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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
I wanted to like this book and it was well written, but it was insanely depressing and if I am saying that you know it's bad.
I normally really enjoy books like this but I think the structure of the book, sort of like short stand alone vignettes, made it difficult to get into the story or care about the characters.
I probably wouldn't have read this if I didn't pick it for my book club's February selection. I didn't love it, but thought it was really good technically.
Which makes me think of both quality and appeal. There are books you love - you love the characters, or the plot catches you off guard or the location is perfect. And there are books that are technically good, that are well written and show the craft of writing. Rarely does a book do both. Sadly, this isn't a book that does both. But it does do the craft of writing in spectacular form and that is enough. And there is something to be said for that and means that I am a better for it after reading.
This story follows Hattie and her many children as she moves from the south to Philly during the great migration. The stories are sad. Really really sad. Because each chapter is essentially a short story linked it was hard to get a grip on any of them for very long.
I would recommend this to a lot of literary fiction readers, just have something light lined up afterwards.
Which makes me think of both quality and appeal. There are books you love - you love the characters, or the plot catches you off guard or the location is perfect. And there are books that are technically good, that are well written and show the craft of writing. Rarely does a book do both. Sadly, this isn't a book that does both. But it does do the craft of writing in spectacular form and that is enough. And there is something to be said for that and means that I am a better for it after reading.
This story follows Hattie and her many children as she moves from the south to Philly during the great migration. The stories are sad. Really really sad. Because each chapter is essentially a short story linked it was hard to get a grip on any of them for very long.
I would recommend this to a lot of literary fiction readers, just have something light lined up afterwards.
Interesting, but too fragmented.I wish that Hattie and her story had played a more central role in the stories of her children. Some stories were very compelling, but the last two in the book felt flat. The author didn't flesh them out well. I was also a bit disconnected from the book because of the way the female narrator read. If this had been marketed as a book of short stories it would have been better. But this is in no order, not birth order, not chronological. I also wish Hattie, the title character, showed up a little more in the stories.
Couldn't get through it. Gave it a fighting chance, but I found it quite boring and didn't end up finishing it. Couldn't keep my attention.
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a solid read. Several moments in the book were heartbreaking and hilarious, the sign of good writing. It was interesting as a character study to see the kinds of children a woman like Hattie would raise, but I ultimately did not really care. The children themselves were interesting, but there was never enough of any one character to do them justice, never enough interplay to build the complexity I desired.