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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I picked this up early in the new year because it's NYE-themed, and then it took me five weeks to putter through it because it's very, very slow (especially at the beginning). I like slow, but this didn't quite work for me - I wanted it to be a little more: more character, or more characters; more analysis, or more reflection; more hope, or more self-discovery? Any one could have tipped it over for me, but as it was the highlight was the way Rooney depicts the evolution of a place - NYC - over the course of one woman's life within it.
Knocked a star off for the audio version; I switched halfway through and while I usually like Xe Sands' narration, I wish the producers had opted to use an actual octagerian narrator OR had Sands use her normal, not affected to sound older, voice.
Knocked a star off for the audio version; I switched halfway through and while I usually like Xe Sands' narration, I wish the producers had opted to use an actual octagerian narrator OR had Sands use her normal, not affected to sound older, voice.
Take a walk with Lillian as she remembers her life in her beloved New York city.
Based loosely on the real "highest paid woman in advertising" of 1939 (?), Margaret Fishback, this book tells the story of a successful ad-woman from the 1940s through the 1960s in New York City. At the same time, it describes beautifully the nature and history of the city while documenting the walk Lillian Boxfish makes on new years eve 1984, as an 85 year old woman, and describing the city blocks she walks and how they've changed over the years.
I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book. I felt the character was true in every aspect, there were no moments in the story, where I felt like she said or did something that was not true to her character. I loved the setting of New York City in 1984, the historical mentions, the stops along her journey.
Well done...!
Well done...!
I was looking for something that felt like it might have a happy ending and I wouldn’t say I was disappointed. This book is a great example of why I recommend wandering aimlessly in your local library!
I wish I could say I liked this but I found it so boring. It had its moments of making me chuckle but overall I found it monotonous, anticlimactic, and kind of depressing. Liked the writing at times and found it pretentious other times. Wouldn’t have finished it if not for my bookclub
I wanted to read this but could not get into it. I'll try again at a later date.
medium-paced
It was okay! The premise seemed sweet with room to be reflective, lighthearted, and charming. It didn't really do that.
The book took a few turns into examining the heartbreaks of life and the ways society and institutions failed (white) women in the first half of the 20th century, but there wasn't a robust analysis or critique of anything. Plus it was peppered with racism!
I'm curious if basing the protagonist off a real woman was limiting Rooney's exploration of Ms Boxfish. I don't think Rooney nailed the voice of a Victorian-born woman.
The book took a few turns into examining the heartbreaks of life and the ways society and institutions failed (white) women in the first half of the 20th century, but there wasn't a robust analysis or critique of anything. Plus it was peppered with racism!
I'm curious if basing the protagonist off a real woman was limiting Rooney's exploration of Ms Boxfish. I don't think Rooney nailed the voice of a Victorian-born woman.
We chat about the things New Yorkers chat about -- the constant low grade lunacy of life in the city -- but I am surprised to find, and I think they are too, that our stories emphasize the serendipitous, even the magical. Our tone is that of conspirators, as though we are afraid to be overheard speaking fondly of a city that conventional wisdom declares beyond hope. My long walks, I discover, have provided a rich reserve of encounters with odd enthusiastic decent people.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I’m not a review writer but for this book I’m compelled to at least say — this story has stayed with me weeks after reading it. I’m glad about that.