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dangled's review
4.0
3.5/5
Overall, I’d say it was a well crafted novel. There are certainly heavy portions of this book as we’re looking back at 1920s America (especially in Matilda’s section of the book) making it frustrating to read due to the unfair injustice.
The start of the novel was extremely slow and I almost put it down a few times while reading Ada’s section because it progressed so slowly. I wish there was more of an explanation of Ada’s life in Baton Rouge with Jesse as that may have been more interesting to read about than her getting setting up in the stilt house and anticipating Virgil. I think it would’ve also showed more of her character, why she was so invested in Jesse. All we really got about him was that she was in love and she ran away from home with him only to have to go back home once he dumped her.
Once getting to Matilda’s section of the book my interest definitely increased as we learned a lot about her, her back story, how she ended up hiding out with Ada. I definitely enjoyed reading the book from there up till the end. I enjoyed the fact that both girls seemingly got fresh and good starts at new lives by the end as it leaves the book on a rather warm note but it just makes me wonder what happens next.
Do people find out about Frank being dead? Does anyone search for who did it considering he just signed a lease for a law office and is friends with the Sheriff (I believe that was mentioned when he was blackmailing Ada)? Does Matilda make it to Cleveland and become a writer? Does Ada make it as a seamstress? I think it’s good that we’re left with questions like that but it just makes me feel a bit lost, without closure.
Overall, I’d say it was a well crafted novel. There are certainly heavy portions of this book as we’re looking back at 1920s America (especially in Matilda’s section of the book) making it frustrating to read due to the unfair injustice.
The start of the novel was extremely slow and I almost put it down a few times while reading Ada’s section because it progressed so slowly. I wish there was more of an explanation of Ada’s life in Baton Rouge with Jesse as that may have been more interesting to read about than her getting setting up in the stilt house and anticipating Virgil. I think it would’ve also showed more of her character, why she was so invested in Jesse. All we really got about him was that she was in love and she ran away from home with him only to have to go back home once he dumped her.
Once getting to Matilda’s section of the book my interest definitely increased as we learned a lot about her, her back story, how she ended up hiding out with Ada. I definitely enjoyed reading the book from there up till the end. I enjoyed the fact that both girls seemingly got fresh and good starts at new lives by the end as it leaves the book on a rather warm note but it just makes me wonder what happens next.
Do people find out about Frank being dead? Does anyone search for who did it considering he just signed a lease for a law office and is friends with the Sheriff (I believe that was mentioned when he was blackmailing Ada)? Does Matilda make it to Cleveland and become a writer? Does Ada make it as a seamstress? I think it’s good that we’re left with questions like that but it just makes me feel a bit lost, without closure.
amandaf28's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
a_friendlyghost's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
booknena's review
4.0
This was an enjoyable, triumphant story about two teenage girls that lose everything and must find their inner strength to overcome. They each had harsh realities to deal with and although they do provide support for each other, the message of making the best decisions for yourself and your situation is stressed. I really enjoyed that each of the girls had their own story and that those stories intertwined. I liked that the ending was positive but not a perfect happily ever after, this gave it a more realistic feel. I would definitely recommend and probably read again.
hannahmccarl's review
3.5
A tale of two girls and how their lives fuse together through tragedy and loss. Definitely for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing!
robingibson's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
hkan's review
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
leslie_daley_1962's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
tffnymtg's review against another edition
5.0
This book carefully navigated the roles that people in the post-Civil War South had been forced into for more than a century after the final shots rang out. The descriptions about areas of the country that I've never visited are thorough and allowed me to get my bearings and see the locations described. The stories of Ada and Maddie woven together and separately were done extremely well and, while a tragic story, it was a beautiful debut novel.
shirleytupperfreeman's review
Since this is set in the deep south and involves a murder, it does remind me of Where the Crawdads Sing but this debut novel holds its own. It was hard to put down and I was often filled with dread as I zipped along. Ada, who is white and poor, lives with her heartless and abusive father in a house on stilts way back in the Mississippi trace (swamp). Matilda, who is black and poor, lives closer to town with her sharecropping parents. The girls' lives intersect as they become intimately involved in several situations happening around them - illegal liquor running (Prohibition is on), animal trapping, severe mistreatment by people in power over people without power. Will Ada and Matilda be able to help each other overcome the tremendous obstacles and horrors they face as they work toward their dreams for a better future? Great story.