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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
I really wanted to love this book as it has a good premise, but I couldn't fall in love with the way it was written. Basically anytime a character said something, it reminded them of something from their past and I just got annoyed of having to read a page+ of whatever it had reminded them of, every single time. I thought I would get annoyed at the many different characters presented throughout the book (and their stories), but I did enjoy that and the way it wrapped up at the end.
There is too much character development and not enough plot. There are also too many social issues in one book. If it is a social issue it is probably discussed in this book.
Emma Straub writes about contemporary life the way I wish I could, and I've absolutely loved everything I've ever read of her work. This novel was a deliciously slow telling of a family's story-- together and separately, and the weight and meaning of those intersections. Getting inside the heads of characters ranging from young adolescents to senior adults, Straub paints everyone in their full humanity, and those more negative aspects-- uncertainty, self-doubt, and anger high among them-- were so relatable, especially as they fit into parenting, I was moved to tears again and again.
I don't get all the hype for this book - it was ok. Not ground breaking in themes, characters, tensions or story lines. Everyone was a bit self absorbed and/or definitely not "adults". I gave it 3 stars because I finished it - but think story line, etc. should get 2.5 stars.
Not very memorable. Except for the main character, the kid that's spending the summer with their grandma. I actually love the young friendship between that develops. I actually forgot the main aspects of the book until I read some of the reviews again. That's right there's just a lot of political and social issues thrown in as if you're stepping into a family trying to reconcile that can be different people than they thought their small home town raised them as. Which is an important message but also a bit narrowly minded and white.
Ya know, if I hadn’t read a couple of Jonathan Tropper books recently, I might’ve like this more. Buuut, I doubt it. Straub tried to cover too many bases, IMO, and not particularly well. With the exception of Cecilia, the characters are insufferable, especially Porter. Family dramas need humor. This was flat, stale, boring. Pick your adjective.
This reminded me of Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge but written with a lighter touch. Astrid, the family matriarch is a widow with three adult children and three grandchildren. Each branch of the family has unique situations and fall-out from how they want to live now and/or how they were raised.
No spoilers here. When the 13-year-old granddaughter comes to live with Astrid, dynamics shift. Seems like young Cecilia might be the only one fully with her head on her shoulders.
Would have liked to have seen the characters in their own milieu, i.e., on the goat farm, etc. Instead the author keeps Astrid at the center and her kids seems to make their decisions based on what she might think or how she might respond. Was not expecting quite so many alternative sexual situations (abortion, affairs, interracial, youth, and LGBTQ). While these are fine to include, might have been too much emphasis on that when there was plenty more to explore in family dysfunctionality.
No spoilers here. When the 13-year-old granddaughter comes to live with Astrid, dynamics shift. Seems like young Cecilia might be the only one fully with her head on her shoulders.
Would have liked to have seen the characters in their own milieu, i.e., on the goat farm, etc. Instead the author keeps Astrid at the center and her kids seems to make their decisions based on what she might think or how she might respond. Was not expecting quite so many alternative sexual situations (abortion, affairs, interracial, youth, and LGBTQ). While these are fine to include, might have been too much emphasis on that when there was plenty more to explore in family dysfunctionality.
this book genuinely made me contemplate if i even enjoy reading