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joaniesickler's review against another edition
4.0
A remarkable stream of consciousness about marriage and culture clash and motherhood and life in New Hampshire written by a native of Antigua. Short and worth the effort. Enjoy.
savaging's review against another edition
3.0
This is called a novel but everyone knows it's just a loose-jointed memoir. I wanted to be on Kincaid's team, on her side. When your marriage ends horribly you write out the story of it, full confessional, no-holds-barred. It seems brave, and honest.
And maybe it is brave and it is honest, but I'm not certain it's the best literature. Kincaid is so talented, she could tell this story differently. Instead she tells it raw. And maybe it's just my own bourgeois upbringing, but with such a personal story raw like this, I feel like I walked into someone's domestic dispute, and I ought to gently excuse myself, and forget what I overheard.
And maybe it is brave and it is honest, but I'm not certain it's the best literature. Kincaid is so talented, she could tell this story differently. Instead she tells it raw. And maybe it's just my own bourgeois upbringing, but with such a personal story raw like this, I feel like I walked into someone's domestic dispute, and I ought to gently excuse myself, and forget what I overheard.
africanbookaddict's review
2.0
Not Mama Kincaid's best work. The writing is cute with all the repetition and descriptions, but nothing happens in the story. Maybe I need to re-read this at a different stage of my life; re-reading certain books/stories later can bring about some more understanding and/or appreciation for the characters and the story. But yeah... read everything else by Kincaid, not this one lol. I highly recommend 'Annie John' and 'Lucy'. Oh and of course 'A Small Place' if you're in a fiery mood :)
jaysim79's review against another edition
Could get into it some parts were funny but it took forever with just chapter 1
lsparrow's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book and I found the stream of conscious and style of writing amazingly beautiful and able to convey such depth of emotion but I found the repetition present in this style plus the use of allegory which I found over my head difficult and I found myself struggling to keep up and stay present which mean that did not end up enjoying the book.
dinahrachel's review
4.5
Struggled again with getting into this and I don’t know what someone who wasn’t already a fan would make of it. But. As it got going I absolutely loved it, to connect again with the voice of Annie John, Lucy and thinking of the woman of Talk Stories - gosh. I am older, she is older, and this is how life can go. Children, partners, circling back to make sense of childhood and who we become/became, I am with Mrs Sweet all the way!
I admit not really following all the now/then seeing, maybe on a re-read?
But also been on my TBR for 10 years and actually now was exactly the right time to read it. Grateful to the #wereadjamaicakincaid for the promt.
I admit not really following all the now/then seeing, maybe on a re-read?
But also been on my TBR for 10 years and actually now was exactly the right time to read it. Grateful to the #wereadjamaicakincaid for the promt.
anniewill's review against another edition
1.0
Ugh. I really wanted to like this book, and I plodded through the entire 182 pages hoping that it would become engaging and worthy of my time. Did it? No.
It was absolutely impossible for me to get into the rhythm of the narrative. I find it incomprehensible that I finished the entire novel and know the barest of facts about the story- Mr. Sweet hated Mrs. Sweet, the Sweets live in the former home of Shirley Jackson (oh, how that fact was drilled into the reader's head), and Mr. Sweet leaves Mrs. Sweet for a new woman.
Those aren't spoilers either because there is really no story to be told. For me, the narrative was like taking one step forward and then three steps backward until you got to the next nugget of info Kincaid doled out, then repeat.
It was a very frustrating and disappointing read. I can see this being discussed in college literature classes, but I can't imagine anyone reading this for pleasure. I'm glad it was a library book!
Note to college professors: please explain to me any hidden meaning to this novel that would change my very dissatisfied opinion.
It was absolutely impossible for me to get into the rhythm of the narrative. I find it incomprehensible that I finished the entire novel and know the barest of facts about the story- Mr. Sweet hated Mrs. Sweet, the Sweets live in the former home of Shirley Jackson (oh, how that fact was drilled into the reader's head), and Mr. Sweet leaves Mrs. Sweet for a new woman.
Those aren't spoilers either because there is really no story to be told. For me, the narrative was like taking one step forward and then three steps backward until you got to the next nugget of info Kincaid doled out, then repeat.
It was a very frustrating and disappointing read. I can see this being discussed in college literature classes, but I can't imagine anyone reading this for pleasure. I'm glad it was a library book!
Note to college professors: please explain to me any hidden meaning to this novel that would change my very dissatisfied opinion.
wereallinthegutter's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ja3m3's review against another edition
2.0
In this slip of a book, barely 200 pages, Jamaica Kincaid writes a disturbing account about the inner lives and thoughts that are hidden from those we say we love about those same people we say we love. This book is about perspective and how one person’s reality dramatically defers from others – even those living within the same perfect household.
This is not an easy read. As the family disintegrates thoughts and actions cut away at the fabric that holds them together and their anger and bitterness becomes the very air they breathe. You may find yourself questioning your own happy home as you read this tangled book, or at the very least, wondering what the hell is going on in the life of Ms. Kincaid.
This is not an easy read. As the family disintegrates thoughts and actions cut away at the fabric that holds them together and their anger and bitterness becomes the very air they breathe. You may find yourself questioning your own happy home as you read this tangled book, or at the very least, wondering what the hell is going on in the life of Ms. Kincaid.
niknakpattywhack's review against another edition
3.0
Really wish I could get into the style of this book but I just never really got there.