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sf424's review against another edition
3.0
This book suffers from unnecessary length. The middle of it is a bit of a slog, and to me it didn't carry the same power and imagery throughout as some of Stegner's other books. Still, there are moments where you remember how incredible of a writer he is -- enough of them for the book to be worth reading.
jeanetterenee's review against another edition
1.0
Just goes to show, even a literary hero can lay an egg once in awhile. I gave this book much more time than it deserved because of my great fondness for Stegner, but I had to give up. If you'd given me this book minus the author's name, I never would have guessed Wally had written it. NOTHING like his other work, and I hate to say it, but it almost ventures into literary chick book territory. As far as I went that's what it seemed like, anyway. I did give it two tries, so I won't be revisiting it in the future.
I still love you, Wally! We all make mistakes.
I still love you, Wally!
ssaurer's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
darrin's review
4.0
I started out trudging through this book like a fisherman in waders in hip-deep mud and almost abandoned it...until I got to the midway point when it suddenly improved. I don't know whether this was because of something that was going on with me or the book but it certainly got better once Sabrina Castro stopped her downward slide into stupidity.
5 stars, certainly, for Stegner's writing. I think I said this when I read Angle of Repose....it takes me a couple of chapters to get my head around his writing style. He is a dense, intellectual writer that really challenges a contemporary reader not used to this type of writing. For this reason, I like it all the more.
That said, 2 to 3 stars for this particular story. Personally, in Angle of Repose, I feel that Stegner was able to use a template of sorts for his main female character, Susan Burling Ward. He had the letters of Mary Hallock Foote to rely on. In these letters he had an authentic female voice that drove the story and gave an accurate reflection of what the character thought and felt at the time.
Sabrina Castro, on the other hand, is a modern female character and I think that without the authentic female voice that he was able to rely on in Angle of Repose, Stegner falls into the category of just another male writer writing a stereotyped female character without much depth.
3.5 stars leaning toward 4 for me overall.
5 stars, certainly, for Stegner's writing. I think I said this when I read Angle of Repose....it takes me a couple of chapters to get my head around his writing style. He is a dense, intellectual writer that really challenges a contemporary reader not used to this type of writing. For this reason, I like it all the more.
That said, 2 to 3 stars for this particular story. Personally, in Angle of Repose, I feel that Stegner was able to use a template of sorts for his main female character, Susan Burling Ward. He had the letters of Mary Hallock Foote to rely on. In these letters he had an authentic female voice that drove the story and gave an accurate reflection of what the character thought and felt at the time.
Sabrina Castro, on the other hand, is a modern female character and I think that without the authentic female voice that he was able to rely on in Angle of Repose, Stegner falls into the category of just another male writer writing a stereotyped female character without much depth.
3.5 stars leaning toward 4 for me overall.
realbooks4ever's review
1.0
Aaaaaaaagh!!! I can't take it anymore!! Dated, misogynistic, just plain bad.
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