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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
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:
Yes
This book felt like a liberal woman’s comedic Franzen novel. I quite enjoyed it as a sort of vacation read but it’s really just about the falling apart of a middle class white American family. I do think the author wove in semi-current politics and feelings well, but I don’t imagine the story will hold up for much longer. Maybe she should write about how Sullivan’s makes it through Covid (or not!).
Good, but not great, probably my least favorite of her books, but she's a good writer
3.5 rounded up. I enjoyed the current time setting but the characters were a bit superficial in many ways. I wanted more from them.
Not my usual book but I was entranced by a novel unafraid to talk candidly about the impact of the 2016 election and the splintering effect it had in conjunction with other aspects of life.
At times it was uncanny how recognizable and relatable characters were. Close put a microscope on the transitional thirties - focusing in on the questions and struggles of early-middle adulthood with perfect clarity.
I would call this book insightful and hope filled; it offered an opportunity for reflection about choices made, paths both traveled and not, one’s identity and the place family and community.
At times it was uncanny how recognizable and relatable characters were. Close put a microscope on the transitional thirties - focusing in on the questions and struggles of early-middle adulthood with perfect clarity.
I would call this book insightful and hope filled; it offered an opportunity for reflection about choices made, paths both traveled and not, one’s identity and the place family and community.
I LOVE a good messy family drama and this one didn't disappoint. Jennifer Close captured the Chicago suburban life like her meatloaf depended on it. Marrying the Ketchups (you will understand the title once you read the book) follows siblings as there lives orbit around the family restaurant, Sullivans.
Jane, the oldest is dealing with a dysfunctional marriage and juggling two small children while the world around her seems to be falling apart. Her younger sister Gretchen knows her 90s cover band Donna Martin Graduates is floundering and so is life. Teddy their gay cousin has decided to leave his posh restaurant manager's job and help out the family business but it isn't what he imagined. Each of the three are remarkably flawed but still endearingly human.
Because it's set in 2016, the entire novel is encompassed with the Chicago Cubs World Series and the Presidential election both of which seriously affects this family. There are quirky tidbits and chapters scattered throughout that make you think, remember back and sometimes even laugh out loud. This cast of misfits with their midlife crises rounds each other out into a great novel that sometimes slow burns and other times flies by.
If you loved the Lily King's restaurant scenes in Writers and Lovers, you will adore this novel. If you loved the family dynamics of We are the Brennans, you will have to read this one. The audiobook narrator did a FANTASTIC job, and I would definitely recommend either format depending on your preference. I will warn you that there are some drinks and food mentioned that will make you want the recipe. I'm still waiting on Jennifer Close's roommate to share "The Poof" recipe (here's hoping it's not a family secret)!!!
Jane, the oldest is dealing with a dysfunctional marriage and juggling two small children while the world around her seems to be falling apart. Her younger sister Gretchen knows her 90s cover band Donna Martin Graduates is floundering and so is life. Teddy their gay cousin has decided to leave his posh restaurant manager's job and help out the family business but it isn't what he imagined. Each of the three are remarkably flawed but still endearingly human.
Because it's set in 2016, the entire novel is encompassed with the Chicago Cubs World Series and the Presidential election both of which seriously affects this family. There are quirky tidbits and chapters scattered throughout that make you think, remember back and sometimes even laugh out loud. This cast of misfits with their midlife crises rounds each other out into a great novel that sometimes slow burns and other times flies by.
If you loved the Lily King's restaurant scenes in Writers and Lovers, you will adore this novel. If you loved the family dynamics of We are the Brennans, you will have to read this one. The audiobook narrator did a FANTASTIC job, and I would definitely recommend either format depending on your preference. I will warn you that there are some drinks and food mentioned that will make you want the recipe. I'm still waiting on Jennifer Close's roommate to share "The Poof" recipe (here's hoping it's not a family secret)!!!