Scan barcode
emzpiney's review against another edition
1.0
I liked the idea of this book - looking into the minds of several different people at a wedding ceremony and gaining their insights about marriage. In reality, though, I thought the book was overdone. What ended up being 198 pages could have been accomplished in...oh, I don't know...28? The thing that most annoyed me was the constant use of a series of questions to build a thought. I read somewhere once in an advice column about writing that using questions to show interiority is kind of a lazy way to reveal character. And now I understand that bit of advice.
demottar's review against another edition
4.0
Stylistically, Dearly Beloved cannot be matched. Anne Morrow Lindbergh's prose is lush, probing, and sometimes very humorous; her characters' observations on love and all of the forms it takes were very engaging. I also really loved her structure - each chapter is narrated by a different character during a wedding ceremony. Though we never hear from the bride and groom themselves, we get a somewhat clear picture of their relationship from their relatives, as well as their relatives' thoughts on their own marriages, relationships, and happiness.
My main and only real issue with the novel was that I didn't feel a difference in voice from one narrator to the next, and towards the end of the novel, all of the voices started to blend together for me. I'm not sure if Lindbergh intended for her characters to stand out from one another, but because Dearly Beloved doesn't have a well-defined plot (or any plot at all, for that matter,) I was relying on strong characterization to move it along. More defined narrative voices could have helped in this area, I think.
My main and only real issue with the novel was that I didn't feel a difference in voice from one narrator to the next, and towards the end of the novel, all of the voices started to blend together for me. I'm not sure if Lindbergh intended for her characters to stand out from one another, but because Dearly Beloved doesn't have a well-defined plot (or any plot at all, for that matter,) I was relying on strong characterization to move it along. More defined narrative voices could have helped in this area, I think.
falconerreader's review against another edition
2.0
Dated. Some timeless truths, some more timeless questions, but dated nonetheless.
sandra64's review against another edition
4.0
I bought this book, despite seeing some less than favourable reviews on other sites, having read several of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's journals and A Gift from the Sea. I am very glad that I persisted.
Anne's tone and style is as expected: lyrical and insightful, calming and thought-provoking. This is a novel and as such it is a simplistic formula: a summer wedding is described through the eyes of assorted members of the congregation as the service progresses. The first third of this slim volume seemed difficult to get into but as it progressed, the range of insights and perspectives illumined by each of the characters became increasingly fascinating. Some characters I identified with strongly. Others gave me new insights.
The book is less of a novel and more another vehicle for Anne to pass on more of the thoughts and observations she expresses in her other works. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and consider it every bit as good as Lindbergh's other writings.
Anne's tone and style is as expected: lyrical and insightful, calming and thought-provoking. This is a novel and as such it is a simplistic formula: a summer wedding is described through the eyes of assorted members of the congregation as the service progresses. The first third of this slim volume seemed difficult to get into but as it progressed, the range of insights and perspectives illumined by each of the characters became increasingly fascinating. Some characters I identified with strongly. Others gave me new insights.
The book is less of a novel and more another vehicle for Anne to pass on more of the thoughts and observations she expresses in her other works. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and consider it every bit as good as Lindbergh's other writings.
falconerreader's review
2.0
Dated. Some timeless truths, some more timeless questions, but dated nonetheless.
More...