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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
A simple story yet heartwarming, sweet, and uplifting. This book truly makes you feel like you are spending time in this charming town. I could have easily read 200 more pages of these characters.
The novel is told in seven parts. If you’re not sure what you think at first, keep going, as the seeds sown in the first three sections pay off in last four sections. Also the last couple parts have some terrific laugh out loud moments.
I had seen this highly recommended by a book store owner I follow on Instagram. She and I are usually on the same page on books. (Pun intended) This book was not for me. I didn't connect with the characters, the writing sometimes got to be too repetitive and I kept reading to see why Annie liked it. The ending was a bit redeeming but humph.
This book is very charming and extraordinary in how it completely drew me into the lives of very ordinary people. Jane is, well, a plain Jane, especially compared to her "Brawny Paper Towel" boyfriend, Duncan. She loves him and I supposed accepts him in spite of his boisterous dating history. Duncan might be a bit of a slacker in his carpentry business, but that is to be expected, I suppose, because his social calendar supersedes his work. He also has an odd, seemingly symbiotic relationship with his almost-perfect, totally put-together ex-wife Aggie.
The book's plot takes a couple of unexpected turns, and suddenly Duncan and Jimmy, Duncan's intellectually disabled shop assistant, are part of Jane's life as are Aggie and her husband, Gary. This story is about family and those we choose to be a part of ours. It's also about boundaries because there is a definite lack of boundaries by seemingly all of the inhabitants of Boyne City, Michigan. There are several outstanding characters in this story, and Jane's best friend Freida is one of them. She's the local music teacher, and she always has her mandolin with her: She's always prepared to play and sing. Some of the funniest moments in the book are when Freida's musical choices prove to be completely inappropriate.
One of the only complaints from the book club members was the lack of excitement in the plot. I agree that it is about a second grade teacher and her family and friends in a small Midwestern town, but the elevation of normal people and their simple lives into something literary and beautiful is quite the feat. The language often made me sigh out loud, and because of her mad literary skills, I will read Katherine Heiny again.
"They were just in time. The sky was striped with every flavor of sherbet--raspberry, orange, peach, lemon--and every stripe was reflected in the lake. The sun peeked over the horizon slowly, slowly, growing to a shimmering gold oval that trembled for a moment, heavy, gravid--like a giant egg yolk that would fall forward and fry itself on the silver pan of Lake Charlevoix. And then it rose higher, a perfect yellow circle."
~ Early Morning Riser, page 119
If the quote above doesn't inspire you to catch the next sunrise, then there's something terribly wrong with you! ;P If you want to read a literary selection that is uplifting and joyful, I highly recommend Early Morning Riser.
The book's plot takes a couple of unexpected turns, and suddenly Duncan and Jimmy, Duncan's intellectually disabled shop assistant, are part of Jane's life as are Aggie and her husband, Gary. This story is about family and those we choose to be a part of ours. It's also about boundaries because there is a definite lack of boundaries by seemingly all of the inhabitants of Boyne City, Michigan. There are several outstanding characters in this story, and Jane's best friend Freida is one of them. She's the local music teacher, and she always has her mandolin with her: She's always prepared to play and sing. Some of the funniest moments in the book are when Freida's musical choices prove to be completely inappropriate.
One of the only complaints from the book club members was the lack of excitement in the plot. I agree that it is about a second grade teacher and her family and friends in a small Midwestern town, but the elevation of normal people and their simple lives into something literary and beautiful is quite the feat. The language often made me sigh out loud, and because of her mad literary skills, I will read Katherine Heiny again.
"They were just in time. The sky was striped with every flavor of sherbet--raspberry, orange, peach, lemon--and every stripe was reflected in the lake. The sun peeked over the horizon slowly, slowly, growing to a shimmering gold oval that trembled for a moment, heavy, gravid--like a giant egg yolk that would fall forward and fry itself on the silver pan of Lake Charlevoix. And then it rose higher, a perfect yellow circle."
~ Early Morning Riser, page 119
If the quote above doesn't inspire you to catch the next sunrise, then there's something terribly wrong with you! ;P If you want to read a literary selection that is uplifting and joyful, I highly recommend Early Morning Riser.
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Lovely!
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
funny
lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Charming
fast-paced
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes