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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book functions far better as a collection of short stories than as a novel. To be fair, my understanding is that it’s a lot easier to sell a novel than a collection of short stories, so I can’t really blame the author for that. But I’d recommend conceptualizing it as a short story collection to get the most enjoyment out of it—even were you to read the stories in reverse (and thus, chronological) order, there’s very little necessary connective tissue or forward motion, and I think the expectations set by “A Novel” on the cover are not satisfied.
All that to say, it’s not a bad story collection. Some are much better than others, and the best ones are the outliers focused on ancillary characters: the driver, the live-in childcare provider. The worst are the ones that settle into the lives of fabulously wealthy people and allow them no real introspection and self-awareness. That’s not to say they’re not what I imagine to be honest depictions, but they’re just kind of grating and unsatisfying.
I wish I wasn’t so ho-hum about this book. It’s a fun concept and intriguing premise, but aside from a handful of the best chapters, it didn’t live up to what I think it set out to offer.
All that to say, it’s not a bad story collection. Some are much better than others, and the best ones are the outliers focused on ancillary characters: the driver, the live-in childcare provider. The worst are the ones that settle into the lives of fabulously wealthy people and allow them no real introspection and self-awareness. That’s not to say they’re not what I imagine to be honest depictions, but they’re just kind of grating and unsatisfying.
I wish I wasn’t so ho-hum about this book. It’s a fun concept and intriguing premise, but aside from a handful of the best chapters, it didn’t live up to what I think it set out to offer.
***I won a copy of this book through a LibraryThing Early Reviewer's Giveaway. My review is strictly voluntary.***
This novel is heartbreaking in its simplicity and yet breathtaking in its complexity. Each vignette takes you further into the lives of a family whose individual members have secrets, sadness and sufferings of their own, unknown to the others. The regression into the past works extremely well and actually added to the overall poignancy of the story, as you already know how the hopeful dreams and bloom of first love will end up and how the innocence of youth is an ephemeral thing. In fact, all of the interconnected stories in this amazing book leave you yearning for something that is just out of reach, for a life that you almost could've had and for that whisper of a dream you had as a child that you can almost recall, but that slowly fades away like the morning dew.
This novel is heartbreaking in its simplicity and yet breathtaking in its complexity. Each vignette takes you further into the lives of a family whose individual members have secrets, sadness and sufferings of their own, unknown to the others. The regression into the past works extremely well and actually added to the overall poignancy of the story, as you already know how the hopeful dreams and bloom of first love will end up and how the innocence of youth is an ephemeral thing. In fact, all of the interconnected stories in this amazing book leave you yearning for something that is just out of reach, for a life that you almost could've had and for that whisper of a dream you had as a child that you can almost recall, but that slowly fades away like the morning dew.
Um, no. Just not for me. I couldn’t get past the whiny, privileged children and adults. The passage of time backwards did not help move the plot and confused me about what I was supposed to now know about the relationships. Not sure why it has the hype that it does.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked the story but didn't care for the backwards chronological order of it all
emotional
reflective
fast-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
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
I really enjoyed this book! I loved how the story of the family was told backwards chronologically! Each of the family members were so dynamic and compelling! I loved how as the book progressed and you leaned more about how their past and could understand how it impacted their decision they made in their future. Juli Min is a very talented writer and I’m excited to see what she has in store next!
Thank you so much to the publishers for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you so much to the publishers for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!