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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Excellent book, well devised with excellent writing. Real life characters in that everyone was just a little annoying.
emotional
reflective
sad
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
Beautifully written, but I found Alma insufferable, and the ending was unsatisfying.
This has a fair number of 1 star reviews here, but I feel that the publisher set him up for failure with the blurb about this being a spectacular love story when really it was a “just another white dude finds himself” type thing. Well-written, but ultimately kind of flavorless. I hope he keeps writing, particularly about Kentucky, but not about himself. Meta-auto-fiction (a writer writing himself into his writing as he writes about writing) is rather navel-gazey and not for me. Three stars for the writing and for James, who, while tokenized a bit, is an interesting character.
I didn’t hate it, exactly. The writing about KY was interesting, even if his geography was sometimes wildly off, even accounting for artistic license. I think he would be a good essayist, and I look forward to more.
PS I listened to this, and that performance was very, very good.
I didn’t hate it, exactly. The writing about KY was interesting, even if his geography was sometimes wildly off, even accounting for artistic license. I think he would be a good essayist, and I look forward to more.
PS I listened to this, and that performance was very, very good.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-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
An interesting coming of age story along with commentary on the South story. I enjoyed the Southern commentary more, as it is pitted against Alma’s elite upbringing. The novel doesn’t have a grand conclusions, which is true for life. It’s quiet overall and is missing any big conflict.
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
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
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
This was the first Appalachian lit book that I could see myself in. Cole really captures the heart of what it means to be a liberal in small-town Kentucky.
I liked the idea based on the synopsis - a novel reflecting on the disconnect between political groups and the rural Southern US vs. "coastal elites" - but I struggled through this one. There were some nice moments in writing and phrasing, and a few side characters I would have loved more about, but Owen and Alma were often insufferable and outside of that frequently boring. The ending was one of those vague not-endings I personally can't stand, but I know it works for some people. Nothing inherently wrong here, I just couldn't get invested.
A quote from the grandfather in this book states, "The things you think are dull become the things you long for." This novel contains no epic unsolved mysteries or plot twists; however, this coming-of-age story focuses on navigating the so called "metaphorical jungle" of life. This would have easily been a 4-star rating had the author utilized quotation marks and chapters. Even though this style mirrored the protagonist's own writing style as an author, I found myself having to re-read multiple paragraphs simply to uncover which character was speaking. This would make an excellent book club selection considering it is set during the 2016 election and uncovers relationship struggles derived from class, race, education, and religious ties. The ambiguous ending leaves lots of room for discussion.