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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
This book was difficult to rate for me. While I went for a 4 it probably hovers in the 3.5ish range.
I liked the style she chose for the story it complimented it well.
My issue is that everyone seems to be writing books about characters that you would even bother to help stand up of they fell. I don't know if I am just getting sick of that type of character or what. Siracusa does have a slight twist to this concept and that is Lizzie. I don't think I disliked her until the very end. And it is not that she is an unlikable character trying to trick you. Lizzie is actually a great character but she just does something crappy.
Finn is that character where you want them to be better than he is but you entirely blame Taylor for his behavior. Michael is also your piggish kind of guy who you dislike more than Finn because what he does he does to Lizzie. Cath is that kind of girl you just want to shake some sense into and tell her not to listen to her friends.
Then you have Taylor and Snow. These two are the ones you just can't stand. Taylor is the quintessential snob that you just want to punch because nothing is good enough except her own daughter because Snow came from her. Now is it bad to hate a 12 year old. I don't know but I do. There is no such thing as extreme shyness syndrome Taylor. It is called Sociopathic tendencies.
In the beginning these characters actually made me want to give up on the book but I thought it is not too long of a book so I kept going. I am glad I did because the style of the story telling improved and really was a asset and the actual story itself saved the book for me.
I liked the style she chose for the story it complimented it well.
My issue is that everyone seems to be writing books about characters that you would even bother to help stand up of they fell. I don't know if I am just getting sick of that type of character or what. Siracusa does have a slight twist to this concept and that is Lizzie. I don't think I disliked her until the very end. And it is not that she is an unlikable character trying to trick you. Lizzie is actually a great character but she just does something crappy.
Finn is that character where you want them to be better than he is but you entirely blame Taylor for his behavior. Michael is also your piggish kind of guy who you dislike more than Finn because what he does he does to Lizzie. Cath is that kind of girl you just want to shake some sense into and tell her not to listen to her friends.
Then you have Taylor and Snow. These two are the ones you just can't stand. Taylor is the quintessential snob that you just want to punch because nothing is good enough except her own daughter because Snow came from her. Now is it bad to hate a 12 year old. I don't know but I do. There is no such thing as extreme shyness syndrome Taylor. It is called Sociopathic tendencies.
In the beginning these characters actually made me want to give up on the book but I thought it is not too long of a book so I kept going. I am glad I did because the style of the story telling improved and really was a asset and the actual story itself saved the book for me.
I loved this novel! It would have been a perfect vacation book. It was quick and delicious and so vivid. And even though it was light in a certain way (eg a quick read with short chapters) it was also dark and full of suspense and impending doom (which was not the brand of doom I expected)
And the themes were certainly not light-how well do actually we know ourselves and the people we love?
I hope they turn this one into a movie.
And the themes were certainly not light-how well do actually we know ourselves and the people we love?
I hope they turn this one into a movie.
challenging
tense
slow-paced
I have no strong feelings about this book. Throughout the book four different narrators (two different couples) who are all pretty unlikeable for different reasons. There is also Snow, the daughter of two of the narrators, who is just plain weird. All of them tell you up front that something bad happens on their Italian vacation when they are in Siracusa. Personally, I found the build up intriguing but predictable and eventually rather uneventful. The build up was definitely more interesting than the event and the very quick aftermath/wrap up.
Eh. I liked having not just one but four unreliable narrators! But they were all unlikeable, without any reasons given, including Snow. Not one ounce of remorse except for Lizzie. I gave it three stars for the interesting narration.
I should have known from the start that anyone foolish enough to go on vacation with not much more than acquaintances would not make good choices.
I should have known from the start that anyone foolish enough to go on vacation with not much more than acquaintances would not make good choices.
Liked it, but some flaws.
"From the start it was a conspiracy between Lizzie and Finn to be together."
This line, which appears near the beginning of the book, immediately biases the reader against two of the characters...That is, until the next chapter. Each chapter alternates between the four main characters (two married couples): Lizzie and Michael, Finn and Taylor. All four are pretty unlikable. A few words to describe them are: selfish neurotic unkind insufferable. The couples decide (for some unfathomable reason) to vacation in Italy together. The story unwinds slowly as each character gets to have their say, and we often experience the same day through all four's eyes. Michael's having an affair, Taylor's obsessed with her creepy daughter, Snow, Lizzie is oblivious to Michael's deception, Finn is generally a bastard. All four have secrets from each other and the tension rises throughout the trip, especially when Michael's mistress unexpectedly flies to the tiny town of Siracusa where they're all staying.
I was reasonably interested throughout this book, and the ending was pretty good. Though the characters seem to drift farther apart as the story goes on, there is a significant secret that they all collude in at the end. It is this final deception which ultimately bonds them together in a dark way and proves that all four are capable of some shocking things. The voice actors were quite good, but I found it tedious at times to hear the same story recounted by all four characters.
"From the start it was a conspiracy between Lizzie and Finn to be together."
This line, which appears near the beginning of the book, immediately biases the reader against two of the characters...That is, until the next chapter. Each chapter alternates between the four main characters (two married couples): Lizzie and Michael, Finn and Taylor. All four are pretty unlikable. A few words to describe them are: selfish neurotic unkind insufferable. The couples decide (for some unfathomable reason) to vacation in Italy together. The story unwinds slowly as each character gets to have their say, and we often experience the same day through all four's eyes. Michael's having an affair, Taylor's obsessed with her creepy daughter, Snow, Lizzie is oblivious to Michael's deception, Finn is generally a bastard. All four have secrets from each other and the tension rises throughout the trip, especially when Michael's mistress unexpectedly flies to the tiny town of Siracusa where they're all staying.
I was reasonably interested throughout this book, and the ending was pretty good. Though the characters seem to drift farther apart as the story goes on, there is a significant secret that they all collude in at the end. It is this final deception which ultimately bonds them together in a dark way and proves that all four are capable of some shocking things. The voice actors were quite good, but I found it tedious at times to hear the same story recounted by all four characters.
This was a late read of my virtual bookclub's January selection. I didn't know what to expect when I went into it and I definitely didn't think it would end up how it did but it was quite a fun read and in many ways a very good representation of a group of adults on holiday together.
A thing that really hit home with me is the portrayal of the internal monologue on things and how we all would like to think that with age we become better and less selfish people but in reality we just get better at hiding our self-serving nature.
This will make a good movie.
A thing that really hit home with me is the portrayal of the internal monologue on things and how we all would like to think that with age we become better and less selfish people but in reality we just get better at hiding our self-serving nature.
This will make a good movie.
4.5 stars. Thoroughly enjoyed this read. I liked the four character perspective, it was needed for the story and it worked.
I borrowed this from the library on a whim because I needed something to do during an 8-hour wait. One of the best decisions I have made all year. I hate reading ebooks, but this was interesting enough to keep me hooked. It's basically a book about drama between friends, relationships between friends, and what happens on a vacation when all four travel together to Siracusa, Italy. I've always been a Nora Ephron fan, and now you can count me as Dalia's fan, too.
Book of the Month Club: August 2016
PopSugar 2019 reading challenge #33
Couldn't do it. Couldn't finish it.
Decided at around 60% of the way through that I really didn't care who was having an affair -- it was boring, droll, and there wasn't anything likable or exciting enough about any of the characters to continue. You'd think the setting would be nice (and I guess it is) but it isn't enough to keep me entertained and going back.
I want to say that unlikable characters are fine (I've managed to finish and even enjoy other books with these types of characters, I swear!) but they still have to at least hold your attention. This book never captivated me, never grabbed me, and eventually I decided that my TBR shelf (overflowing with books) was judging me for continuing with this one.
PopSugar 2019 reading challenge #33
Couldn't do it. Couldn't finish it.
Decided at around 60% of the way through that I really didn't care who was having an affair -- it was boring, droll, and there wasn't anything likable or exciting enough about any of the characters to continue. You'd think the setting would be nice (and I guess it is) but it isn't enough to keep me entertained and going back.
I want to say that unlikable characters are fine (I've managed to finish and even enjoy other books with these types of characters, I swear!) but they still have to at least hold your attention. This book never captivated me, never grabbed me, and eventually I decided that my TBR shelf (overflowing with books) was judging me for continuing with this one.