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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I came into this book with certain expectations…I thought it was going to primarily focus on the mother Rosaleen. Instead it went in-depth into the lives of her four kids, introducing too many plot lines and side characters. I didn’t really enjoy learning about them because their stories were convoluted and the main event of the novel doesn’t begin until halfway through and THEN the actual climax of the story doesn’t occur until the last 50 pages. The book just had strange pacing and too many characters for my liking. I enjoy when Enright is perceptive, though…she captures family dynamics incredibly well. Just not the book I was expecting.
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
Imagine a bookshelf filled with your favorite contemporary novels about family dynamics. This can sit beside any of them and will surpass most for sheer beauty of writing and for emotional/psychological depth of perception. It also offers a stereotype free Irish setting.
I loved this book! Enright did a great job representing family dynamics in a realistic and compassionate way. The book takes place over the course of 30 years and follows the development of each character during that time. The first part of the book gives a separate section to four siblings and their mother. In some ways the sections read like interconnected short stories. The second half of the book brings all the siblings back together for one final Christmas in the family home. How have I not read Enright before???
I had such high expectations for this book, Winner of a Man Booker Prize, set in Ireland, well known author, but was let down. The first part was certainly interesting but I was let down by the reunion of the children.
At times, I adored this Irish drama and at times I abhorred it. Haha. Certainly set the tone for complicated family relationships and imperfect parents and imperfect children that grow into flawed adults.... sometime the parent's fault and sometimes despite their parents. Pretty heavy. A little like "Normal People" and "The Heart's Invisible Furies". Both, especially the latter WAY BETTER in that you will like and even love the characters.
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced