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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
One of the best books I've read. I cared deeply about each character. If you think it's slow, stick with it. You will find yourself thinking about the characters throughout the day until you can finally sit down with the book and realize you're reading a page-turner. Really special.
I really really liked it. The book doesn't shy away from the more mundane, ugly, and lonely aspects of life. The characters felt very real and relate-able. Just well done.
This book reminded me of a John Irving book. Out there characters that you have a hard time understanding and then feel sympathy for. How does a grown man end up with gun in his pubic hair?
A remarkable novel with endearing characters. Don't let the unusual plot summaries keep you from grabbing this book to read. As you start the book you are fascinated by the lives of this family, very much like watching a reality TV show. Then you begin to care about the characters and laugh at their exploits. Finally, you are entranced and heartbroken by what happens to them by the end of the book. Brady Udall is a wonderful writer and his writing is a treasure of beautifully written passages.
I loved this book. It was a bit slow at the beginning, but by the end I was so engrossed it was miserable to have to put it down, and I thought about it for days afterwards.
This story was pretty engrossing. The multiple perspectives from which it was told were so different, which helped to keep things interesting. There were some unexpected twists, and all in all it was a quick read for a 600 page book.
This was a sympathetic take on the life of a polygamist and his family. Interesting read.
Call it 3.5 stars, erring on the generous side. For all its faults (slow moving at time, often tangential, a protagonist I never really liked (though I'm not sure I was supposed to)) I ended up quite enjoying this book. A fictional but fascinating look at the pressures, disappointments, and frustrations of a very unique family setting. There are enough connections to my own religion that it felt familiar, yet very different at the same time--Bizarro Mormonism or something. Udall does a nice job, with all three of his main characters, showing how easy it is to be passed over, ignored, and unappreciated in a family of this size. Rusty, in particular, is a fabulous character, I think, and his sadness and loneliness are really identifiable, even if you don't come from a 26-child family. Not a book for everyone, but pretty good in the end.