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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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:
Complicated
This was a thoughtful multigenerational family saga told in a style referential to the Greek epics - muses and all. I was reading this for DSD book club and was probably more focused on getting to the coming of age story for the main protagonist, Cal, who has 5a-reductase deficiency, so I thought the pace dragged a little during the first half which felt more like standard historical fiction to me. I started enjoying the story more when I got to Cal’s story and I thought his story was really well done. As you’d expect from an epic, there is tragedy, a voyage, love, sabotage, and self discovery. Also the passage of time and an evocative portrayal of Detroit.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
This was *a lot* of book, both in volume and in subject matter. It was mostly engaging, and the narrative style kept things light at times when they could have gotten heavy. But it was a long and slow read, essentially three books in one, covering three generations of the family. The storyline would wander off on long, descriptive tangents to the point where I forgot what I had just been reading. The “big terrible secret” of the book that bothered some readers didn’t really bother me. It was just a part of the story.
This was a book group pick I would not have chosen for myself, but it was an ok read, and there will certainly be a lot to discuss. In my mad scramble to finish before the book group meeting, I listened to some chapters on audiobook, and the narrator was quite good.
This was a book group pick I would not have chosen for myself, but it was an ok read, and there will certainly be a lot to discuss. In my mad scramble to finish before the book group meeting, I listened to some chapters on audiobook, and the narrator was quite good.
adventurous
challenging
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I appreciate what the book had to say about gender identity but it was too long and I didn't find the story particularly interesting.
Far more complex than The Virgin Suicides... and not in a good way. A fantastic premise with unlimited potential, but slowly grows tedious and disorganized as the narrative unfolds. Just a little over halfway through, it stopped holding my attention. When a book starts out this well, I usually plod through the swampy parts. Too much plodding with no promise of exiting swampland, though, and I give up. If anyone feels they can convince me to give it another go, you're welcome to try.
4.5 stars
Dislikes: a bit of a mismatch with the first and second parts but I liked them both so it didn’t necessarily take away from it
I love a lot of things about this book, maybe I’ll add to that thought another time…
Likes: themes (immigration, historical fiction, intersex/lgbtqia+ history), the I is often forgotten within the acronym and I enjoyed reading a story about it
Within the context of when this book was written and taken into account that the author is not a member of the community in any way, I loved it and it’s well done
Author also wrote virgin suicides
Dislikes: a bit of a mismatch with the first and second parts but I liked them both so it didn’t necessarily take away from it
I love a lot of things about this book, maybe I’ll add to that thought another time…
Likes: themes (immigration, historical fiction, intersex/lgbtqia+ history), the I is often forgotten within the acronym and I enjoyed reading a story about it
Within the context of when this book was written and taken into account that the author is not a member of the community in any way, I loved it and it’s well done
Author also wrote virgin suicides
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
reflective
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:
No
An amazing read covering the intersection of sexual and gender identity. Literally so interesting and the use of the environment in the story telling was phenomenal.