Reviews

Flying Changes by Sara Gruen

annie_obrien_irl's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

catladyjenna1's review

3.0

The writing was bland but I appreciate how flawed the main character was.

brianajae's review

5.0

Sara Gruen is truly an impressive author.

bookishjaja's review

4.0

I think you can tell from other reviews of this two-book series that this is DEFINITELY not Sara Gruen's best work. Water for Elephants was truly incredible, but the Riding Lessons series seems like it was written by another person entirely. But it's good to know that Sara Gruen got so much better as a writer. I also really liked Ape House, so it's safe to say I'll read At the Water's Edge eventually.

But let's talk about Flying Changes. I liked this sequel better than Riding Lessons. Annemarie was the absolute worst in the first book, and despite her still have many flaws in here, she wasn't nearly as annoying to me. Her incompetence and poor parenting were much more under control. She's gone from being a complete basket case to being only spastic.

I liked the pace of the story as well. We moved quickly, but nothing ever felt rushed or glossed over. And there was plenty of excitement that kept me wanting to read just one more chapter. There are a lot of big moments in the book that would otherwise have you thinking "how does this much happen to one family," but Sara Gruen still pieced everything together to make the story believable. The plot made up for characters who weren't the most likable.

Overall, the characters in this series could have been better. They were almost too extreme. But the story itself is solid, and I'm finishing these books feeling satisfied.

aerenrich's review

4.0

You know you're maturing when you can connect more with the 40 year old main character than with her 16 year old daughter. I'm much closer in age to the daughter.

bookishlybecca's review

4.0

Second Read-through: May 2019
I ended up liking this one more than its predecessor, but it was a bit hit-and-miss for a while there. ;/ Still, all the horse/animal vibes contained within this duology will never not make me super happy. ^_^

Thoughts:

1. Annemarie became increasingly neurotic and rather insufferable in this book, and I found myself feeling significantly more frustrated with her than I was in Riding Lessons (particularly in the middle section of this novel). She frequently acted irrationally and made bad, overdramatic decisions based solely on her emotions and insecurities, and it just didn't seem to me as though she had truly learned from her past mistakes or was trying to grow and become a better person. Thankfully however, by the end of the book, she did finally realize that she needed to change her way of both thinking and acting
   (and that she needed professional help in order to properly do so). She fully accepted her past and came to peace with it, and was even brave enough to admit to herself that she had some understandable but serious mental-health related issues that had been with her, untreated, since her riding accident all those years before. It was very satisfying and heart-warming to see this realization finally come to fruition, and I'm glad we got to witness the start of her healing process as well. The last chapter in the book was definitely one of my favourites, out of both books, just for how it subtly yet touchingly showed that Annemarie was, at long last, on her road to recovery.
2. Annemarie's relationships with some of the other characters in this book ended up becoming quite complex and convoluted, which I both liked and didn't like. The only interactions I truly enjoyed and appreciated were the ones Annemarie had with her mother. I adore how much their relationship has grown since they've been back in each others' lives, and it truly warmed my heart to see how close they've become again. I loved all of the conversations they had too. Ursula was not only someone for Annemarie to lean on and get advice from in this book, but also someone to cheer her up and make her smile/laugh. Ursula was definitely my favourite character in this duology, and she had some particularly good lines and scenes in this latter book. Annemarie's relationships with Eva and Dan, however, were a complete, overdramatic mess much of the time, and though I'm quite satisfied with where they ended up by the end of the book, I definitely didn't like "the journey" it took to get them there.
3. The writing felt stronger to me in this book, in comparison to the previous one. The dialogue worked a lot better and everything just flowed more smoothly too. I still loved all of the descriptions, but I wish we'd had more introspective sections from Annemarie, like in Riding Lessons.
4. The plot was one of my main hangups in this book. It reeeeally struggled in the middle section and the couple of small subplots that were introduced
   (Fricassee and Freddie)
   just felt pointless and overly bothersome to me. I did really enjoy the beginning and ending of the book though
   (particularly Maisie's foaling, Eva's horse show, and everything to do with Jeremy)
   , to the point where they made up for the annoying middle, I think. ;)
5. The ending was, again, a tad bit rushed, but I adored the last chapter and am extremely satisfied with how everything came together. It was nice to see where the family and their stable ended up, particularly knowing they were likely, this time, on the path to ultimate happiness. <3

alittlebookish's review

4.0

This is the second book of a two book series. I have already reviewed the first book Riding Lessons and that being said I really enjoyed this book a lot better than the first one. The main character in the first book was quite irritating and it was difficult to sympathize with her. In this book, while she still does some frustrating things, she is a much more believable character. I stayed up all night finishing this one; I couldn't put it down. I also found that this book tugged a bit more at the heartstrings. Gruen really developed each character from the first book and I found myself drawn into wanting to know more. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

javathebookjunkie's review

4.0

I was beginning to be a little disappointed, but then about five chapters from the end BOOM! the entire plot takes a turn for the better...or worse if you look at it from the character's perspective. Either way, it saved what would have otherwise been a disappointing end.

janerel's review against another edition

3.0

I normally don't like books written in present tense as they don't seem to flow as well when reading but this is an exception. I was soon in the flow of the writing style and enjoyed to book immensely. The character's foibles made them more interesting but still likeable. The ending was suitable and left me satisfied. All in all a good read.

skateanddonate's review against another edition

4.0

Great book. Wrapped up the two book series perfectly. Had me bawling. Loved the ending.