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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
Key takeaway: Even when surrounded by family, you can still feel isolated and misunderstood. Golden Richards has four wives and 28 children. Neither he, his wife Trish, or son Rusty know how they fit in the family anymore. The story opens with a sad childhood and jumps forward to Golden coping with an awkward situation, As the story unfolds, the reader gets glimpses of how this giant family has been formed and how they struggle to stay together and find a comfortable place to be. Overall a 3.5 out of 5
I really, truly loved this book, and was quite surprised by it.n first of all, it's hilarious. Even the sad parts, and there are quite a few of things, are tinged with a sense of the sheer absurdity of life. This book also thankfully did not fall victim to one of my biggest pet peeves, the annoying cute kid. I think most adults have absolutely zero idea how to write in a child's voice in a book for grown-ups. That is so not the case here. While there are actually three main narrators here, the most vivid parts of the story are told from the point of view of 11 year old Rusty, and his perspective rings perfect. So thrilled I finally picked this book up.
This book surprised me. Was an emotional rollercoaster ride with in depth characters and enough details about the polygamy lifestyle to make you understand the other side. Can't say I was a fan of the male MC, but as the story unfolded I started softening towards him. The interactions with his 28 (yes, 28) children was funny and a nice break from the seriousness of the whole book.
A decent novel, but one that's been highly overrated by critics. It also, unfortunately, reminded me of Big Love, which this preceded, but TLP still reminded me of a lot.
This book was about 400 pages too long. Things don't start to get exciting in the life of Golden Richards, the lonely polygamist until around page 400. It's a long read with an interesting section and a horrible ending.
The point of view here alternates between the titular polygamist husband, one of his wives, and one of his more neglected children. For fellow fans of Big Love, it should come as no surprise that the perspectives of the wives and children are both more interesting and more sympathetic than that of the husband. This wasn't badly written, but I found the husband so unsympathetic that I found myself rooting against him, which I don't think was the writer's intention. It was different and it had funny moments so I'm giving it three stars even though I contemplated putting it down at times.
Enjoyable enough. In the same way that the best part of "Water for Elephants" was the history of elephants in the circus, the most interesting part of this book was learning about the devastating effects of U.S. uranium bomb tests in the desert. Crazy stuff!
Blissful escape! I should have saved this for summer reading because it's just what I like for the beach. "Brain candy" that lets you get away from yourself, but "brainy" enough that you don't feel guilty for giving in. Quirky characters that make you laugh or that you can laugh at, yet who remain sympathetic figures. You keep rooting for them even when you know you really shouldn't. Left me with a whole list of reasons why I don't ever see myself living in or near Vegas, but a few reminders for why it's fun to visit.
book is long af but such a rewarding read, I always pictured Ted Leo to look like Walton Goggins, thoughts?
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes