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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
Yes
Really enjoyed this book, it's a really sweet story of small town USA family life, Jane arrives in town and is locked out in her PJ's when she is rescued by local carpenter/handyman Duncan and they immediately start 'dating'. From this funny beginning you know you are in good hands, what follows is a collection of interesting 'characters' often only to be found in small towns. Jane is the narrator and sometimes a bit snarky, she is also witty, bringing charm and joy to the telling of her life. Tragedy changes her live in ways she can't believe and occasionally can't manage, whilst also recognising that she wouldn't be the same had this not happened. The descriptive writing, helps you see every interaction, smell every meal, hear every barb and shows why some people really enjoy small town living. The sense of community is palpable. Wonderfully written this is a gentle tale told so well, you won't be able to put it down.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
‘Bittersweet’ is a good word to describe this book.
It’s a story of interwoven lives and family. Warm and gentle with a touch of humour, it’s an enjoyable read but not one that hit the mark for me.
The first half of the book felt stronger than the last. There are a lot of time jumps and I had hoped it was building towards something but the end was a little unsatisfying for me.
I did, however adore the writing and I really enjoyed the humour early on in the book. There’s a particular exploration of the similarities between children and their parents observed by the protagonist (a teacher) during a parent-teacher night that I thought was especially hilarious.
It’s a story of interwoven lives and family. Warm and gentle with a touch of humour, it’s an enjoyable read but not one that hit the mark for me.
The first half of the book felt stronger than the last. There are a lot of time jumps and I had hoped it was building towards something but the end was a little unsatisfying for me.
I did, however adore the writing and I really enjoyed the humour early on in the book. There’s a particular exploration of the similarities between children and their parents observed by the protagonist (a teacher) during a parent-teacher night that I thought was especially hilarious.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I almost gave up on this book near the beginning - I didn't like Jane, I didn't want to read another book about failed relationships with the wrong guy, and I wasn't convinced this book was going to do much for me. But I'm glad I stuck with it! The book becomes more complex with interesting relationships & character development, there's witty dialogue, feel-good friendships and unexpected plot twists to carry it along.
I still don't love Jane as a character, but she feels pretty real & relatable. Overall this was an enjoyable read that was over too soon!
I still don't love Jane as a character, but she feels pretty real & relatable. Overall this was an enjoyable read that was over too soon!
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
“Well, everything in life had a price, she supposed, and you were constantly paying it.”
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Every single sentence in this book was 100% gold. Katerine Heiny has got to be the funniest writer I have ever read. Her deadpan delivery of odd, yet heart-warming small town American life was just pure entertainment from beginning to end. This book was exactly what I needed to read right now.
I started marking some of the passages that made me laugh out loud, but then I realized it was almost the entire book, so here are some of my favorite moments just from the first half alone. Thank you, Katherine Heiny for helping me start my summer reading off right.
Jane knew her, by sight at least, because the woman also worked at the dollar store, and she knew the man, too, because he sometimes worked shifts as a cashier at Glen's. (Was every resident of Boyne City moonlighting? It was like living on the set of some underfunded community theatre that didn't have the budget for enough actors.)
Would the introductions never stop? This whole day had been like singing "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" endlessly. (This comparison was not idle speculation on Jane's part; her classes had always loved that song.)
Aggie was wearing a chocolate-brown skirt and a low-cut apricot-colored silk blouse. . . "Look at that!" Duncan said, and for an awful moment, Jane thought he was referring to Aggie's cleavage.
Jane was touched by the effort Jimmy must be making. "Duncan and I can't wait," she said, and just like that, she and Jimmy had a normal phone conversation. (Although Jimmy set the receiver down without saying goodbye or hanging up, and Jane could hear him in the background asking Willard if it was possible to barbeque spaghetti, so maybe it wasn't as normal as all that.)
"If you use the word fellowship, I'm leaving," Gary said. "What's wrong with that word?" Freida asked. "It's just a word he dislikes," Aggie said. "Well, then, we'll just avoid it." Willard made it sound as thought Gary were a normal person making a sensible request.
It all went very well until they lowered the lights and started the videotape, which was called "FDA Standards: What You Should Know." Jane saw the title and felt a flicker of unease. The film didn't start out that badly - it was mainly short clips of peanut-butter factories and tuna canneries and an unseen male narrator talking about food-preparation guidelines. But then the television screen filled with a close-up of a glass bowl full of brown powder, and the narrator proclaimed solemnly, "For every fifty grams of cinnamon, the FDA allows up to ten rodent hairs and four hundred insect fragments," and a girl from Mr. Robicheaux's class cried out, "I had cinnamon toast for breakfast!" and burst into traumatized tears.
"Marie Henderson at Glen's told me that Jimmy bought family packs of cereal and potato chips and told her he was eating for two, and she figured that was Jimmy's way of saying he had a roommate." Yes, it probably was. Jane was fluent in Jimmy's language, too.
Always, Jimmy was there, asking questions like, "Where's the orange juice? Where the butter? I think we're out." (Jimmy seemed incapable of remembering the refrigerator had a door.) Or, "I'm pretty sure I locked the workshop, but would anything terrible happen if I maybe forgot?" Or Jimmy would be using the computer and call out, "Is it okay to click YES on this box that just popped up?" ("No!" Jane would leap to her feet. "Remember last time!") At least they no longer had Taco Tuesdays, but it was a hollow victory. Every night was Taco Tuesday now.
"I've been thinking," Duncan said, and Jane knew by his tone that he was going to propose some home improvement project. Probably he wanted to add some extra shelves to the pantry. She'd seen him in there earlier, trying to retrieve a jar of applesauce without causing ten other jars and cans to tumble to the floor. But what Duncan actually said was: "I think we should have a baby." They talked about it late that night in bed. "I just thought, you know, I wouldn't mind the occasional child," Duncan said softly. "That's the thing about children, though," Jane said. "They're not really occasional. They're pretty full-time." "Well, I guess I meant just one child," he said. "Are you sure you don't have one or two children already?" Jane asked. "Statistically, it seems like you should." "Oh, no," Duncan said calmly. "No woman has ever thought I was a good bet to have a baby with. They were all pretty outspoken on that subject." Jane though, it's true: you can't help who you fall in love with.
The worst thing about Jane's obstetrician office was the other people in the waiting room. Very young girls accompanied by grim-faced mothers. Couples who wore sweatshirts reading HUBBY and WIFEY. A man who talked loudly on his cell phone the whole time: "Ask Doug. No, ask Arnie. Wait, didn't we tell them Thursday? I should be back by one, one thirty at the latest. Put it on my desk." What line of work was he in? How was it possible that Jane had to listen to him talk for a solid thirty minutes and still didn't know? Another woman was accompanied by a man with the most unfortunate facial hair Jane had ever rseen - a moustache no thicker than dental floss that started under his nose and continued down either side of his mouth to meet on his chin. It looked like someone had circled an area on his face with a marker and said, "This here is where your moustache and beard should go." It all reminded Jane that having a baby was not that miraculous. Any two fools could do it.
I started marking some of the passages that made me laugh out loud, but then I realized it was almost the entire book, so here are some of my favorite moments just from the first half alone. Thank you, Katherine Heiny for helping me start my summer reading off right.
Jane knew her, by sight at least, because the woman also worked at the dollar store, and she knew the man, too, because he sometimes worked shifts as a cashier at Glen's. (Was every resident of Boyne City moonlighting? It was like living on the set of some underfunded community theatre that didn't have the budget for enough actors.)
Would the introductions never stop? This whole day had been like singing "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" endlessly. (This comparison was not idle speculation on Jane's part; her classes had always loved that song.)
Aggie was wearing a chocolate-brown skirt and a low-cut apricot-colored silk blouse. . . "Look at that!" Duncan said, and for an awful moment, Jane thought he was referring to Aggie's cleavage.
Jane was touched by the effort Jimmy must be making. "Duncan and I can't wait," she said, and just like that, she and Jimmy had a normal phone conversation. (Although Jimmy set the receiver down without saying goodbye or hanging up, and Jane could hear him in the background asking Willard if it was possible to barbeque spaghetti, so maybe it wasn't as normal as all that.)
"If you use the word fellowship, I'm leaving," Gary said. "What's wrong with that word?" Freida asked. "It's just a word he dislikes," Aggie said. "Well, then, we'll just avoid it." Willard made it sound as thought Gary were a normal person making a sensible request.
It all went very well until they lowered the lights and started the videotape, which was called "FDA Standards: What You Should Know." Jane saw the title and felt a flicker of unease. The film didn't start out that badly - it was mainly short clips of peanut-butter factories and tuna canneries and an unseen male narrator talking about food-preparation guidelines. But then the television screen filled with a close-up of a glass bowl full of brown powder, and the narrator proclaimed solemnly, "For every fifty grams of cinnamon, the FDA allows up to ten rodent hairs and four hundred insect fragments," and a girl from Mr. Robicheaux's class cried out, "I had cinnamon toast for breakfast!" and burst into traumatized tears.
"Marie Henderson at Glen's told me that Jimmy bought family packs of cereal and potato chips and told her he was eating for two, and she figured that was Jimmy's way of saying he had a roommate." Yes, it probably was. Jane was fluent in Jimmy's language, too.
Always, Jimmy was there, asking questions like, "Where's the orange juice? Where the butter? I think we're out." (Jimmy seemed incapable of remembering the refrigerator had a door.) Or, "I'm pretty sure I locked the workshop, but would anything terrible happen if I maybe forgot?" Or Jimmy would be using the computer and call out, "Is it okay to click YES on this box that just popped up?" ("No!" Jane would leap to her feet. "Remember last time!") At least they no longer had Taco Tuesdays, but it was a hollow victory. Every night was Taco Tuesday now.
"I've been thinking," Duncan said, and Jane knew by his tone that he was going to propose some home improvement project. Probably he wanted to add some extra shelves to the pantry. She'd seen him in there earlier, trying to retrieve a jar of applesauce without causing ten other jars and cans to tumble to the floor. But what Duncan actually said was: "I think we should have a baby." They talked about it late that night in bed. "I just thought, you know, I wouldn't mind the occasional child," Duncan said softly. "That's the thing about children, though," Jane said. "They're not really occasional. They're pretty full-time." "Well, I guess I meant just one child," he said. "Are you sure you don't have one or two children already?" Jane asked. "Statistically, it seems like you should." "Oh, no," Duncan said calmly. "No woman has ever thought I was a good bet to have a baby with. They were all pretty outspoken on that subject." Jane though, it's true: you can't help who you fall in love with.
The worst thing about Jane's obstetrician office was the other people in the waiting room. Very young girls accompanied by grim-faced mothers. Couples who wore sweatshirts reading HUBBY and WIFEY. A man who talked loudly on his cell phone the whole time: "Ask Doug. No, ask Arnie. Wait, didn't we tell them Thursday? I should be back by one, one thirty at the latest. Put it on my desk." What line of work was he in? How was it possible that Jane had to listen to him talk for a solid thirty minutes and still didn't know? Another woman was accompanied by a man with the most unfortunate facial hair Jane had ever rseen - a moustache no thicker than dental floss that started under his nose and continued down either side of his mouth to meet on his chin. It looked like someone had circled an area on his face with a marker and said, "This here is where your moustache and beard should go." It all reminded Jane that having a baby was not that miraculous. Any two fools could do it.
Early Morning Riser is the literary equivalent to getting a warm hug from a close friend. It is so full of heart and humor, populated with quirky characters that I didn't ever want to say goodbye to.
There's not much in the way of plot, just a grade school teacher living her life in a small Michigan town. Spending time in Jane's head was such an enjoyable experience - I loved how she so quickly went from being annoyed with the eccentric people she's always surrounded by to loving them and worrying about their well being.
This is the perfect novel to spend a weekend with, a welcome escape hatch from real life.
There's not much in the way of plot, just a grade school teacher living her life in a small Michigan town. Spending time in Jane's head was such an enjoyable experience - I loved how she so quickly went from being annoyed with the eccentric people she's always surrounded by to loving them and worrying about their well being.
This is the perfect novel to spend a weekend with, a welcome escape hatch from real life.
A book about life. About everything and nothing. This was an easy, funny and thought-provoking look into the life of Jane- a young woman who has just moved to a small town in Michigan. I liked it because I thought it demonstrated how an ordinary life is beautiful.