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megsmyname's review against another edition
3.0
Damn, I wanted to love this book, but it just fell short on the hype for me. I can't say I wasn't biased going in because my excitement and expectations were high. Good writing, solid enough story and character development yet somehow it just never really grabbed me. I liked the characters and the subtlety written struggles they carried with them (and not so subtle for others), but again it just fell short for me.
ETA: Okay, so upon further reflection I think the book is just being touted as something it's just really not. If it was described as a coming of age story that would have been MUCH more accurate and might have lead to me enjoying it more. And now that I've figured out what bugged me so much about it, I'm sticking to a solid 3 and even feel a little miffed about the whole thing. Ehh, I'll get over it.
ETA: Okay, so upon further reflection I think the book is just being touted as something it's just really not. If it was described as a coming of age story that would have been MUCH more accurate and might have lead to me enjoying it more. And now that I've figured out what bugged me so much about it, I'm sticking to a solid 3 and even feel a little miffed about the whole thing. Ehh, I'll get over it.
mycouscous's review against another edition
3.0
Carry the One follows the lives of a group of people who were involved in a fatal car accident on a wedding night, examining where they take their lives in the aftermath. Some of Anshaw's prose was very funny, while at times beautifully precise. Her characters were multifacted and complex for the most part, though some came off as one-note jokes (ie: Tom the folksinger). A thought-provoking novel about grief, culpability, and redemption. But still, rather run of the mill for me.
rbandock's review against another edition
4.0
Carry the One is the story of how a tragic accident follow the lives of those involved. As the decades pass, we find them irretrievably altered. It is a compelling story of family, friendship, loss, betrayal, and life.
cbking's review against another edition
4.0
You either like literary fiction set around a big family as it ages through the years, or you don't. I do, and I particularly appreciated the way Anshaw handled the switching POVs. Looking forward to reading more by her.
jcargabr's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book more, but I found myself just not caring- about the characters, the plot or anything. Although ostensibly the book takes the characters from the early 80s to the present, it doesn't seem to ground them well in any of the time periods. The author takes snapshots of each individual over time, and we somewhat seem them grow older, but only descriptively - otherwise they seem frozen in character with no real growth of mind or heart. Plus, after no mystical influence whatsoever the last note of the novel tries to strike a somewhat mystical note that is out of keeping with the rest of the novel. Unlike, say, A Visit From The Goon Squad, the author does not take advantage of the large time jumps or character development. Simply put, others have done this much much better.
penelope2202's review against another edition
4.0
I can't say I found this book any easy read both for it's style and it's subject matter. However having managed to finish it I can't help but feel I have read something quite brilliant and worth giving my time and energy to.
alexalovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Review posted on Alexa Loves Books
Even though I finished this novel last week, I found I needed a little time before I could even attempt to write a coherent review. There were just a lot of words and impressions and feelings swirling about in my head; though they remain untamed, it is my hope that I can organize them in a way that can fully and sufficiently express what I thought of Carry the One.
Carol Anshaw has a masterful way with words. The story is beautifully written, with characters that come across as genuine and descriptive turns of phrase. Though she never attempts to follow a precise timeline, the passage of time and the changes that occur during them come across clear enough. The end result is a novel where it appears that Anshaw is picking out the moments that we must see, the significant ones, the ones that really matter.
The book chronicles the journey, mainly of the three siblings, as they carry the "one" with them all their lives. We see how, either subtly or obviously, the accident affected each of them and the outcome of their lives. The book is not about the accident; it is about the reaction to it, whether it is a reaction that is consciously embraced or unconsciously worms it way in out of nowhere. It remains in the background of their lives, as each one of them tries to deal with their grief and guilt and move on.
Because of the realistic way that the portrayal of dealing with these emotions was done, I found the book utterly compelling. We see different reactions in the novel - a hopeless despair, a furious need to get it out of the system and a need to compensate with steadiness. Each of these are portrayed so eloquently, so beautifully.
Not only is the plot brilliant, but the carefully molded characters come to life with Anshaw's words. We discover their thoughts, habits, talents, worries and secrets - especially in lieu of the accident. The book feels a bit voyeuristic to me, as the reader examines these characters - Alice, Carmen and Nick - and their lives in detail, getting glimpses of them that perhaps were meant to be private. This feeling that I could see what no one else (in their world at least) could further fueled my interest in the novel.
Carry the One is not an easy read - but it is one that is worth it in the end.
Even though I finished this novel last week, I found I needed a little time before I could even attempt to write a coherent review. There were just a lot of words and impressions and feelings swirling about in my head; though they remain untamed, it is my hope that I can organize them in a way that can fully and sufficiently express what I thought of Carry the One.
Carol Anshaw has a masterful way with words. The story is beautifully written, with characters that come across as genuine and descriptive turns of phrase. Though she never attempts to follow a precise timeline, the passage of time and the changes that occur during them come across clear enough. The end result is a novel where it appears that Anshaw is picking out the moments that we must see, the significant ones, the ones that really matter.
The book chronicles the journey, mainly of the three siblings, as they carry the "one" with them all their lives. We see how, either subtly or obviously, the accident affected each of them and the outcome of their lives. The book is not about the accident; it is about the reaction to it, whether it is a reaction that is consciously embraced or unconsciously worms it way in out of nowhere. It remains in the background of their lives, as each one of them tries to deal with their grief and guilt and move on.
Because of the realistic way that the portrayal of dealing with these emotions was done, I found the book utterly compelling. We see different reactions in the novel - a hopeless despair, a furious need to get it out of the system and a need to compensate with steadiness. Each of these are portrayed so eloquently, so beautifully.
Not only is the plot brilliant, but the carefully molded characters come to life with Anshaw's words. We discover their thoughts, habits, talents, worries and secrets - especially in lieu of the accident. The book feels a bit voyeuristic to me, as the reader examines these characters - Alice, Carmen and Nick - and their lives in detail, getting glimpses of them that perhaps were meant to be private. This feeling that I could see what no one else (in their world at least) could further fueled my interest in the novel.
Carry the One is not an easy read - but it is one that is worth it in the end.
mscalls's review against another edition
1.0
I really didn't like this. At all. There were a lot of lesbian parts, which I didn't know were going to happen, and I didn't like that it happened since it was a sneak attack. I probably would've reconsidered getting this book had I known there were a lot of those parts in the book. Other than those parts, it was a snooze and had too much flowery language for me. I've been seeing reviews raving about the metaphorical and uber-descriptive language used. I will concede that there were some beautifully described scenes, but more often than not it just irked me. Alas.