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jodiegervais's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed the beginning and the end of this book. Somewhere in the middle, I got a little lost and restless as I felt that the book was dragging on a bit. Overall, an alright read, but not one that I would re-read in the future.
mizele20's review against another edition
3.0
While somewhat lighter than The Lace Reader, the setting is the same and mental illness is part of the story. The main character, Zee is therapist who has lost her mother and more recently a patient to suicide. It details her struggle to deal with those events while caring for her father's illness (Parkinson's and crossover Alzheimer's)and dealing with her own life choices. There are a few plot twists along the way, but the book is much more straightforward than TLR.
ablotial's review against another edition
2.0
This book had caught my attention on Amazon and a few other people's Goodreads lists, and I was hoping to read it eventually. When the "May Challenge" for my online book club gave me a point for reading this book (because it has the word "map" in the title) I decided this would be a good time to read it.
So. I actually liked the story, the plot, the twists. There were surprises along the way that I really wasn't expecting, great literary references, a satisfying love story or two, and a good ending. I felt like I learned a little bit about Parkinson's and about bipolar disorder. I loved that it was set in Salem, and all the references to sailing, navigation and the ocean.
But I absolutely hated the author's writing style, to the point where it brought this book down to two stars from maybe four or so. Sentences, and sometimes paragraphs, appeared almost word-for-word two (and sometimes three or four) times in the book, like she just copy pasted them from one chapter to another. It got annoying to read the same thing over and over, as if the author thought I couldn't remember and she wasn't capable of paraphrasing. And while I didn't mind the fact that there were two gay couples featured prominently and am even kind of happy that this can happen in mainstream literature without a big fuss, I kind of felt like she was bashing us over the head with it, and with the modern day "witches".
And, in the end,
Interesting book, but I don't think I'll read anything else by this author.
So. I actually liked the story, the plot, the twists. There were surprises along the way that I really wasn't expecting, great literary references, a satisfying love story or two, and a good ending. I felt like I learned a little bit about Parkinson's and about bipolar disorder. I loved that it was set in Salem, and all the references to sailing, navigation and the ocean.
But I absolutely hated the author's writing style, to the point where it brought this book down to two stars from maybe four or so. Sentences, and sometimes paragraphs, appeared almost word-for-word two (and sometimes three or four) times in the book, like she just copy pasted them from one chapter to another. It got annoying to read the same thing over and over, as if the author thought I couldn't remember and she wasn't capable of paraphrasing. And while I didn't mind the fact that there were two gay couples featured prominently and am even kind of happy that this can happen in mainstream literature without a big fuss, I kind of felt like she was bashing us over the head with it, and with the modern day "witches".
And, in the end,
Spoiler
Zee doesn't even learn the whole story. I kind of thought with the description and the title that she would come to know everything about her parents' stories, and how it has affected her life. But no.Interesting book, but I don't think I'll read anything else by this author.
niktruebright's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I have to admit that I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was after reading some of the reviews that talked about the confusing multiple story lines. For me, it wasn't difficult to keep the story lines or flashbacks straight. In fact, I thought they were interwoven quite well. Some parts were a little predictable towards the end, but overall it was a good read.
lindasdarby's review against another edition
1.0
I started this book and it wasn't doing much for me. After discussing it with Carrie I decided to skip it entirely. There are too many other books to read to waste time on a dud. So, on to bigger and better (or maybe trashier but more fun) books.
antonina69's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
sjj169's review against another edition
2.0
An okay book. I enjoyed some parts of it but some dragged pretty badly.
sarahc_98's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5