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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
I wish I could get all the time I spent on this book back.
Loved it. This book is loosely based on the life of Laura Bush and it is both touching and grating at the same time. The heroine is sweet and, despite all of her faults, a good person. It is long, but well worth it.
Normally, I am intrigued by the premise of a book and either dissatisfied or delighted by the execution. In this case, I have to admit I was put off by the premise (a fictionalized account of Laura Bush and her marriage??? What the???), but heard enough good things from people I trust that I gave it a shot…and I was ENGROSSED the whole time! Ultimately, it’s page-turning meditation on grief, identity, marriage and loving people you disagree with more than anything. I related a scary amount to Alice Lindgren and now I’m terrified I might accidentally marry a future republican president, one of the worst fates I can fathom. I really have to give it up to Curtis Sittenfeld, she writes some of the most believably human characters I’ve come across. Would be fascinating to read in tandem with Everything’s Fine by Cecilia Rabess. 4.5 stars!
I almost want to label this historical fiction. I didn't realize when I started reading this that it was loosely based on George W. and Laura Bush. The similarities are too great to be coincidence.
I felt cheated that there was so little about Charlie's rise to the presidency. At one moment, he's the owner of a pro baseball team. The next, he's president of the U.S. with 18 months left in his term!
Other than that, it was a good book.
I felt cheated that there was so little about Charlie's rise to the presidency. At one moment, he's the owner of a pro baseball team. The next, he's president of the U.S. with 18 months left in his term!
Other than that, it was a good book.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have always wondered about Laura Bush and her motivations.
I enjoyed the first quarter about Alice as a child/teenager. But I think adult Alice’s character really came across as naive and lacking insight into others and left me cold.
Add onto the fact that knowing Charlie was GWB meant you couldn’t really see him as a romantic hero- or even a comic one it meant I spent most of the novel wishing the author would go off the historical track so to speak.
Yet knowing the Bushes were the inspiration kept me reading whereas the life of Alice Blackwell would have meant I stopped around the time she married Charlie
I enjoyed the first quarter about Alice as a child/teenager. But I think adult Alice’s character really came across as naive and lacking insight into others and left me cold.
Add onto the fact that knowing Charlie was GWB meant you couldn’t really see him as a romantic hero- or even a comic one it meant I spent most of the novel wishing the author would go off the historical track so to speak.
Yet knowing the Bushes were the inspiration kept me reading whereas the life of Alice Blackwell would have meant I stopped around the time she married Charlie
Holy crap this is awesome. Much better than Man of My Dreams and Prep.
I could hardly put it down. This is by far one of the best books I've read this year. I didn't want it to end.
RH- I'm sending it your way!
I could hardly put it down. This is by far one of the best books I've read this year. I didn't want it to end.
RH- I'm sending it your way!
i hated this book . I could barely get through . the writing was terrible.
If you can get past thinking about this as Laura and George Bush, this is a really fun read. The character development of Alice is superb and the highlight of the book. It kept me wanting to know what was going to happen to her next!