans.
judygold's review
emotional
informative
slow-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
3.5
Interesting characters and initial set up, but a bit too slow and uneventful read for me. Enjoyed the reflections on the experience of immigration to America but felt that the story could be do with some more "oomph" to follow its strong set up.
freckleduck's review
3.0
I appreciate that this book includes multiple viewpoints and considers belonging from many aspects. I thought this book was slow paced and was overall not a book necessarily written for me.
laila4343's review
5.0
I love love love Anne Tyler. I am glad I have a lot more of her books to read! She's always good. This one was special to me because of the subject - Iranians who move to America and their children growing up in US culture.
sarahanne8382's review
3.0
Tyler's 17th novel tells the story of two families who become friends when they adopt daughters from Korea who arrive on the same flight. Brad & Bitsy Dickinson-Donaldson are the stereotypical American family. Bitsy decides to stay home to raise their daughter Jin-Ho and encourages her to keep in touch with her Korean roots. Sami & Ziba Yazdan decide to rename their daughter Susan, and have no qualms about raising her with the long-standing traditions of their Iranian-American family. The novel also includes the couples' extended families, especially Bitsy's father Dave and Sami's mother, Maryam, who is the book's central character (although the book's perspective switches around from chapter to chapter).
I think I'm going to have read some of Tyler's other books because I really like the way she delves into all the little personal quirks and social customs families have. She admits to not having done a lot of background research for this novel, which makes sense given her focus on the individuality of the characters in this book, rather than forcing them to stand as representations of the groups they are members of. While there certainly are huge cultural gaps to cross in this book, Tyler explains that it doesn't matter where you're from, we all struggle to find our place in the world.
Overall, this was a fast, but not trite, read. Stay away if you need a really concrete plot, but otherwise it was a really enjoyable and untaxing read.
I think I'm going to have read some of Tyler's other books because I really like the way she delves into all the little personal quirks and social customs families have. She admits to not having done a lot of background research for this novel, which makes sense given her focus on the individuality of the characters in this book, rather than forcing them to stand as representations of the groups they are members of. While there certainly are huge cultural gaps to cross in this book, Tyler explains that it doesn't matter where you're from, we all struggle to find our place in the world.
Overall, this was a fast, but not trite, read. Stay away if you need a really concrete plot, but otherwise it was a really enjoyable and untaxing read.
rebeccarpatterson's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5. I’m a big Anne Tyler fan, but this one was a slow burner for me. I was bored in parts, and couldn’t stop reading at other times. I spent the first half of the book really annoyed at the characters because of their micro-aggression and colour-blindness. Arguably, this is due to Anne’s brilliant way of observing and writing about people and relationships. She is just brilliant at this. And this book provides astute observations on themes of otherness, racism, prejudice, love and what it means to belong.