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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
I picked up this book because someone in my book club selected Sisterland and I wanted to get an idea about the author's writing style. I enjoyed reading about Alice Lindgren growing up in Riley, Wisconsin and her spunky and progressive grandmother Emilie. Emilie;s story could have held a book on her own! Once Charlie Blackwell and his privileged family is introduced you begin to realize that this story is somewhat unoriginal by loosely basing her characters on the lives of President George and Laura Bush. That was very disappointing as we have a general idea about their lives and can pick up a biography. At times, I found that the characters were built on stereotypes from the wealthy to minorities. Also, there seemed to be a fast forward from Governor to President which left very little info on their lives and gaps in time. The book was well written but I wish that the characters and story was more original.
Overall, not as good as prep. Could have used more significant editing: parts of the book were a bit long-winded. However, some key sections of the book were stunning and absolutely wrapped me up. The ending of the book, as the text tries more and more to parallel to Laura Bush's life, is where the book falls apart. I would have cut the last section and loved the book much more.
I surrender. I enjoyed the first part about Alice’s life before she meets Charlie but once the story turned to the Uber rich in-laws I just could deal anymore. And while it is just “based on” the life of Laura Bush; I still found reading the second scenes too skeeby. Lost interest in this. Plenty of other books to read. I hope Rodham is better
Is it okay if I have a mild attraction to a fictional pre political George W?
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
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
Sometimes, I pick up books I've reserved at the library and think, When the hell did I add this?
This was a breeze to read and it held my interest even after realizing who the inspirations were. It read like a guilty pleasure Harlequin story. I just stopped reading when it finally led to the political part of the story.
This was a breeze to read and it held my interest even after realizing who the inspirations were. It read like a guilty pleasure Harlequin story. I just stopped reading when it finally led to the political part of the story.
This book tells the story of Alice Blackwell - we meet her in high school right before a tragic car accident that kills a classmate. She meets a boisterous man, Charlie, who is nearly her polar opposite. Alice is a librarian who is quiet and introspective; Charlie is from a well-connected political family who loves to have a good time. Charlie is eventually elected President and Alice finds herself struggling with Charlie's administration's divisive war in the Middle East. Sound familiar? Sittenfield styled the character of Alice off of Laura Bush.
Sittenfield does a really nice job of making Alice feel real; we're with her for so much of her life, that she feels like a friend. There were a few "fast-forward" moments, that left me feeling a little disconnected, almost like how when you lose touch with a real friend, it takes a while to get back up to speed on who they are now.
A lot of the novel deals with Alice's democratic leanings, a bit of a problem since her husband is a staunch conservative. They keep their differences to themselves for the most part, but she struggles with their ideological differences, chiefly the war. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending as it seemed a bit abrupt to me.
I was impressed that Sittenfield kept the story so engaging; this wasn't a short book by any means, clocking in at 500+ pages, but I rarely felt bored or disinterested. I read Prep a few years back; I don't have any distinct memories of it, so I may pick it up again.
Sittenfield does a really nice job of making Alice feel real; we're with her for so much of her life, that she feels like a friend. There were a few "fast-forward" moments, that left me feeling a little disconnected, almost like how when you lose touch with a real friend, it takes a while to get back up to speed on who they are now.
A lot of the novel deals with Alice's democratic leanings, a bit of a problem since her husband is a staunch conservative. They keep their differences to themselves for the most part, but she struggles with their ideological differences, chiefly the war. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending as it seemed a bit abrupt to me.
I was impressed that Sittenfield kept the story so engaging; this wasn't a short book by any means, clocking in at 500+ pages, but I rarely felt bored or disinterested. I read Prep a few years back; I don't have any distinct memories of it, so I may pick it up again.
emotional
funny
reflective
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