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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
DNF at 20%. I'm just not connecting to these characters, especially the ghost narrator. I'm reminded of my reaction to The Book Thief, which I put down for similar reasons -- so if you liked that story, maybe this one will be your thing as well. It's unfortunately not mine.
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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:
Yes
Told by a ghost! Interesting narration, powerful story
I’m pleased for Laura Ruby that this resonated with so many readers, but I really struggled to connect with the living Frankie or the ghostly narrator. I’ve loved her other books, but this one never clicked for me.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Brilliant. And made me cry like a baby! I usually steer clear of these histfic/love in the time of war/coming of age books but this was absolutely beautifully written and a compelling story I couldn’t put down. Telling everyone i know to read it
Okay, here's the deal:
I have a FUCK TON of thoughts regarding this novel, and I have no FUCKING clue how I'm going to arrange them in a semi-coherent review. So, what we're gonna do is I'm going to list what I liked and didn't like and leave it at that. Okay? Okay, let's go.
What I liked:
1. Frankie, Choppy, Marguerite, and Loretta were easily the best characters in this novel. I loved hearing about their stories and I loved their interactions with other characters.
2. The setting was historically accurate and worked well with the story. Clearly Ruby did her research.
3. There were a lot of great ideas like women fighting back, dealing with an unfair life/society, and learning to give it your all to get what you want.
4. The supernatural aspects were pretty cool.
What I didn't like:
1. Pearl annoyed me and I wished I could have gotten her's AND Frankie's individual perspectives. Bare in mind, I don't think Pearl was a poorly written character, I just personally didn't like her.
2. While this novel had a lot of great ideas, I didn't feel like there was one central idea that anyone could point to and say, "yeah, that's what this novel's about," like you can with other novels. It felt Ruby had a lot of great ideas, couldn't part with any of them, so she shoved them all in and they competed for attention throughout the story.
3. Pearl's final reveal in regards to her backstory was underwhelming. Not that it didn't make narrative sense, but I had slowly stopped caring about her story since it seemed to drag on for most of the novel and then the final reveal just happens.
4. The ending was unsatisfactory and I wish there had been an epilogue.
All that being said, I highly recommend this novel. This was such an incredible, often times difficult, novel to read but it was so worth it. If you're intrigued by the summary, give it a shot, you won't be disappointed.
I have a FUCK TON of thoughts regarding this novel, and I have no FUCKING clue how I'm going to arrange them in a semi-coherent review. So, what we're gonna do is I'm going to list what I liked and didn't like and leave it at that. Okay? Okay, let's go.
What I liked:
1. Frankie, Choppy, Marguerite, and Loretta were easily the best characters in this novel. I loved hearing about their stories and I loved their interactions with other characters.
2. The setting was historically accurate and worked well with the story. Clearly Ruby did her research.
3. There were a lot of great ideas like women fighting back, dealing with an unfair life/society, and learning to give it your all to get what you want.
4. The supernatural aspects were pretty cool.
What I didn't like:
1. Pearl annoyed me and I wished I could have gotten her's AND Frankie's individual perspectives. Bare in mind, I don't think Pearl was a poorly written character, I just personally didn't like her.
2. While this novel had a lot of great ideas, I didn't feel like there was one central idea that anyone could point to and say, "yeah, that's what this novel's about," like you can with other novels. It felt Ruby had a lot of great ideas, couldn't part with any of them, so she shoved them all in and they competed for attention throughout the story.
3. Pearl's final reveal in regards to her backstory was underwhelming. Not that it didn't make narrative sense, but I had slowly stopped caring about her story since it seemed to drag on for most of the novel and then the final reveal just happens.
4. The ending was unsatisfactory and I wish there had been an epilogue.
All that being said, I highly recommend this novel. This was such an incredible, often times difficult, novel to read but it was so worth it. If you're intrigued by the summary, give it a shot, you won't be disappointed.
Clearly more writers should use ghosts as narrative exposition for historical fiction. Fascinating, powerful, and empathetic writing.