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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
Lordy, Lordy, this is one of the slowest novels I’ve recently read. The descriptions of this as a “quiet” novel might be the understatements of the year. While I often find stories of ordinary people to be compelling and moving, this one was just boring. There were little bits of action and then long stretches of Zorrie’s thoughts, as in “Zorrie thought about X. Zorrie thought about Y. Zorrie thought about Z, and how all X, Y, and Z had endings.” [That’s not an excerpt from the book - only my impression.] Zorrie spent a huge amount of time thinking, but none of this was explored deeply. It all felt so….repressed. I just couldn’t find a character in this book I could connect with.
I listened to the recorded version and it’s possible that listening to it and the narrator’s voice negatively influenced my experience; sometimes I like a book better when i read it in print. But I found this book so slow that mid-way through I bumped the speed up by 25% to see if that would help. It didn’t.
Still, the writing is good in its clarity, and the author creates an image of Indiana that is consistent with what I know. Hence, I rounded up from a 2.5- to a 3-star rating. Lots of people love this book. Maybe you will, too.
I listened to the recorded version and it’s possible that listening to it and the narrator’s voice negatively influenced my experience; sometimes I like a book better when i read it in print. But I found this book so slow that mid-way through I bumped the speed up by 25% to see if that would help. It didn’t.
Still, the writing is good in its clarity, and the author creates an image of Indiana that is consistent with what I know. Hence, I rounded up from a 2.5- to a 3-star rating. Lots of people love this book. Maybe you will, too.
emotional
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
Laird Hunt's prose is compelling as it moves you through the story of Zorrie's life. I enjoyed the various historic references especially to the Radium Girls, but would not have enjoyed the plot as much if the writing hadn't been so evocative.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I struggled to sink into this book and it seemed too short to have been the story of one woman's entire life. I felt like it was more like a rock skipping across the surface of something that could have been so much more in-depth. The audiobook was only five hours long.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
This was fine. A little boring, but maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood for a story like this.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No