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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really loved the beginning but lost interest
Something happened to the protagonist that really triggered me, and I’m not sure how I feel about making up such things about a real person— even with a different name and a clear disclaimer that it’s fiction. 🤷♀️ It just didn’t sit right with me, so I chose not to continue.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Abortion
Brilliant book! Although at times it borders on snark (the husband has a fear of the dark; and when she sees a man who smiles like her husband, the protagonist wonders whether he's brain damaged), Sittenfeld creates a sympathetic inner portrait of the former first lady.
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
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
Mixed feelings on this one. I LOVED Rodham by this same other, and this is a similar idea but with a much less interesting subject. I feel like ultimately this Laura Bush inspired character was pretty boring. However, I do like the extremely detailed way Sittenfeld gets into a character's brain. Read Rodham instead!
emotional
hopeful
medium-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
Sittenfeld does not disappoint. I'm not sure if I can elucidate what I liked about the book, but I'll try. The characters seemed complex, and real, and I was drawn into Alice's world completely.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I made it about a quarter of the way through this book before the author just lost me. Alice's response to tragedy was so bizarre, and the resulting tone of the book so depressing, I couldn't continue. I also found it difficult to read a book so specifically inspired by a single event in a real person's life, and I was always questioning where it diverged and whether or not the novel remained respectful to its inspiration. This just wasn't the book for me.