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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
This book felt like you were a fly on the wall in Sullivan's-- floating between rooms, moving from one storyline to the next. The book meandered, in a not so unappealing way, but towards the end I felt like it had lost itself. While the beginning felt purposeful, meeting family members and learning about their lives, by the end, some storylines were too quick, some too drawn out.
I had a complicated relationship with the constant "this is 2016" of it all. It was laid on a bit thick. At the end of almost every chapter, a character had to bang you over the head with how the world was terrible and sad and racist. It felt so disjointed when the other 90% of the book didn't acknowledge a single bit of these topics.
That being said, I am a sucker for Chicagoland stories and reading about the Cubs winning gave me chills all over again. That's why I picked up the book and that's what I came away loving. There's a lot to like about this story and it felt like I was part of the family for my time in their world. Some aspects just really took me out of the story, making it hard for me to fall in love with the book like I was hoping to.
I had a complicated relationship with the constant "this is 2016" of it all. It was laid on a bit thick. At the end of almost every chapter, a character had to bang you over the head with how the world was terrible and sad and racist. It felt so disjointed when the other 90% of the book didn't acknowledge a single bit of these topics.
That being said, I am a sucker for Chicagoland stories and reading about the Cubs winning gave me chills all over again. That's why I picked up the book and that's what I came away loving. There's a lot to like about this story and it felt like I was part of the family for my time in their world. Some aspects just really took me out of the story, making it hard for me to fall in love with the book like I was hoping to.
Title: Marrying the Ketchups
Author: Jennifer Close
Publisher: Knopf
Genre: Literary Fiction
Marrying the Ketchups was my first read of 2023. It was a carryover BOTM from last year. I’m determined to get this stack under control! I saw this book on a couple people’s yearly favorites list, so I decided to dive in. Now, I’m not going to lie…it took me a good 25-30% to start to enjoy this book. I think I had to get a firm grasp of the characters (even with a family tree at the beginning of the book!) and the writing style. But once I was in, I was here for the drama. And not even drama so much, but more along the lines of “We all have our stuff”.
“Teddy believed that food could cure anything—heartbreak, homesickness, the common cold. During finals in college, he used to make his mom’s meat loaf recipe that called for cubes of Velveeta to be mixed inside. He swore the processed cheese made his brain sharper. It was comforting. It was home.”
This is a multigenerational tale of the Sullivan family in Chicago who love the Cubs, own a restaurant with the best burgers, and all dealing with stuff and hiding secrets from each other. It’s funny, it’s comforting and wise.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved these characters. Seriously. It’s hard to pick a favorite. My only gripe was there was lot of political stuff that I could’ve done without. Sometimes I wonder when current events are packed into a book how it will age over time.
Author: Jennifer Close
Publisher: Knopf
Genre: Literary Fiction
Marrying the Ketchups was my first read of 2023. It was a carryover BOTM from last year. I’m determined to get this stack under control! I saw this book on a couple people’s yearly favorites list, so I decided to dive in. Now, I’m not going to lie…it took me a good 25-30% to start to enjoy this book. I think I had to get a firm grasp of the characters (even with a family tree at the beginning of the book!) and the writing style. But once I was in, I was here for the drama. And not even drama so much, but more along the lines of “We all have our stuff”.
“Teddy believed that food could cure anything—heartbreak, homesickness, the common cold. During finals in college, he used to make his mom’s meat loaf recipe that called for cubes of Velveeta to be mixed inside. He swore the processed cheese made his brain sharper. It was comforting. It was home.”
This is a multigenerational tale of the Sullivan family in Chicago who love the Cubs, own a restaurant with the best burgers, and all dealing with stuff and hiding secrets from each other. It’s funny, it’s comforting and wise.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved these characters. Seriously. It’s hard to pick a favorite. My only gripe was there was lot of political stuff that I could’ve done without. Sometimes I wonder when current events are packed into a book how it will age over time.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is not bad but I wouldn't say it was good either. I felt like nothing really happened the entire time but it was entertaining enough to read to the end.
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Vomit, Grief, Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual content
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No