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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I know I should at least give this 3 stars, or 4 stars. The prose was amazing as ever. But it was such a letdown, and I'm not feeling generous at the moment.
This is the story of Frankie Addams, a 12 year old girl at the end of the summer, about to attend her brother's wedding. I don't know about you, but I feel like Frankie was me when I was 12 years old. I was questioning my place in the world.
And Frankie, she did all sorts of things during her summer, but she couldn't help but feel that there was something missing. She was restless, and no matter what she did, it wasn't what she wanted to do. Then comes her brother and his fiance, and she falls in love with the couple. Finally, she sees this as an opportunity to leave her hometown and become a part of something, no longer alone.
I really liked Frankie's insights (see added quotes).
Perhaps this is my favorite quote of them all, because this was exactly what I was contemplating a while back. There are so many people in the world, in my hometown there's at least a thousand, and I will never know most of them. It leaves a queer feeling, that I want to be connected to these people.
But to tell the truth, I thought this was a growing up story. If growing up meant being disillusioned, then Frankie grew up in a most disheartening way. I felt that the book stopped abruptly, and I'm not a fan of endings where things were going great, but then it didn't and it just stopped. It was a 150-pages book, and I don't know why McCullers would just end like that. It's like she was even more melancholic than when she wrote [b:The Heart is a Lonely Hunter|37380|The Heart is a Lonely Hunter|Carson McCullers|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1168914678s/37380.jpg|860196]. Look, I want to be inspired, not dejected. Where's the big epiphany? That life sucks? I was already aware of that.
And I guess my problem also lies in that I liked the melancholy that was The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, and by the time I read The Member of the Wedding I no longer wanted to read another melancholic novel. At least the former novel had redeeming qualities. The Member of the Wedding read too much like The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, with only a "Mick Kelly" as the protagonist.
Sure, it's unfair to judge this book by its predecessor, but I can't help it. The Member of the Wedding is another novel about human isolation, and McCullers already succeeded with [b:The Heart is a Lonely Hunter|37380|The Heart is a Lonely Hunter|Carson McCullers|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1168914678s/37380.jpg|860196].
This is the story of Frankie Addams, a 12 year old girl at the end of the summer, about to attend her brother's wedding. I don't know about you, but I feel like Frankie was me when I was 12 years old. I was questioning my place in the world.
"She was afraid of these things that made her suddenly wonder who she was, and what she was going to be in the world, and why she was standing at that minute, seeing a light, or listening, or staring up into the sky: alone."
And Frankie, she did all sorts of things during her summer, but she couldn't help but feel that there was something missing. She was restless, and no matter what she did, it wasn't what she wanted to do. Then comes her brother and his fiance, and she falls in love with the couple. Finally, she sees this as an opportunity to leave her hometown and become a part of something, no longer alone.
I really liked Frankie's insights (see added quotes).
"There are all these people here I don't know by sight or by name. And we pass alongside each other and don't have any connection. And they don't know me and I don't know them. And now I'm leaving town and there are all these people I will never know."
Perhaps this is my favorite quote of them all, because this was exactly what I was contemplating a while back. There are so many people in the world, in my hometown there's at least a thousand, and I will never know most of them. It leaves a queer feeling, that I want to be connected to these people.
But to tell the truth, I thought this was a growing up story. If growing up meant being disillusioned, then Frankie grew up in a most disheartening way. I felt that the book stopped abruptly, and I'm not a fan of endings where things were going great, but then it didn't and it just stopped. It was a 150-pages book, and I don't know why McCullers would just end like that. It's like she was even more melancholic than when she wrote [b:The Heart is a Lonely Hunter|37380|The Heart is a Lonely Hunter|Carson McCullers|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1168914678s/37380.jpg|860196]. Look, I want to be inspired, not dejected.
Spoiler
Killing off John Henry like that, and Frankie turning into plain Frances and just letting life pass her by.And I guess my problem also lies in that I liked the melancholy that was The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, and by the time I read The Member of the Wedding I no longer wanted to read another melancholic novel. At least the former novel had redeeming qualities. The Member of the Wedding read too much like The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, with only a "Mick Kelly" as the protagonist.
Sure, it's unfair to judge this book by its predecessor, but I can't help it. The Member of the Wedding is another novel about human isolation, and McCullers already succeeded with [b:The Heart is a Lonely Hunter|37380|The Heart is a Lonely Hunter|Carson McCullers|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1168914678s/37380.jpg|860196].
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Frankie Addams is a young, headstrong twelve-year-old that is bored with her life and has tendencies that are borderline homicidal. She has a history of crime, and in the novel, she calmly threatens her life and points a pistol at the cook, Berenice. She does not approve of her appearance, often calling herself a freak. Frankie does not really develop throughout the book, only changing her name to F. Jasmine to be more like her brother and his fiancée, respectively named Jarvis and Janice. She is not a character you can easily relate to. Frankie takes something, and twists it, creating something often out of nothing.
The book is almost comical in its all-over-the-place plot and horrendous "climax."
There are many events in the story, but I did not think most of them affected the main storyline in any way. For example, when Frankie meets the drunken soldier, this did not relate to the main idea, nor contribute. Unfortunately, very few characters-like the soldier-were ever mentioned again, and they did not affect the storyline either. Some characters were unnecessary additions.
The main plot idea was based on this wedding. Frankie and her father are invited to her brother’s wedding. It gives her something to look forward to through her dull summer. But the idea was lost along the book, Frankie might have occasionally mentioned how excited she was, but no conflict or complications came to affect the wedding idea. The wedding itself was summed up in a small paragraph towards the end. The rest of the book seemed filled with non-relevant details.
The story was unusual in the fact that it did not follow or add anything to the main idea. Time was lost in the book, because one day it is a day before the wedding, then we are back in the past unknowingly. This made it confusing, and since the flashbacks did not contribute to the main idea, they felt frivolous. The book was more set in the past than in the present. The plot did not advance until the end of the book, and by that time, the idea was lost.
I would not recommend this book. It struggled to hold my interest and the characters lacked depth and development. The author’s use of flashbacks is almost constant, and they are sudden and impossible to follow. Throughout the book, the author strings us along with useless details and abandoned plot ideas. It seems the author had an idea, but did not know what to do with it. I suffered through the book, desperately hoping it would at some point improve.
It still makes me cringe.
The book is almost comical in its all-over-the-place plot and horrendous "climax."
There are many events in the story, but I did not think most of them affected the main storyline in any way. For example, when Frankie meets the drunken soldier, this did not relate to the main idea, nor contribute. Unfortunately, very few characters-like the soldier-were ever mentioned again, and they did not affect the storyline either. Some characters were unnecessary additions.
The main plot idea was based on this wedding. Frankie and her father are invited to her brother’s wedding. It gives her something to look forward to through her dull summer. But the idea was lost along the book, Frankie might have occasionally mentioned how excited she was, but no conflict or complications came to affect the wedding idea. The wedding itself was summed up in a small paragraph towards the end. The rest of the book seemed filled with non-relevant details.
The story was unusual in the fact that it did not follow or add anything to the main idea. Time was lost in the book, because one day it is a day before the wedding, then we are back in the past unknowingly. This made it confusing, and since the flashbacks did not contribute to the main idea, they felt frivolous. The book was more set in the past than in the present. The plot did not advance until the end of the book, and by that time, the idea was lost.
I would not recommend this book. It struggled to hold my interest and the characters lacked depth and development. The author’s use of flashbacks is almost constant, and they are sudden and impossible to follow. Throughout the book, the author strings us along with useless details and abandoned plot ideas. It seems the author had an idea, but did not know what to do with it. I suffered through the book, desperately hoping it would at some point improve.
It still makes me cringe.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers is a moody, atmospheric novel exploring loneliness, identity, and the painful confusion of adolescence. Frankie Adams is caught between childhood and adulthood, desperate to belong but endlessly restless. While the prose is beautiful, the slow pacing and heavy angst may test your patience. The real heart of the story lies in the warm, tense kitchen conversations between Frankie, Berenice, and John Henry. A classic that’s powerful but not always an easy read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief
Minor: Child abuse
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Though I could relate to Frankie, I had to force myself to finish this brief novella. The author took too much time with Frankie's thoughts- which were understandably young and impetuous- but I can only handle so much of that.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes