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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
Cool premise, but I didn't like it as much as "You" and "Hidden Bodies." In my opinion, Kepnes writes really interesting male characters, but her female characters are weak. It annoyed me that Chloe is a famous, successful artist by age 24. It annoyed me that Lo is constantly nagging her husband. I loved Jon and Eggs, though, and thought this book would have been stronger if it was only in their voices. Really suspenseful plot, even if it had some plotholes, and I loved all the New England places!
I haven’t read any Lovecraft so I feel like I missed a big part of this, and I never really got the why out of this book. Liked the New England inside jokes though especially cracks at Honey Dew Donuts
"Medicine is an approximate science. Loneliness is a specific monster."
This is my first Kepnes book, so I can't say how it compares to her others, though this one feels different. There is a strength, a quiet depth to the prose, following three characters from each of their viewpoints across a span of years as they search for each other (though for very different reasons), for answers to questions only they seem to be interested in, and to find a balance between their necessary loneliness and their intense longing.
This book defies categorization, which makes me like it even more. It is just a great story with a little of everything: a mystery, a hunt for the truth, death, lies, Lovecraft, a detective on the case, star-crossed lovers, and a paranormal twist. What's not to like?
It is a book that held me above the story rather than really pulling me down to the surface, on the level where the characters were interacting with each other. I stayed up in my head, if that makes sense. It isn't that I wasn't emotionally involved, it is just that the book is more of a slow-paced thoughtful type, letting you chew on the concepts and ideas throughout from a bird's eye view.
Throughout the book, Kepnes is contemplating the idea of a monster—what makes a monster? What defines monstrous behavior? What sort of facade can you hide behind, what sort of actions make you normal and what makes you feared and reviled? Can you be both? Can the monster be saved or changed?
Along with being a monster comes loneliness. This reminded me a lot of Frankenstein, where Frankenstein's monster doesn't know what he is until he is taught that by the reactions of others. And it makes him lonely, craving the company of others.
Why do we want to be around other people? People might hurt us or not understand us. It is because of the potential for love, the potential to share our life, our successes, and even our failures with someone else. To be comforted, cared for in times of need. An emotional and physical connection.
Providence is about all these things. It is a very human story about the people we are, the things we hide, and the lives we lead, just with a little twist of the unknown thrown in. And who knows what's possible anyway—the universe is bigger than we could ever imagine.
My thanks to Random House for my copy of this book to read and review.
This is my first Kepnes book, so I can't say how it compares to her others, though this one feels different. There is a strength, a quiet depth to the prose, following three characters from each of their viewpoints across a span of years as they search for each other (though for very different reasons), for answers to questions only they seem to be interested in, and to find a balance between their necessary loneliness and their intense longing.
This book defies categorization, which makes me like it even more. It is just a great story with a little of everything: a mystery, a hunt for the truth, death, lies, Lovecraft, a detective on the case, star-crossed lovers, and a paranormal twist. What's not to like?
It is a book that held me above the story rather than really pulling me down to the surface, on the level where the characters were interacting with each other. I stayed up in my head, if that makes sense. It isn't that I wasn't emotionally involved, it is just that the book is more of a slow-paced thoughtful type, letting you chew on the concepts and ideas throughout from a bird's eye view.
Throughout the book, Kepnes is contemplating the idea of a monster—what makes a monster? What defines monstrous behavior? What sort of facade can you hide behind, what sort of actions make you normal and what makes you feared and reviled? Can you be both? Can the monster be saved or changed?
Along with being a monster comes loneliness. This reminded me a lot of Frankenstein, where Frankenstein's monster doesn't know what he is until he is taught that by the reactions of others. And it makes him lonely, craving the company of others.
Why do we want to be around other people? People might hurt us or not understand us. It is because of the potential for love, the potential to share our life, our successes, and even our failures with someone else. To be comforted, cared for in times of need. An emotional and physical connection.
Providence is about all these things. It is a very human story about the people we are, the things we hide, and the lives we lead, just with a little twist of the unknown thrown in. And who knows what's possible anyway—the universe is bigger than we could ever imagine.
My thanks to Random House for my copy of this book to read and review.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Did not finish. I tried 3 times and just couldn't make it past the first 50 pages.
3 story lines, all come together nicely. I would read a whole book about Eggs and Lo.
I went into this book without knowing a lot about the plot. There are so many HP Lovecraft references and I’m not all that familiar with him or his work. This had a big sci-fi/supernatural element that I was not expecting and honestly didn’t really enjoy. It seemed to skip around too much too many leaps forward in time which didn't flow all that well. It was a tough one for me sadly.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.