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colleenoakes's review
4.0
Anshaw has a miraculous way of breaking down family relationships so that you see clearly where each and every sibling's feelings and reactions come from. This story, of regret, relief and carrying the past with you was a great meditation on where life's choices take you. At times very dark, the end was uplifting and powerful. A great read.
melissarochelle's review
3.0
This book has a similar issue to [b:Seating Arrangements|12712435|Seating Arrangements|Maggie Shipstead|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1329425347s/12712435.jpg|17846412], not sure why I kept reading but I did. Unlike Seating Arrangements, I liked these characters -- especially Carmen and Alice. I just wish there had been more there, I kept expecting things to happen and nothing really did. Still a good book, but not one of my favorites.
maureenmccombs's review
4.0
I picked up this book, read a few chapters, put it down, read several more books and then made my way back to this one. I am so, so glad I did. I loved this book. The writing was smart, the characters were interesting and although the impetus of the plot of the novel was a tragic event, this book was not depressing. It was indeed very entertaining and thought provoking. Some of Anshaw's turns of phrase just killed me with their brilliance: how exactly ducks are put in a row, likening the love of a husband for his wife as him putting her on a float in a parade every day, people living their lives in the pursuit of badges for their sash. I could go on but I am gushing. This book was excellent, the writing was fantastic and I highly recommend it.
lindzee's review against another edition
3.0
Not nearly as good as the hype I had heard. None of the characters were that interesting or that complex. And the narrative structure was very hard to follow.
rachl27r's review against another edition
2.0
It wasn't till I was getting to the end of the book that I realized how much I hated all the main characters in this book. They all just seemed like miserable, selfish people. I did finish the book, but only because I held out hope that these awful people could somehow redeem themselves and be happy. Nope.
elvang's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book for the most part. It follows the lives of family members involved in a tragic accident following a wedding. The story reminded me of Forest Gump. As the author follows her characters throughout their lives, the good and the sad, we readers watch the events and attitudes of those times unfold.
With a stronger ending I may have given this one a 5 star rating but Anshaw appeared to run out of steam by the end of the book. A melancholy read but well done overall by the author. It was a pleasure to see gay and straight couples treated equally. The times they are a changing.
With a stronger ending I may have given this one a 5 star rating but Anshaw appeared to run out of steam by the end of the book. A melancholy read but well done overall by the author. It was a pleasure to see gay and straight couples treated equally. The times they are a changing.
kpiter01's review against another edition
1.0
After getting through the first 100 pages, not making any connection with any character and finding the storyline(s) to be dull and disconnected, I gave up. The premise is that after a tragic car accident, the people involved "carry the one" (that died) with them throughout their lives. Sounds interesting, but I didn't see how that played out in the first half of the book. Too many books in the queue to keep reading one I wasn't into.
amy_south's review against another edition
1.0
Awful. Depressing. I didn't care about any of the characters. There was a brief moment with Carmen and her step-daughter where I thought I might like this book, but it quickly passed. Cannot recommend.
emilyexley's review against another edition
2.0
I picked this up from the library after reading a glowing review of it in Entertainment Weekly. While it was well written, I can't say I really enjoyed it. I felt like the author skimmed over the top of the story and the characters, rather than delving deeply into what could have been a really interesting story. Instead, I was bored. The ending confused me, too, although that could be because I was skimming the last half of the book just to get through it.
melisscharber's review against another edition
2.0
I read this book in parts because I was reading a couple of books. It started off good but lost me half way and I never really connected with the characters again. I didn't like the ending either. Was hoping for better.