Scan barcode
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review
4.0
Cheyenne and Livy are off to their father's wedding. They are half sisters--same dad, different moms, raised by one mother with no idea of who the other mother might be. Since he has never supported them in any way, they are hopeful that there might be some money involved which would be awesome since they are--call it what you will--financially insecure, struggling, or just plain poor. He has specially requested that they attend his wedding which has them hoping; but at the very least, they will get something to eat besides Ramen and have brought along storage containers to make the most of the buffet.
But their father does not have any money for them. He has a name, possibly of the other mother. This sets them on something of across-country quest, but a quest performed with cheap rental cars and a vat of peanut butter to provide food for the trip. Livy gives up and goes back to fishing in Alaska, but Cheyenne, thinking that it is her mother she's seeking, keeps going.
The characters are appealing and you care about them, but at the same time you'll want to shake them. Their whole determination to "stick it to the man" has left them so poor almost everything they do becomes a high stakes game. They are constantly dependent on the kindness of strangers, and one of the most touching things in "The Great Offshore Grounds" is how often strangers rise to the occasion.
The pros about this novel is that it is very different, with characters we infrequently meet in situations that you don't want to believe but you know are probably true. The cons? It's hard to see such bright, driven, creative women work so hard for so little. But those are the times we live in.
Thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for access to this fine novel.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
But their father does not have any money for them. He has a name, possibly of the other mother. This sets them on something of across-country quest, but a quest performed with cheap rental cars and a vat of peanut butter to provide food for the trip. Livy gives up and goes back to fishing in Alaska, but Cheyenne, thinking that it is her mother she's seeking, keeps going.
The characters are appealing and you care about them, but at the same time you'll want to shake them. Their whole determination to "stick it to the man" has left them so poor almost everything they do becomes a high stakes game. They are constantly dependent on the kindness of strangers, and one of the most touching things in "The Great Offshore Grounds" is how often strangers rise to the occasion.
The pros about this novel is that it is very different, with characters we infrequently meet in situations that you don't want to believe but you know are probably true. The cons? It's hard to see such bright, driven, creative women work so hard for so little. But those are the times we live in.
Thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for access to this fine novel.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
brianthehuman's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bellwetherdays's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
mmsolheim's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
dreamgalaxies's review
4.0
I have a booktube channel now! Subscribe here.
CWs are, as usual, at the bottom. This is one of two Oregon Book Award finalists I am reading this spring. I was amused to learn this was written by someone who works at a union I used to work at. I can certainly see the labor organizing background in Veselka's work. This is some of the clearest writing about what it's like to be poor in the US that I've ever read.
Other things to like here: nuanced, not always likable characters. Beautiful descriptions of everything from driving through the plains to midnight atop the mast of a tall ship. Depiction of alternative lifestyles without overdoing it. Complicated interfamily relationships.
What I didn't love: there's a lot of travel in this book, and it becomes a bit convoluted at points. The ghosts feel like an unfinished project; they didn't do anything for me. I didn't feel closure with Livy's choices at the end of the novel like I did with Cheyenne's. She made a choice and then suddenly, the story was over.
Content warning: rape.
CWs are, as usual, at the bottom. This is one of two Oregon Book Award finalists I am reading this spring. I was amused to learn this was written by someone who works at a union I used to work at. I can certainly see the labor organizing background in Veselka's work. This is some of the clearest writing about what it's like to be poor in the US that I've ever read.
Other things to like here: nuanced, not always likable characters. Beautiful descriptions of everything from driving through the plains to midnight atop the mast of a tall ship. Depiction of alternative lifestyles without overdoing it. Complicated interfamily relationships.
What I didn't love: there's a lot of travel in this book, and it becomes a bit convoluted at points. The ghosts feel like an unfinished project; they didn't do anything for me. I didn't feel closure with Livy's choices at the end of the novel like I did with Cheyenne's. She made a choice and then suddenly, the story was over.
Content warning: rape.
susanm_82's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Alcohol
Moderate: Death of parent
alisonlacivita's review
1.0
I cannot bear to continue with this book. Every character is so unbelievably dislikable and not in any interesting way. The writing is uninspired and the vague Holy Grail slash primitive mother slash some other nonsense narrative arc is poorly done and unengaging. I do not remotely care what happens to any of these characters — they seem to be grown women but have the mentality of angsty teenagers who have just discovered the Beat poets. Hard pass on this book.
manaledi's review
2.0
DNF. This was supposed to be good and I just liked none of the characters and didn't care about anything that was happening. Just not sure what the draw is. I started and came back to it several times and had to re-check it out of the library and finally am giving up.
zoobooks's review
5.0
4.5 stars. I grew to love the characters, and the whole story takes you on a wild ride. Like Roxane Gay mentioned in her review, it does the best job describing poverty compared to any other book I have read. The ghost parts and some of the longer side stories like the history of the land etc I didn’t really care for but if you disregard those parts it was very enjoyable and would recommend. I wouldn’t say this book is for everyone, so I understand why this book has gotten mixed reviews. Agree with other reviews that the title isn’t the best but the cover does a great job showcasing the feeling that the book gives you.
moirastone's review
4.0
Like I passed through a marvelous mirror and into a world in which the precise opposite of this disappointing read from 2019 exists: almost 500 densely-plotted pages in which the author again and again makes the choice I never could have imagined, and sends me tripping avidly after her incredible characters into an America I live alongside but not in.